On Feb. 24, President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address while Democrats made their voices heard, as well. CNS was there, providing Maryland-focused updates. Browse our live updates below or get the full recap of the speech.
Here’s who Trump invited to the SOTU to support his argument for immigration reform
12:13 am ET
By Ellie Jornlin and Will Hammann | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Immigration enforcement was a major point in Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, with references to multiple victims of prominent attacks by immigrants, all of whom were present at the address.
Five-year-old Dalilah Coleman was severely injured after a September 2025 car wreck caused by an immigrant from India. Coleman attended the address with her father.
“The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open-border politicians in California,” Trump said in the address.
He called on Congress to pass what he called the “Dalilah law,” which would prevent any state from granting a commercial driver’s license to undocumented immigrants.
Also present was the mother of Lizbeth Medina, the 16-year-old girl who was killed in a 2023 burglary committed by an immigrant with an expired visa.
“Her heartbroken mother is in this chamber to remind everyone in this chamber why we are deporting illegal alien criminals from our country at record numbers,” Trump said. “We are getting them the hell out of here fast, we don’t want them.”
Trump also cited the November 2025 shooting that injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and killed Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, both National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C. An Afghan immigrant has been charged with the crime. Trump called him a “terrorist monster from Afghanistan who should not have been in our country.”
Trump awarded Wolfe with the Purple Heart at the address. Beckstrom also received the award posthumously.
President Trump delivers longest State of the Union in history
11:29 pm ET
By Sanya Wason | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
President Trump shattered Bill Clinton’s record of holding the longest State of the Union address.
Today’s address concluded at a little under 110 minutes – nearly two hours – breaking Clinton’s 89-minute record from his final State of the Union.
Trump also broke his own record of the longest presidential speech in front of Congress, which lasted an hour and 39 minutes.
Trump commends the U.S. military in a vow to never give Iran nuclear weapons
11:18 pm ET
By Will Hammann and Holliday Woodard | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump vowed never to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons during his address Tuesday night, eliciting one of the only bi-partisan standing ovations of the night.
Trump also commended the strength of the American military, calling it the “most powerful on earth.”
“I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror – which they are by far – to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “Can’t let that happen.”
Talks between the U.S. and Iran are due for their next round of negotiations in coming days.
Diplomats have been holding ongoing talks while their leaders posture militarily. The U.S. has continually bolstered its presence in the region, including with aircraft carriers. On Feb. 17, Iran partially closed the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military drills, posing a threat to the oil shipping industry.
Trump recently approved a trillion-dollar budget to keep expanding military operations, highlighting this funding as part of a “peace through strength” campaign.
Democrats and Republicans alike rose for a full standing ovation for his comments.
Olszewski lets off a flurry of posts in response to Trump’s claims during State of the Union
11:06 pm ET
By Stephen Lotz | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
From the balcony, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) appeared glued to his phone all night, as President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address, firing off posts on X. The congressman tweeted at least 20 times over the course of the address.
“The state of our union is strong,” Trump said, prompting applause from Republicans in the chamber.
Moments later, Olszewski fired back: “Trump says #SOTU is strong? How? Americans are concerned about high costs, threats to democracy, corrupt foreign entanglements, and pardons for sale. Just to name a few.”
Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib pepper Trump’s speech with protests, walk out before ending
11:04 pm ET
By Ryan Bowie and Max Schaeffer | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Mn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mi.) made efforts to interrupt President Donald Trump throughout his State of the Union address.
The two members make up half of “the squad,” a contingent of four progressive Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives. They sat next to each other and yelled out interruptions, calling into question many of Trump’s claims.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, called Trump a “liar” when he claimed that Somalis have pillaged $19 billion from American taxpayers in her home state of Minnesota. The number comes from an investigation done into Minnesota’s social service programs by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson.
Tlaib repeatedly called out “release the Epstein files” and accused the president of killing Americans while he discussed his immigration crackdown.
Their actions contradict House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s calls for Democrats to “attend with silent defiance.”
Near the end of Trump’s speech, the two representatives walked out together, laughing as they left.
Rep. Andy Harris makes first statement about SOTU, supporting Trump’s border policies
10:57 pm ET
By Ben Messinger | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) made his first statement about the State of the Union on Tuesday, posting on X during the speech.
Harris applauded Trump’s actions on border control. “President Trump has delivered REAL results for the American people: a more secure border and a safer nation,” he wrote on X.
Trump claimed that the U.S. had the strongest and most secure border in American history.
