Watch live: Trump gives 2019 State of the Union address

President Donald Trump on Tuesday was set to deliver a State of the Union speech challenging Democrats to approve funding for his long-sought border wall but stopping short of declaring a national emergency over it, at least for now.

At 9 p.m. EST before a joint session of Congress, Trump likely will stir contention with remarks on immigration policy, after his demand for $5.7 billion in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Millions of Americans were expected to watch the address on television, giving Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown, which ended on Jan. 25.

Related: Washington just spent a month in gridlock over the wall. Will Trump’s State of the Union speech change anything?

When Trump takes center stage in the chamber of the House of Representatives for the big speech, sitting behind him over his shoulder will be his main congressional adversary, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who became House speaker after her party won control of the chamber in November’s elections.

She has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump’s wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without congressional action.    

A source close to Trump said the president was not expected to take that step, which likely would draw a swift court challenge from Democrats. Instead, he will urge a congressional committee to work out a border security deal by Feb. 15.

Trump continued to push his wall in a tweet earlier on Tuesday, vowing to “build a Human Wall if necessary.”

Related: Trump gave his first State of the Union a year ago. Where is US foreign policy today?

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday criticized Trump over the economy, healthcare and other issues. “The president will say the state of the union is strong but the American people know the state of the Trump administration is chaos,” he said.

Trump’s speech also will offer an olive branch to opponents as he looks toward the 2020 election, targeting areas he sees for potential bipartisan agreement, such as infrastructure improvements, lowering prescription drug costs and healthcare.

A senior administration official said Trump would “encourage Congress to reject the politics of resistance and retribution, and instead adopt a spirit of cooperation and compromise so we can achieve it.”

Senator Angus King, an independent, told MSNBC potential for bipartisan action over opioids, HIV and infrastructure could be derailed “if he throws down the gauntlet and gives us another lecture on the wall.” 

Trump’s message could also be undermined by his threats to go his own way on the long-promised wall if he cannot get Congress to approve the funding he wants. He has said the wall, which he promised during his 2016 campaign and said Mexico would pay for, is needed to deter illegal immigration and drugs.

Some of Trump’s fellow conservatives have urged him not to declare an emergency. Such a move would “upend” the balance of powers between the White House and Congress, Republican Senator Susan Collins told reporters on Tuesday.

Trump also will address foreign policy, including support for an effort to coax Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro into leaving power and declaring the Islamic State militant group all but defeated. He also will give an update on trade talks with the Chinese.

Asked if he would announce where he will next meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders declined to give any details in a Fox News interview. 

Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney went over the speech on Monday night with about a dozen supporters including former campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, as well as Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, a source familiar with the meeting said.

The source said Trump would discuss troop drawdowns in Syria and Afghanistan and that about half the speech would be devoted to foreign policy.

Trump also will claim success on economic policy, including cutting federal regulations, the source said.

Some Democrats have invited guests to the speech to highlight various causes, some at odds with Trump’s policies, making a raucous atmosphere possible inside the House chamber.

Representative Pramila Jayapal planned to invite University of Washington climate scientist Lisa Graumlich to underscore the climate change issue.

“One thing you will see is that the chamber is full and the president is surrounded by women, by people of color, by individuals who have really been hurt by this president and many of the actions that he has taken,” Jayapal said on Monday.

Stacey Abrams, who lost her race last year to be governor of Georgia, will deliver the Democrats’ response to Trump, making her the first African-American woman to deliver the party’s rebuttal.

Republican strategist and former White House official Raj Shah said the speech offered Trump a chance to turn the page.

“Washington right now looks a little bit petty and a little bit small and the State of the Union is an opportunity to go big and talk in broad themes about what’s good about America and look beyond some of the issues of the last few weeks,” he said.