One of the many constitutional duties of the president is giving a State of the Union address to Congress. Article II, Section 3 only mandates that this act happen “from time to time,” but it has become an annual event.
Tuesday, February 24, will technically mark President Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term—even though he lectured Congress in 2025. That speech was labeled an “address to a joint session of Congress,” so Trump could speak on his goals for his second term.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s SOTU address.
What topics could Trump speak about?
Most pundits agree, the economy will be front and center. President Trump even teased this himself last Wednesday, February 18, at the White House. “Watch the State of the Union. We’re going to be talking about the economy. We inherited a mess,” he stated.
This could mean he will spend some time blaming his predecessor President Joe Biden for the country’s ills.
Vice President JD Vance also confirmed that economics will take precedence. “You’re going to hear a lot about the importance of bringing jobs back into our country, of reshoring manufacturing, of all these great factories that are being built,” he explained in a Fox News interview.
Recent polling shows the need for Trump to tackle this important issue ahead of the midterm elections.
According to a recent Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, only 39% of American adults approve of his economic leadership. He loses a percentage point for immigration.
Add these low numbers predate Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, which declared that some of Trump’s tariffs exceeded executive powers. Either way, Trump is going into the State of the Union with low poll numbers.
Are Democrats boycotting the SOTU?
The Democratic party is expected to display varying acts of dissent during Trump’s State of the Union Address.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries plans to attend, but outlined his expectations for his fellow party members. “Either attend with silent defiance” or “not attend,” he instructed. He doesn’t want a repeat of last year’s ejection of Texas Representative Al Green.
Many are taking the second option, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut; and representatives Greg Casar of Texas and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
These lawmakers are instead attending another event, the “People’s State of the Union,” organized by MoveOn and MeidasTouch. This will take place on the National Mall.
Another counter-programming event will be held at the National Press Club: It’s is being called the “State of the Swamp.” Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is scheduled to appear.
Additionally, Senator Patty Murray of Washington is planning on meeting with constituents instead.
Who is giving the Democratic response?
After President Trump has his say, the Democrats have their turn to speak.
This year, they have elected Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia to represent their interests. She is a vocal Trump critic and is not expected to hold back. Senator Alex Padilla of California will give the Democratic Spanish-language response.
Who is giving the Progressive response?
Democrat Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania will also speak. She will give the Working Families Party’s response.
Since American politics is dominated by a two-party system, this progressive group allows members to be a part of another party while also closely aligning with Democrats.
How to stream the SOTU live
The State of the Union 2026 speech is scheduled to begin tonight (Tuesday, February 24) 9 p.m. ET.
Most major networks such as NBC, CBS, and ABC will cover the speech, as will major cable networks including C-SPAN.
If you have an over-the-air antenna, you can watch it for free on a broadcast network or PBS. Traditional cable subscribers are also covered.
You can also find SOTU 2026 on live-TV streaming services such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and FuboTV.
Last but not least, you can easily live-stream the State of the Union speech for free on the YouTube channel of PBS News. We’ve embedded that video below.