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 in the House chamber, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. The speech will address the economy, tariffs, immigration enforcement and escalating tensions with Iran, amid low public approval ratings and recent setbacks like a Supreme Court ruling curbing his tariff plans.
Trump plans to claim victory on affordability issues despite polls showing only 28% of Americans rating economic conditions as excellent or good, according to Pew Research. He has dismissed critics, stating, “I have to listen to the ‘fake news’ talking about affordability,” and “I’ve won affordability,” per Al Jazeera analysis.
Tariffs feature prominently after the Supreme Court rejected most of Trump’s global tariffs last Friday as exceeding authority. Trump vowed to press ahead using existing laws, posting, “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!” Pew found 60% of Americans disapprove of tariff increases. On Iran, Trump faces soaring tensions, including a military buildup and past strikes, shifting from his anti-war stance.
Immigration efforts, including mass deportations, have drawn backlash after federal agents killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, contributing to a partial government shutdown over DHS funding. USAFacts reports refugee admissions and border crossings decreased in FY 2025, with over 677,000 noncitizens repatriated by late 2024.
Notable absences include the U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey team, which declined an invitation, as noted in X posts. At least 12 Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy, plan to boycott for a National Mall counter-event. Murphy said, “These aren’t normal times and showing up for this speech puts a veneer of legitimacy on the corruption and lawlessness.” Guests include family of Jeffrey Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre, invited by Reps. Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramanyam.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response, emphasizing “rising costs, chaos in their communities.” The address airs live on C-SPAN, ABC News, PBS and White House platforms. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “a very good and powerful speech.”
The Washington Times reported Trump seeks an economic reset. Economic data from USAFacts shows GDP growth in 2025 but rising federal deficits and record homelessness.
