5 key takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address

President Donald Trump called for unity again and again in his State of the Union address, delivering a speech that was a sharp contrast to the last month of digging in his heels during a 35-day government shutdown and almost two years of political battles during his administration.

Here are five major takeaways from the speech.

Much has changed since the president's State of the Union address a year ago. He now faces a divided Congress - and one that has more women and people of color than ever before.

Abrams was a manifestation of that change, both as a woman of color - the first African-American woman to give the State of the Union response - and as a new voice that rose out of 2018.

Even though she lost a tight race for Georgia governor last November, Abrams nevertheless was selected to be the face of the party in a speech seen by millions nationwide - a testament, experts have said, to the power Democrats believe Abrams holds to connect with a diverse electorate in a moment of American politics enveloped by the complexities of gender and race.

Abrams' words were further looked to in the aftermath of the scandal engulfing the Virginia governor - which she addressed without specifically referencing the calls for his resignation or the racist yearbook photo.

"We must hold everyone from the highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds and call racism what it is - wrong," Abrams said.

Abrams was more direct about the president, who many predicted she wouldn't directly call out.

She defended Democrats against the president's claims that the party wants "open borders," saying "compassionate treatment at the border" is not the same thing.

"President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants - not walls," Abrams said.

But Abrams emphasized a similar theme from the president about victory for the country, over one party.

"So even as I am very disappointed by the President's approach to our problems, I still don't want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America," Abrams said.