“In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States,” Trump said in his speech.
In a later post, Harris complimented the president’s claim that the flow of fentanyl across the border fell by 56%.
Rep. Glenn Ivey boycotts State of the Union to stand with son of deported woman
10:23 pm ET
By Will Hammann | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rabbiatu Kuyateh was arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at her annual check-in with the agency last year. Months later, she was flown in shackles to Ghana.
Today her son, Maryland native Mohamed Alghali, is with Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) on Capitol Hill to spread his mother’s story and push for ICE reforms. Ivey and Alghali are not in the House chambers but have been doing interviews and posting to social media today.
“My mom and many others deserve to be back in a place where they have called home for so many years,” Alghali said. “You probably have a neighbor that’s really scared to come forward, because they have a family member in the same situation … It hits closer to home than you think.”
Kuyateh had never lived in Ghana. She had fled a civil war in Sierra Leone, where she’d been tortured and imprisoned, before she moved to the U.S. three decades ago. But last year the U.S. government sent her to Ghana, and then she was deported from there to Sierra Leone – in spite of a U.S. judge’s order not to send her to the country where she’d been tortured.
“This is not who we are, this is not the America that the Constitution calls us to be, this is not the America that we ought to be,” said Ivey. “We’re gonna keep fighting until we get there.”
Ivey said he was impressed by the words of Alghali, whom he met at a rally about a month ago, and hopes to get Kuyateh’s story to his constituents and cut through the noise of Trump’s speech.
“The president has the biggest megaphone,” said Ivey. “We need to be fighting every step of the way to make sure the truth gets out.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks at the People’s March
10:10 pm ET
By Sanya Wason and Nina Wilson | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
????️WATCH: @ChrisVanHollen (D-Md.) speaks at the “People’s State of the Union” protest ahead of Trump’s address.
Van Hollen said the nation is “under attack from a lawless president who is shredding our Constitution.”
Video by @sanyawasonnews. pic.twitter.com/QxzaV4Z5xE
— Capital News Service (@CNSmd) February 25, 2026
As President Trump prepared to deliver his address in the Capitol, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was down the street calling on a crowd of protesters to stand up against the president.
“I have a question for all of you patriots, ‘Are you going to shut up? Are you going to sit down?’” Van Hollen asked.
Van Hollen called Trump a “bully” and a “dictator,” and addressed the protesters as “the cavalry” and “we the people.”
“What Donald Trump wants to do is what we know all bullies do, all dictators do,” Van Hollen said. “He wants to intimidate all of us. He wants us to sit obediently and quietly while he lies and lies and lies to the American people. In other words, he wants us to shut up and sit down.”
Alongside him was Jenna Norton, a public health scientist placed on administrative leave from the National Institute of Health in 2025 for writing a whistleblower letter. Norton spoke out about the changes the Trump administration has made to the NIH.
“The Trump administration tried to silence us by putting me, and other federal employees who have spoken up on retaliatory administrative leave,” she said to the crowd. “They do not want you to know how they are destroying your government, our government, but we will not stop speaking up.”
Trump says he will give U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom
9:58 pm ET
By Ben Messinger | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union, President Donald Trump announced he will give U.S. men’s hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Hellebuyck, the 2024-25 Hart Trophy winner with the Winnipeg Jets, was a key reason the U.S. defeated Canada, 2-1, to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. Hellebuyck made 41 saves and allowed one goal in the Gold medal game.
“I just wanted to tell you that the members of this great hockey squad will be very happy to hear, based on their vote and my vote, and in this case, my vote was more important,” Trump said in his speech. “That I will soon be presenting Connor [Hellebuyck] with our highest civilian honor which has been given to many athletes over the years…it’s called the highest civilian honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Four Supreme Court justices appear in front row at SOTU
9:46 pm ET
By Stella Garner | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Only four of the nine Supreme Court Justices appear to have attended the State of the Union address, with Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan and Chief Justice John Roberts sitting in the front row traditionally reserved for the court.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito did not appear in the front row with the other justices, despite President Trump’s statement that they, along with Kavanaugh, were the only Justices “happily invited” to the speech. Justices Kagan, Coney Barrett and Roberts were “barely invited,” Trump said in the Oval Office last week.
The absences come after fallout between the president and the Supreme Court over the court’s 6-3 ruling against Trump’s global import taxes. Coney Barrett, Gorsuch and Roberts rejected Trump in the ruling, a rare turn for the majority conservative court.
