President Donald Trump is set to descend on Capitol Hill for his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, as his administration faces growing outcry over its nationwide immigration crackdown and declining support for several of his key policies.
Trump’s high-stakes speech comes just days after the Supreme Court dealt a crushing blow to the centerpiece of his economic and foreign policy agenda, ruling his sweeping tariffs illegal. The president is also staring down brewing conflict abroad, with an immense military buildup in the Middle East amid threats toward Iran, and an ongoing partial government shutdown impacting the Department of Homeland Security.
Amid a stark backdrop — and just months before kicking off festivities for America’s 250th anniversary — Trump will be tasked with highlighting his administration’s biggest wins in his first year back in office and shoring up support with key voter blocs ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Here’s what you need to know before Trump delivers his highly anticipated address to Congress — and the nation:
How can I watch the speech?
Trump’s State of the Union speech is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The address will be broadcast on major television networks and available to stream online, including on POLITICO’s website. You can follow our live coverage of the address here.
What will Trump talk about?
Trump said Monday that his address is “going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about,” hinting that his remarks will likely touch on the state of the economy. The White House has attempted to keep Trump on message about affordability ahead of this fall’s midterm elections, with the president offering a preview of his possible remarks during a Thursday rally in Georgia.
“They would say affordability, everybody would say, ‘Oh, Trump caused–,’ no, they cause– they caused the affordability problem,” Trump said at the rally. “And we’ve solved it. And we’re going still lower, but we’ve solved it.”
Several Republicans told POLITICO they hope Trump will focus on highlighting economic issues, American energy dominance and the tax cuts passed in last year’s GOP megabill during his address.
The president’s job approval has slid in recent months, with numerous polls revealing widespread disapproval of his handling of immigration and the economy — two issues that helped propel Trump back to a second term in the White House.
Who is attending?
Lawmakers from both chambers of Congress, members of Trump’s family and several administration officials, including Cabinet secretaries and Vice President JD Vance, are expected to attend. Several personal guests of the president will also be at the Capitol, including Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk, widow of the late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Supreme Court justices are also invited to the State of the Union, although Trump sniped at several of the justices who voted to strike down his tariffs last week, telling reporters Friday: “I couldn’t care less if they come.”
Members of Congress are each permitted to invite a guest to the address, and lawmakers frequently use the invite to draw attention to high-profile issues. Some Democrats — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — have announced that they’ll bring survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as their guests. Many Republicans are bringing guests who benefited from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year.
Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed Tuesday the U.S. men’s hockey team will attend Trump’s address, although the women’s team said it would not participate due to scheduling issues.
Who won’t be there?
More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have announced that they won’t attend Trump’s State of the Union, with several choosing to attend a counterprogramming rally on the National Mall instead.
The event, dubbed the “People’s State of the Union,” will feature lawmakers who also skipped Trump’s inaugurations, including Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
Jeffries advised Democrats during a private leadership meeting earlier this month that members of his caucus should either attend alternative programming or sit in “silent defiance” of Trump’s speech, hoping to avoid the image of Democratic hecklers during last year’s address.
Lawmakers from both parties are also facing weather-related delays in traveling back to Washington after a winter storm led the House to cancel Monday votes.
Who is giving the Democratic response?
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is set to deliver the official Democratic rebuttal to Trump’s address Tuesday night.
Spanberger, a former CIA officer who served in the House from 2019-2025, defeated GOP nominee Winsome Earle-Sears to flip the Virginia governor’s mansion blue in November. Democrats widely lauded her campaign for its focus on affordability.
Spanberger hinted last week that her response will likely center on those issues, writing in a statement that “Virginians and Americans across the country are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) — California’s first Latino senator and the son of Mexican immigrants — will deliver the Democratic response in Spanish.
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