Paul Krugman: “Well, that was exhausting — or would have been, if I had watched it. But I am not a masochist. I waited to read the transcript.”

“Trump’s State of the Union was historic in at least one respect: It was the longest SOTU ever. Was the plan to turn public opinion around by boring America into submission?”

Playbook: “CNN conducted its regular snap survey of people watching the SOTU — a cohort that (unsurprisingly) this year tilted 13 percent more Republican than the average population. About two-thirds of them liked the speech. But the proportion of viewers who were “very positive” was only 38 percent. That’s a lower score than Trump has registered in any of his previous addresses to Congress.”

“More importantly, it’s lower than for every recent presidency at this point in the cycle”

“It was spectacle as survival strategy,” the New York Times reports.

“In his State of the Union address, President Trump didn’t bother to introduce a raft of new policies — unusual in a midterm election year with control of Congress on the line. He did not seem concerned with making the case that he gets it when it comes to the issue Americans are most worried about. ‘Affordability,’ he said, was part of a ‘dirty, rotten lie’ perpetuated by the Democrats.”

“Instead, with the slashing style of a natural campaigner and the instincts of a onetime reality television producer, he spent the better part of two hours baiting the ranks of incensed Democrats in the chamber and endeavoring to define them to the electorate as ‘sick,’ unpatriotic and utterly out of step with the values of most Americans.”

Punchbowl News: “The State of the Union is typically a well-watched but sepia-toned tradition filled with half promises, overwrought policy prescriptions and lofty goals.”

“If you’re a House or Senate Republican facing the stiff political winds heading into a difficult midterm election, perhaps you wanted some details on what President Donald Trump intends to do for the next eight months. Your political survival depends on it.”

“That didn’t happen.”

“The State of the Union under Trump is far more political theater than substance. He’s the master of ceremonies and the flash is what matters. Congressional Republicans are merely along for the ride, wherever it goes.”

President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET

It’s expected to be a very long speech.

Punchbowl News: “Trump still has a stranglehold on the GOP, which means rank-and-file Republicans are hesitant to break with him. He’s not quite a lame-duck. But the clock is ticking on the 119th Congress, and Republicans don’t have a lot to run on in November.”

“It’s against this backdrop that Trump will head down Pennsylvania Avenue for his sixth address to Congress, including during his first term. On average, more than 40 million people have tuned into each of Trump’s joint speeches to Congress.”

Puck: “Echelon found that 88 percent of voters have seen, read, or heard a lot or some about ICE raids and the protests that consumed Minnesota last month. And 76 percent have heard a lot or some about Trump’s attempts to acquire Greenland. Meanwhile, a majority of voters (55 percent) have heard about Trump’s attempts to ‘build new monuments or renovate existing ones,’ like tearing down the East Wing of the White House to erect his ballroom.”

“All of these stories have dominated headlines for months, clearly breaking through to voters of all stripes. (Even majorities of those notoriously hard-to-reach young voters had heard about all of these stories.)”

“By contrast, majorities of voters have not heard about several of Trump’s key economic accomplishments, including some that were promoted with high-profile events at the White House or press conferences featuring the president and allies. For instance, only 45 percent of voters have heard or read about the launch of Trump Accounts, the Michael Dell–backed federal investment accounts designed to build long-term wealth for young children. A full 27 percent of voters said they had heard “nothing” about the accounts, including 30 percent of independents.”