But Trump appeared amiable towards the present justices, giving out handshakes before he assumed his place at the podium.
Rep. Green leaves the House chamber at beginning of SOTU
9:37 pm ET
By Ryan Bowie and Ben Messinger| Reporting from Washington, D.C.
At the start of Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Rep. Al Green (D-Tx.) left the chamber, holding up a sign that said “Black People Aren’t Apes!”
Green held the sign to the cameras behind President Donald Trump during his entrance. Other attendees tried to rip it out of his hands on his way out.
This is the second consecutive year that Green has left the speech early. The first was during a joint session of Congress in March 2025, when he was escorted out after heckling the president.
Green released a statement on social media Monday that he would not participate in State of the Union-related interviews.
“I cannot, in good conscience, participate in interviews within a building that honors a legacy rooted in racial division and opposition to civil rights,” Green said in his statement. “Until meaningful steps are taken to rename the Russell Senate Office Building, I will continue this peaceful protest. Our public institutions should embody equality, justice, and respect for all, not the bigotry Richard Russell fought for.”
“People’s State of the Union” honors past protests
9:15 pm ET
By Nina Wilson | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
People cheered as speakers at the People’s State of the Union protest honored past boycotts and spoke out against the Trump administration on Tuesday night.
“The first boycott of the State of the Union was conducted by the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus during the Nixon administration,” Katie Bethell, executive director of MoveOn said. “We honor their example.”
Bethell opened up the protest announcing the largest boycott of the State of the Union.
“We’re boycotting because we know that Donald Trump’s State of the Union will bear no resemblance to what’s actually happening in this country today,” she said. “He will lie, distort and ignore the real stories.”
Olszewski brings guest affected by Trump’s healthcare cuts to State of the Union address
9:07 pm ET
By Stephen Lotz | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) is bringing a Carroll County retiree facing a $12,000 annual health insurance increase to tonight’s State of the Union address.
“I want the President to see Michael [Zabetakis] sitting in the gallery as someone representing millions of Americans who did everything right but are now being forced to shoulder crushing healthcare costs,” Olszewski said of his guest.
Zabetakis, a retired electrical engineering technician from Hampstead, said his monthly premium rose from $500 to $1,500 this year.
“Losing our ACA credits was a significant hit against our retirement spending,” he said, adding that he has had to adjust withdrawals from his retirement account to cover the higher cost.
Olszewski said the spike followed the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits at the end of 2025. According to his office, roughly 300,000 Maryland households are affected, with an average premium increase of $4,700 statewide.
“I think it’s wrong. Frankly, it’s unconscionable that we allow them to lapse with no plan for what comes after,” Olszweski said.
The House passed a three-year extension of the credits, but the Senate has yet to take up the measure. Zabetakis said dropping coverage was not an option because of an ongoing medical condition requiring regular care.
“Americans like me are not asking for special treatment,” he said. “We’re asking for stability and fairness.”
To go or not to go: What Maryland’s members of Congress are doing during the SOTU
8:11 pm ET
By Ben Messinger and Ellie Jornlin | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Half of Maryland’s members of Congress, including both of its senators, plan to skip Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
Both Maryland senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen say they won’t be in attendance, as do Reps. Glenn Ivey, April McClain Delaney and Kweisi Mfume. All of them are Maryland Democrats.
“It is not business or politics as usual. This is completely out of the normal range. And in fact, I think this administration has kind of gone off the rails,” McClain Delaney told Capital News Service.
Those opting not to attend the speech cited Trump’s actions as unlawful and will not be attending in protest of the actions of his White House.
“He is presiding over the most corrupt White House in American history, selling out our national interests to the highest bidder,” said Van Hollen in a statement.
Four Democratic Reps. — Jamie Raskin, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth and Steny Hoyer — have opted to attend Tuesday’s speech.
“After over a year of the President side-stepping and thwarting the will of Congress, I believe it’s important for us to be present and re-assert our role as a co-equal branch of government,” said Elfreth in a statement. “The president may thwart civility, but I will not.”
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) has not announced whether he will attend. He is the Maryland delegation’s lone Republican and a historic supporter of the president.
Longtime D.C. resident rallies against Trump’s State of the Union
7:58 pm ET
By Nina Wilson and Sanya Wason | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Michelle Peterson, 44, a long-time Washington, D.C. resident, stood on the National Mall in a bright pink beanie Tuesday night, carrying a megaphone and hand-made signs.
“We need to stop prioritizing billionaires and white men, and we need to start prioritizing people,” she said in an interview with Capital News Service.
