--- title: President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address description: President Donald Trump addresses the nation in his first State of the Union of his second term. canonical: https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/ author: Connor Greene article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-23T19:48:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-25T02:14:14.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address og:description: President Donald Trump addresses the nation in his first State of the Union of his second term. og:url: https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87e8a68cc2e033a1/69b048791d80ac6ac9828741/GettyImages-2202807260.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Trump addresses a joint session of Congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address twitter:description: President Donald Trump addresses the nation in his first State of the Union of his second term. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87e8a68cc2e033a1/69b048791d80ac6ac9828741/GettyImages-2202807260.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Editorial Fellow Updated: Feb 25, 2026 2:14 AM UTCPublished: Feb 23, 2026 7:48 PM UTC  President Donald J Trump walks in to address a joint session of Congress in the Capitol building's House chamber in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 04, 2025. President Donald J Trump walks in to address a joint session of Congress in the Capitol building's House chamber in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 04, 2025. Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Editorial Fellow Updated: Feb 25, 2026 2:14 AM UTCPublished: Feb 23, 2026 7:48 PM UTC President Donald Trump is delivering his first [State of the Union address](https://time.com/7380575/trump-state-of-the-union-polling-democrats/) of his second term. In the annual address before a joint session of Congress, the President traditionally gives remarks on the condition of the country and outlines legislative goals. This year’s speech comes during an [indefinite shutdown](https://time.com/7378601/government-shutdown-congress-ice-dhs-democrats-polls/) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) caused by a standoff between Democrats and the White House over immigration enforcement. The dispute, which centers on Democrats’ demand for new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) following the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis residents by federal agents last month, has led to a funding lapse at agencies including the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The President’s remarks also come in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to [strike down](https://time.com/7380033/supreme-court-tarriffs-ruling-trump/) his sweeping emergency tariffs, citing presidential overreach, and as Trump has said he is considering limited [strikes against Iran](https://time.com/7380309/iran-war-legal-trump/) ahead of negotiations between the two countries in Geneva on Thursday. **Read more:** [_Trump to Deliver State of the Union Amid Low Polls and Deep Divisions_](https://time.com/7380575/trump-state-of-the-union-polling-democrats/) “The State of the Union is STRONG because America is safer. Thanks to President Trump, law & order is BACK,” the White House [posted](https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2025244520410165748) on X on Sunday. A video included in the post centered on Trump’s emphasis on safety and security, citing falling [crime rates](https://time.com/7357500/crime-homicide-rate-violent-property-decline-trump-covid-19/). Later the same day, the White House [posted](https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2025759237725679934) another video centered on Trump’s foreign policy moves, writing, “The State of the Union is STRONG because America is RESPECTED again on the world stage. Peace through strength.” Many Democrats have [pledged to boycott](https://time.com/7379577/trump-state-of-the-union-democrats-protest-rally/) the speech on Tuesday and instead attend counterprogramming events, while others in the party are expected to walk out while Trump is speaking or demonstrate their opposition to the President in other ways during his address. Here’s how you can watch the highly anticipated speech this year. ## **Where will the address take place?** Trump will deliver his State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. ## **How can I watch the State of the Union address?** Coverage ahead of the President’s speech will be streamed on [C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/event/joint-session-of-congress/president-trump-delivers-2026-state-of-the-union-address-democratic-response/440395) beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The speech itself is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Other news outlets including [TIME](https://time.com/7380968/watch-trump-state-of-union/), [PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-to-watch-trumps-2026-state-of-the-union), [CBS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VjRSauo8ck), [CNN](https://www.youtube.com/live/i7tC7NRWWow), and [FOX](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL--jE25qb4) will provide live coverage of the speech. ## **Where and when will the counterprogramming events take place?** At least 12 Democrats have pledged to attend a counterprogramming rally dubbed the “People’s State of the Union,” which will be held on the National Mall during the same time as Trump’s address. Progressive media outlet MeidasTouch and left-wing advocacy group MoveOn are hosting the event, where Democratic lawmakers are scheduled to speak on stage alongside people who have been impacted by Trump’s policies, including immigrants and ex-federal workers. The organizers plan to [livestream](https://www.mobilize.us/moveon/event/903012/) the event beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Another counterprogramming event, called “State of the Swamp: The Rebuttal of the State of the Union,” will be held at the National Press Club starting at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The event is set to feature appearances and remarks from Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Ron Wyden and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as high-profile figures in politics, media, and entertainment, from actor Mark Ruffalo to politician and political organizer Stacey Abrams to former CNN host Don Lemon. A [livestream](https://www.defiance.org/sotu) of the event will be available free to people who register, according to organizers. ## **How can I watch the Democratic and progressive responses to the speech?** Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, the state’s first female governor and a vocal opponent of Trump, is set to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to the State of the Union immediately following Trump’s remarks on Tuesday. Major news networks like ABC, NBC, and CNN will offer live coverage of Spanberger’s response. You can also watch her remarks online, as media outlets [CNBC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MuZqtnHC3M) and [PBS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpflgbk%5FY%5FU) will offer livestreams. Sen. Alex Padilla of California, the first Latino elected to represent the state in the upper chamber, will meanwhile deliver the party's Spanish-language response following Trump's speech. Such rebuttals have previously aired on Spanish-language networks such as Telemundo and Univision. Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress, will also deliver a response to the speech, on behalf of the progressive Working Families Party. The Working Families Party’s website will [live stream](https://workingfamilies.org/2026/02/watch-2026-wfp-response-to-the-state-of-the-union/) Lee’s speech, which will also come “shortly” after Trump’s address, according to the group. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/"},"headline":"President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address","datePublished":"2026-02-23T19:48:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-25T02:14:14.000Z","description":"President Donald Trump addresses the nation in his first State of the Union of his second term.","url":"https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87e8a68cc2e033a1/69b048791d80ac6ac9828741/GettyImages-2202807260.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Connor Greene","jobTitle":"Editorial Fellow","url":"https://time.com/author/connor-greene/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87e8a68cc2e033a1/69b048791d80ac6ac9828741/GettyImages-2202807260.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump addresses a joint session of Congress","caption":"Trump addresses a joint session of Congress","creditText":"Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7380570/trump-state-of-the-union-date-time-democrats-response-spanberger/","name":"President Trump Delivers State of the Union Address"}}]}] ```