Yes, he showed better poise working the room/stage.
Yes, he checked some boxes, e.g., infrastructure (albeit with no substance).
He threatened that there would be no legislative deals unless investigations go away. That was weird.
He did a terrific job with the stories of heroes in the room. But, these are real heroes who in real time, when it mattered, rose to occasion, putting others ahead of self.
Trump's problem is that he is a divider, not a leader. He is a coward, a bully, but not a leader. Trump would not only never spill blood for America, but he would sell it (see Helsinki).
His "unity" remarks rang hollow, as Trump has never once walked that walk. It is always about him. Just hours before the SOTU speech. he was slinging insults at people at a TV News luncheon, including John McCain.
Good SOTU in relative terms for Trump? Yes.
But, nothing of substance, nothing of great intellect or vision, and certainly nothing for which he will stay the course.