Peterson was among the protesters gathering to oppose President Donald Trump as he prepared to deliver his State of the Union Speech.
She said she has been protesting since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case in 2022. She wants the government to put people first.
“How many more people are going to die? How many more families are going to be separated?” she asked. “How much more trauma is going to be inflicted on the nation?”
Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors attend SOTU hoping to apply pressure
7:51 pm ET
By Katelynn Winebrenner | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
More than a dozen survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are attending the State of the Union Tuesday night as guests, hoping their presence will apply pressure on the Trump Administration to release the full, unredacted Epstein files.
“Trump says he’s going to give a long speech tonight, but there’s one thing he refuses to talk about: the Epstein files,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during a briefing Tuesday.
In November, the president signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, releasing more than 3 million documents from the investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. However, another 3 million documents remain, and what the Department of Justice has released is heavily redacted.
“For years, survivors of Epstein abuse were ignored, they were doubted, they were dismissed, but their presence here at the State of the Union sends a clear, powerful message: survivors will not be silenced,” Schumer said.
Rep. Raskin brings family of deceased Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre to SOTU
7:42 pm ET
By Max Schaeffer | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Jamie Raskin will attend tonight’s State of the Union alongside two invited guests – Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, was a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein who was recruited from Mar-A-Lago at a young age. A memoir about the trauma she endured, called “Nobody’s Girl,” was published posthumously in October, 2025.
“Today we say to this administration and to the nation that survivors deserve to be seen,” Amanda Roberts said. “We will not be moved, we will not be silenced, and we will not go away.”
Raskin, the ranking democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has repeatedly called Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice’s handling of the files release an intentional cover-up. Sen. Chuck Schumer has introduced “Virginia’s Law”, proposed federal legislation that would eliminate statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.
Alsobrooks takes a last-minute pass on State of the Union, so neither Maryland senator will be there
7:21 pm ET
By Stella Garner | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) announced Tuesday evening that she will not be attending the State of the Union, meaning neither Maryland senator will be present for President Donald Trump’s address.
Alsobrooks made her announcement just hours before the speech was set to take place.
“Our country has been thrust into an accountability and affordability crisis through the cruelty, lawlessness, and greed of this president and his administration,” Alsobrooks said. “I will not dignify his actions with my presence.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced several days ago his plan to attend the “People’s State of the Union” protest event instead of Trump’s address. U.S. Reps. Kwesi Mfume, Glenn Ivey and April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) also announced their plans to boycott the speech earlier in the week.
Alsobrooks’s announcement comes hours after the senator signed on to a letter with other Senate Democrats admonishing the members of the Trump administration for their threats against the Federal Reserve.
“Your comments undermine the Federal Reserve’s independent research, call into question the integrity of its future data, and suggest the Trump administration is more interested in prohibiting Americans from learning the cost of its tariff regime than meaningfully lowering costs for American families,” the letter reads.
Alsobrooks did not immediately respond to comment about where she plans to spend the evening.
Elfreth invites Maryland Speaker Peña-Melnyk for State of the Union appearance
7:15 pm ET
By Ellie Jornlin | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Elfreth (D-Md.) is one of the few Maryland Democrats who will be attending Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, accompanied by Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk.
“I couldn’t be more honored to welcome the speaker to tonight’s State of the Union address as a reminder of what our country can be at its best and as a stark contrast to the President’s cruel and reckless policies,” said Elfreth in a statement released to Capital News Service.
Peña-Melnyk was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States as a child with her single mother and sister. She was the first in her family to graduate from college and became the 109th Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in December 2025. She has dedicated her career to advocating for healthcare access, public safety and economic fairness.
“I attend the State of the Union to honor the Constitution and the generations who fought to expand who gets to be in rooms like that. As a Black, Afro-Latina immigrant woman serving as Speaker of the Maryland House, my presence reflects Maryland’s diversity and America’s evolving story,” Peña-Melnyk said in the statement.
Which Supreme Court justices will show up tonight?
7:08 pm ET
By Ryan Bowie | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
After six of nine Supreme Court justices ruled that President Trump cannot impose all the global tariffs he wants, he said he pondered whether some justices should be allowed to attend his State of the Union address.
“Three are happily invited,” Trump said publicly, referring to Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who ruled in his favor.
The other members – including the three other Republican appointees – apparently weren’t on the president’s preferred guest list.
“Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said he was only using lower case letters to spell out the name of the highest court in the country “based on a complete lack of respect!”
