In record State of the Union, Trump spars with Dems, touts economy and immigration

The White House, after images emerged of a government plane transporting athletes from the gold medal-winning men's hockey team to Washington, said it was working "through logistics so that members of Team USA may attend tonight."

"Tune in!" a White House official said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters earlier Tuesday, "We'll squeeze in the hockey players tonight and it'll be a great moment for America."

The U.S. women's hockey team also won Olympic gold and the team was later invited to the State of the Union, but declined the invitation.

President Trump spent time over the weekend and on Monday preparing for his State of the Union address, including going through the draft of his speech and making edits, according to a White House official familiar with the president's preparations.

The speech’s theme will be "America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected," which is a reference to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country.

Trump is expected to roll out several new measures to address affordability, including a program to require technology companies to pay for increased electricity costs related to artificial intelligence data centers, the official said.

ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott

Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will attend Trump's State of the Union address as a guest, according to the White House.

The president will use Kirk's attendance to say there has been a "tremendous revival of faith, Christianity, and belief in God in our country" and to call on Congress to "firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens," the White House confirmed.

Kirk was named the new CEO and chair of the board for Turning Point USA after her husband was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event in Utah last September.

Other guests include the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, the West Virginia National Guard member who was killed in an ambush in Washington last November. First lady Melania Trump will bring two guests who will help highlight her AI and foster care initiatives, her office said.

When President Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term, it will be a chance to make the case for his sweeping policy goals directly to millions of Americans ahead of the midterm elections.

One year ago, Trump proclaimed "America is back" as he laid out his plans for the economy, immigration, foreign diplomacy and more. He's since taken some unprecedented, often highly controversial, steps to achieve his agenda -- but at a political cost, with polls showing a growing number of Americans displeased or opposed.

Read more about tonight's speech, set to begin at 9 p.m. ET, here.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart