State of the Union updates: Trump spars with Dems, touts economy and immigration
ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, and Meredith Deliso
Last updated: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 5:16AM GMT
President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday's marathon State of the Union that "we're winning so much," saying he'd sparked a jobs and manufacturing boom at home while imposing a new world order abroad - hoping that offering a long list of his accomplishments can counter approval ratings that have been falling.
For the president, the high-profile speech was a chance to make the case directly to millions of Americans ahead of November's midterm elections where control of Congress is at stake.
Fact check of President Trump's State of the Union address
Just over a year into his second term, President Donald Trump is delivering the State of the Union address, making his case for sweeping policy changes and executive actions that have come to define America's current moment.
ABC News is live fact-checking some of the president's statements that may be exaggerated, need more context or are false.
Go here for a look at the full fact check from ABC News.
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
Feb 25, 2026, 12:42 AM GMT
GOP conference chair on high stakes of Trump's speech
ABC News Live "Prime" anchor Linsey Davis spoke with House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan about President Trump's highly-anticipated address.
McClain previewed what she expects the president to emphasize -- economic progress, tax cuts and affordability -- and weighed in on the political stakes ahead of the midterm elections.
"I think any time this president speaks, it is very, very crucial, right? As the conference messenger, I take my cues from the White House and from our Republican colleagues as to what message we're going to send forward. And the message that we're really trying to send is forward is commonsense, affordability, bringing costs down and bringing wages up, and we do that through less regulation and lower taxes," McClain said.
Feb 25, 2026, 12:21 AM GMT
Senate Democrats vote to block DHS funding ahead of Trump's address
The president will be entering a Capitol where lawmakers are at an impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats demand changes to how federal immigration agents conduct raids.
Legislation to fund the department failed to advance in the Senate yet again Tuesday evening as every Democrat present except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against it. There has been little sign of movement toward an agreement to reopen DHS since it shut down 10 days ago.
Feb 25, 2026, 12:20 AM GMT
Trump says his State of the Union will be long - and that's his normal
The president says to expect a long address. He's already been the most loquacious president from LBJ forward, as measured by the University of California Santa Barbara's American Presidency Project.
Trump's joint addresses and State of the Union speeches in his first presidency averaged 80 minutes and 20 seconds. Last year, his joint address topped 99 minutes - longer than any recorded State of the Union.
President Donald Trump speaks during the 'Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony' at the White House in Washington, February 23, 2026.
Only Bill Clinton, at almost 75 minutes, regularly approached Trump's duration.
ByIsabella Murray
Feb 25, 2026, 12:07 AM GMT
Schumer predicts a 'painful and tedious' speech
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump's speech would be "painful and tedious for the American people," and that the president would blame Democrats and the Supreme Court for the nation's troubles.
"America is deeply unhappy with Trump's leadership, and he'll blame everyone else for our country's troubles. He'll blame Biden, he'll blame the Supreme Court. He'll point the finger at everyone but himself," Schumer said Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.
"So tonight, Americans aren't going to get the real state of the union ... What Americans will get is a state of deception, a state of denial," he said.
Schumer said that some of the chaos was the administration's crackdown on immigration, Trump's tariff policies and his involvement with the Jeffery Epstein investigation.