As for the other six, Trump said, “They’re barely invited.”
A brief history of memorable States of the Union
6:11 pm ET
By Ryan Bowie | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
It’s no rare thing that this State of the Union address – the first of President Donald Trump’s current administration – will unfold against a backdrop of global conflict. In fact, the most memorable States of the Union have aimed to shape the country’s views on America’s role in war and peace.
The annual address as we know it today was shaped by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous 1941 “Four Freedoms” speech. It affirmed the rights to freedom of speech and worship, introducing two new liberties – freedom from want and freedom from fear, declaring the idea that people should have their basic needs met and be able to live without the threat of war.
Later, 57 years after the defeat of the Axis Powers in World War II, President George W. Bush used the annual address to warn the nation of the rising “axis of evil,” consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq. In his first State of the Union and the first following 9/11, Bush used “good vs evil” rhetoric and raised concerns about Iraq’s alleged stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, ultimately guiding the nation toward invasion of Iraq.
In President Barack Obama’s 2010 State of the Union address, he signaled a shift from years of war and economic instability and focused on recovery and domestic reform. As the country was in the wake of the Great Recession, Obama outlined plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, focused on job growth and expanded access to health care through the Affordable Care Act, aptly nicknamed “Obamacare.” The address was a calming reassurance that curbed the worries of many Americans.
In his last actual State of the Union address in 2020, differing from his speech to a joint session of Congress a year prior, Trump focused on an “America First” policy agenda while focusing heavily on border control and immigration policy. At the conclusion of the address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped a copy of the speech in half on camera. This action showed the deep division between party lines and gave the American public a closer view of the political climate behind the scenes.
What is the “People’s State of the Union”?
5:50 pm ET
By Sanya Wason | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Multiple Democratic lawmakers are protesting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, by attending a counter-event that organizers are calling the “People’s State of the Union.”
Held by MoveOn – a progressive political action committee – the event will feature comments from lawmakers, Jeffrey Epstein survivors, fired federal and health workers and families impacted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns.
The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. tonight on the National Mall, according to a MoveOn press release.
While there are several Maryland lawmakers boycotting the State of the Union, only Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) have been confirmed to attend MoveOn’s event.
Rep. McClain Delaney: “This is not business as usual”
5:32 pm ET
By Katelynn Winebrenner | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) says she is planning to join several other Democrats in boycotting tonight’s State of the Union.
In an interview with Capital News Service, McClain Delaney blamed President Donald Trump’s actions toward Maryland’s 6th District for her decision.
Attacks on Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, denial of disaster relief to her district and a slew of federal firings contributed to her decision to boycott, she told CNS.
“It’s really difficult for me to decide to attend the State of the Union when our president has no good faith,” McClain Delaney said.
Instead of attending what would be her first official State of the Union as a member of Congress, she said she will attend the alternative “People’s State of the Union” with Sen. Van Hollen (D-Md.) on the National Mall instead.
“This is not business as usual,” she said. “We need to give a voice to how absolutely crazy this time is and to hopefully push some of our republican colleagues to wake up,” she said.
Mfume boycotts Trump’s State of the Union for the second year in a row
5:20 pm ET
By Nina Wilson | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) is planning on boycotting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night.
“Donald Trump has hurt hard-working American citizens and diminished our respect on the world stage,” Mfume said in a statement released to Capital News Service. “So many families that I represent are struggling to pay for health care, food costs and skyrocketing electricity bills.”
Mfume also criticized the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which he said is “out of control.”
“It’s getting harder to rein in the open bigotry of this administration,” he said. “Trump and his ego have failed to lead and have severely injured the official state of the union.”
This is the second year the congressman won’t attend in protest of Trump, according to his office. Other Maryland Democrats are planning their own forms of protest.
Why we call this the “first” State of the Union of this Trump term – even though he gave a big address to Congress last year
5:01 pm ET
By Ryan Bowie | Reporting from Washington, D.C.
President Trump returned to the White House more than a year ago, and he’s now at the point of the term when people usually consider a president fit to assess the “state” of the union.
In this address, the president highlights achievements, pushes for legislation and outlines a plan to address any issues the country might face in the calendar year.
The speech Trump delivered in March 2025 was generally considered just a speech to a joint session of Congress, because it happened so soon after he took office.
Speeches to a joint session of Congress can be delivered at any point, even multiple times throughout the year. But this is the one that members of Congress consider to be this term’s first official State of the Union.
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