Feb. 24, 2026 — Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term tonight at 9 p.m. ET before a joint session of Congress, focusing on economic achievements, border security, and trade policies despite a recent Supreme Court ruling curtailing his tariff powers and amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions.
The address, airing live on C-SPAN, ABC News, SiriusXM, and PBS, will include a Democratic response. Previews indicate Trump will tout progress on affordability, stating in a recent Georgia speech, “I’ve won affordability,” while dismissing critics as “fake news,” according to Al Jazeera.
Trade will feature prominently after the Supreme Court last Friday rejected Trump’s use of a national emergency to impose broad tariffs, ruling he exceeded his authority. Trump responded defiantly, posting on social media, “As President, I do not have to go back to Congress to get approval of Tariffs… It has already been gotten, in many forms, a long time ago!” He has threatened 10-15% tariffs via other means, despite Pew Research showing 60% disapproval of increases.
On Iran, Trump has issued a “10, 15 days” deadline for a deal, deployed warships to the Middle East, and weighed strikes following last year’s conflict and Tehran’s nuclear activities, though foreign policy may not dominate the speech.
Border security and mass deportations are expected highlights, with migrant encounters at the lowest since 1970, though Pew notes 72% view status checks based on appearance as unacceptable. Only 28% rate the economy positively overall, with stark partisan divides: 49% of Republicans vs. 10% of Democrats.
Social media buzz includes Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) decrying Democrats’ prior actions:
Before boycotting the State of the Union, Democrats had already disgraced it. They ripped up Trump’s speech. They refused to stand for Laken Riley. They wouldn’t even stand for a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor. Every State of the Union, Democrats set a new low.
The U.S. women’s Olympic gold medal hockey team declined an invitation, as reported by FactPost.
Polymarket bets show low odds (18%) on all five Trump children attending. Economic metrics are mixed, with steady jobs but slower GDP growth and a 2.1% trade deficit rise.
