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How to watch Trump's 2026 State of the Union
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How to watch Trump's 2026 State of the Union

#State of the Union #Donald Trump #2026 elections #Democratic response #Government shutdown #Supreme Court #Political polarization

📌 Key Takeaways

  • President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term on Feb. 24, 2026
  • The speech comes amid significant challenges including Supreme Court rejection of tariffs and ongoing government shutdown
  • Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response
  • A growing number of Democrats are planning alternative events and boycotts of the speech

📖 Full Retelling

President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at 9 p.m. EST to a joint session of Congress in Washington D.C., amid a turbulent political landscape marked by both his administration's accomplishments and significant challenges. The speech comes 13 months into his second term, which has been characterized by rapid deregulation, numerous executive actions, mass layoffs, and federal deployments. The annual address, mandated by the U.S. Constitution as a way for the president to update Congress on the nation's status and outline legislative priorities, faces an unusually contentious backdrop. Trump's agenda has recently encountered significant obstacles, including a major Supreme Court setback that struck down his sweeping tariffs. Additionally, Americans have expressed growing uncertainty about the president's economic leadership, while a partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security—caused by Democratic opposition to Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies—shows no immediate resolution. Lingering questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to cast a shadow over the administration. In response to Trump's address, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, the state's first woman governor and a vocal Trump critic, will deliver the official Democratic response. Meanwhile, a growing group of Democrats is planning alternative events, including at least 12 lawmakers who will attend a 'People's State of the Union' rally on the National Mall, organized by progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn.org. The political divisions surrounding the address are further evidenced by several Democratic lawmakers' decisions to boycott the speech altogether, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries instructing fellow Democrats to either attend with 'silent defiance' or skip the event entirely.

🏷️ Themes

Political polarization, Midterm elections, Executive power, Democratic opposition

📚 Related People & Topics

State of the Union

State of the Union

Annual report by the president of the United States

The State of the Union address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The speech generally includes reports...

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Supreme court

Supreme court

Highest court in a jurisdiction

In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of a supreme court are binding on all other courts in a nat...

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Government shutdown

Cessation of government functions due to failure to fund

A government shutdown occurs when the legislative branch does not pass key bills which fund or authorize the operations of the executive branch, resulting in the cessation of some or all operations of a government. Government shutdowns can reduce public trust in politics. In presidential systems, th...

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Donald Trump

Donald Trump

President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)

Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. Born into a wealthy New York City family, Trump graduated from the...

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for State of the Union:

👤 Donald Trump 37 shared
🌐 Democrat 6 shared
🌐 Immigration 4 shared
🌐 Congress 4 shared
🌐 Economy 4 shared
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Original Source
By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-to-watch-trumps-2026-state-of-the-union Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter How to watch Trump's 2026 State of the Union Politics Feb 20, 2026 3:05 PM EST President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday, after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, federal deployments, and much more. President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Watch our coverage live, starting at 6 p.m. EST, in the video player above. Yet, with midterm elections on the horizon, a number of pain points threaten to overshadow the list of accomplishments Trump is sure to tout during his big, primetime speech. On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump's agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. Americans have grown increasingly unsure about the president's policies, including his economic leadership. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The goal of this annual address, as laid out in the U.S. Constitution , is to update Congress on how the country is doing and propose legislative priorities. It's not yet clear how Trump, who's stressed both unity and division in his past remarks, will approach this task. Meanwhile, a burgeoning group of Democrats see a chance to change the conversation with their own events. H...
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