WASHINGTON _ As House speaker, Nancy Pelosi has sat behind a president during a State of the Union address on three occasions.
But Tuesday will be her first time introducing President Donald Trump, and it comes amid an ugly fight over the border wall and after a record-long government shutdown.
As the unpredictable Trump prepares to deliver his second State of the Union address _ his first to a chamber controlled by the opposing political party _ many will be looking to Pelosi to set the tone for Democrats.
In an era of memes and viral video clips, it may be the unscripted moments that capture the public's interest. Last year, it was Pelosi's pinched reaction from the chamber floor that resonated as much as anything Trump said.
Now Pelosi will be visible behind Trump throughout the entire speech, likely striking a stark contrast next to Vice President Mike Pence, often mocked by Democrats for his almost adoring gazes at Trump.
The interaction between Trump and Pelosi will be closely analyzed, particularly given the history of putting politics aside for such events.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich had a broad smile for President Bill Clinton as he approached the dais to give his 1995 State of the Union address, and vigorously shook his hand. Clinton began by congratulating Republicans on their midterm victory.
President George W. Bush began his 2007 State of the Union after Democrats seized the House by saying it was his "honor" to be the first president to address "Madam Speaker," referring to Pelosi's historic ascension.
And President Barack Obama, after Republicans seized back the House in 2010, visibly moved Speaker John A. Boehner with a reference to Boehner's hard-working father, a Cincinnati bar owner.
It's far from clear whether any such niceties will take place in 2019. It was Pelosi who delayed the president's originally scheduled State of the Union address for one week during the shutdown standoff.
She's called him childish and questioned his manhood. Trump, though he's refrained from personally attacking her looks or character as he does with other rivals, said last weekend she was a danger to the country.
The White House says Trump plans to call for unity and bipartisanship, but Democrats are leery.
"He has no history of doing that," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.
House Democrats hope to play defense without saying a word _ at least during the speech. Female lawmakers plan to wear white, in homage to the suffragettes. Pelosi will pack the gallery with some of Trump's sharpest critics, including Dr. Leana Wen, the head of Planned Parenthood; chef Jose Andres, who has become a vocal critic of the administration's immigration policies; and five labor leaders.
Some of the Democrats who boycotted Trump's first speech plan to attend this year to send a message that they are not backing down.
They _ along with Stacey Abrams, the defeated Georgia gubernatorial candidate who is giving the official Democratic response _ are trying to keep the attention focused on how the Trump administration's decisions, they argue, have hurt the middle class.
Among the lawmakers in the chamber will be 100 freshmen attending their first address by the president in their new workplace. Many are young, rebellious and progressive. The question is: Will they adhere to traditional decorum?
The minority party almost always politely applauds the president, cheers for his nods to bipartisanship and American values. They typically remain quietly seated, albeit sour-faced, when he throws red meat to the base.
The most notable exception was Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who infamously shouted "You lie!" at Obama during a 2009 address on health care.
Leadership isn't talking with members about decorum ahead of the speech _ no warnings about yelling out or booing, according to a senior House Democratic aide. Lawmakers know how to act, the aide said, and "we don't think it's needed."
A handful of Democratic lawmakers are boycotting the speech altogether. Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia said he would "rather be somewhere else than listening to (Trump) come onto our floor & start talking about groups of people, particularly Latinos, and disparaging them as a people," he wrote on Twitter.
But the vast majority of Democrats will be there. Several are bringing federal workers who didn't get paid during the shutdown, including contractors who won't get back pay.
Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Jimmy Gomez of California are bringing immigrants in the U.S. illegally who spoke out about their employment at Trump's resort in Bedminster, N.J.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has invited an activist who went viral when she cornered then-Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator over his vote for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.
"It won't be the first time that members will be in the chamber that either agree or disagree" with the president, said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif. But even for veteran lawmakers like Eshoo, this year's address feels different.
"Do you take those words seriously? I mean, he is the president of the United States," she said.
The most prominent Democrat, of course, will be Pelosi. Rank-and-file lawmakers can take their cue on when to applaud and when to stay seated based on their party leader.
"Pelosi's primary role and strategy over these first weeks in Congress has been to be the adult in the room at all times," said George Mason University associate political science professor Jennifer Nicoll Victor. "I don't expect her to be robotic exactly or devoid of emotion," but the public will likely see her try to strike that same chord of self-control, she said.
Trump and Pelosi most recently squared off in December in the Oval Office, when Trump unexpectedly invited television cameras into the room for a lengthy standoff over whether a government spending bill would include funding for a wall along the southern U.S. border.
"There's obviously a fair amount of animosity between (them) and it seems like that should play out somehow," Victor said.
