President Donald Trump is giving the first State of the Union address of his second term in office and anything could happen. Will Trump give the longest, most-weaving speech in American history? Will he pelt “supreme court” justices with heavily tariffed fruit? Can J.D. Vance stay offline for the entire time? Might Kash Patel get drunk with the U.S. hockey team inside a UFC octagon up in the gallery? Let’s find out together — follow along below for the latest (and click here if you need a livestream to watch).

Remember when White Houses weren’t very online?

State of the Union 2026.Lock in, Patriots . 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/63LW0RcTXG— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2026

State of the Union 2026.Lock in, Patriots . 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/63LW0RcTXG

Here come the excerpts

Trump is expected to called on Democrats to end the partial DHS shutdown during his State of the Union address tonight, per speech excerpts:“As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They have closed the agency…— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) February 25, 2026

Trump is expected to called on Democrats to end the partial DHS shutdown during his State of the Union address tonight, per speech excerpts:“As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They have closed the agency…

The president has left the White House:

President Trump departed the White House for the U.S. Capitol with first lady Melania Trump ahead of the State of the Union. https://t.co/Syl4cyZFiW pic.twitter.com/LjOC81q8I1— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2026

President Trump departed the White House for the U.S. Capitol with first lady Melania Trump ahead of the State of the Union. https://t.co/Syl4cyZFiW pic.twitter.com/LjOC81q8I1

White House calls Abigail Spanberger a ‘radical left lunatic.’ Seriously?

When Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger was announced as the choice to deliver the official Democratic response to the SOTU address, most observers figured the opposition party was playing it safe. Spanberger is by all accounts a cautious centrist, and one of a number of 2025 Democratic election winners who successfully pursued the very “affordability” message Trump is trying to purloin tonight. But in an odd “prebuttal” on the White House website, Spanberger was referred to as a “Radical Left lunatic,” with “a long history of supporting open borders, soft-on-crime policies, reckless spending, tax hikes, radical climate mandates, extreme gender ideology, and woke DEI initiatives.” The specific indictments involve basically every standard-brand Democratic policy position you can think of. This is a good example of MAGA-style swing voter persuasion methods: just assert, over and over and over again, that your opponents are “extremists,” so your own extremism doesn’t seem that bad.

Several Republican candidates running prominent races this election cycle are expected to make an appearance in the House chamber. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, who is primarying Senator John Cornyn, will be attending as a guest of Texas congressman Troy Nehls.

Pennsylvania state treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is challenging Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, was invited by Representative Glenn Thompson.

Something to watch for as Trump speaks tonight is whether he actually has the power to do the things he promises to do. We’ve been told he will call on Congress to enact his “health care plan.” Aside from the fact that his plan isn’t, you know, an actual plan, but just a hodgepodge of half-baked ideas, there will be zero Democratic support for it, which means it can only be enacted via a budget reconciliation measure (like last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act) that Democrats can’t filibuster.

But the ever-shrinking Republican margin of control of the House makes that extremely unlikely, particularly in an election year. So that ain’t happening. Nor are other Trump “ideas” that have no Democratic support, including some sort of blanket reauthorization of tariffs, or tariff “dividends,” or additional tax cuts, or indeed, his precious SAVE Act, the bill to address the phantom menace of non-citizen voting by making it harder for citizens to register to vote. Aside from bogus legislative proposals, this president is in the habit of firing off executive orders setting out policies that are far beyond any court’s idea of powers possessed by the president (e.g., he has recently “ordered” an end to voting by mail, although the Constitution clearly assigns election regulation to the states and to Congress). So keep a shaker of salt close by as Trump announces his “agenda.”

The House chamber is currently in the buzzing stage of anticipation as members mill about waiting for Trump’s 9 p.m. entry long before the joint session begins. Members are floating about chitchatting and gossiping. On the Democratic side, which is notably empty, a number of female representatives wearing all white outfits are posing for pictures.

The Republican side is nearly jam-packed with some members wearing red, white, and blue regalia like Representative Max Miller of Ohio, who has on an American flag tie.

At least a handful of former congressmen are on the floor, too, including Libertarian Justin Amash and the colorful Texan Louie Gohmert.

Prediction markets are already buzzing with people weighing in on possible scenarios for tonight’s speech. On Polymarket, speculation is growing around what countries Trump might name drop in his speech, how long the president will speak for and how many times J.D. Vance will clap by night’s end? Yes, really:

JUST IN: JD Vance projected to clap 100+ times tonight.https://t.co/GQJrqPgTNB— Polymarket (@Polymarket) February 24, 2026

JUST IN: JD Vance projected to clap 100+ times tonight.https://t.co/GQJrqPgTNB

This has nothing to do with Heated Rivalry

The U.S. men’s hockey team, which won gold in an overtime thriller against Canada, is expected to attend tonight’s address at Trump’s invitation. The players met with the president in the Oval Office earlier today:

And no, we're not tired of winning yet. pic.twitter.com/mrKYmBvGPN— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 24, 2026

And no, we're not tired of winning yet. pic.twitter.com/mrKYmBvGPN

The women’s team, which also beat Canada for the gold, reportedly declined its invitation.

If you’re disappointed this has nothing to do with Heated Rivalry, our new print issue has you covered.

Who party leadership is bringing

House Speaker Mike Johnson has invited a number of guests to attend tonight’s address including Claire Lai, the daughter of pro-Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai, Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of slain Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky as well as the crew of NASA’s Artemis II lunarflight mission, among others.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will be hosting members of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family following the civil rights icon’s recent death.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has invited Raiza Contreras, the mother of Dylan Lopez Contreras, the first New York City public school student to be detained by ICE.

How long will he go this time?

A look at the length of Trump’s past addresses to Congress, courtesy of CSPAN:

Here's the length past State of the Unions speeches by President Trump. The average is nearly 80 minutes.How long will President Trump speak tonight? pic.twitter.com/BqcAuUxK1d— CSPAN (@cspan) February 25, 2026

Here's the length past State of the Unions speeches by President Trump. The average is nearly 80 minutes.How long will President Trump speak tonight? pic.twitter.com/BqcAuUxK1d

At least interns don’t have to camp out overnight for aisle seats

Axios’ Andrew Solender tweets about tonight’s seat-claiming decorum:

Members are claiming their aisle seats in many ways. Some stuck “Reserved” stickers to the seats. Others left their jackets. One left a book on their chair. Another left a MAGA hat. Al Green’s seat has what appears to be a piece of cardboard with “AL GREEN” scrawled on it.

Members are claiming their aisle seats in many ways. Some stuck “Reserved” stickers to the seats. Others left their jackets. One left a book on their chair. Another left a MAGA hat. Al Green’s seat has what appears to be a piece of cardboard with “AL GREEN” scrawled on it.

Ben Jacobs, who is contributing to our liveblog tonight, spotted another conspicuous one:

Someone else in the House chamber is saving a seat on the center aisle with the David Horowitz book "America Betrayed" https://t.co/BXTSUfnbAa— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 25, 2026

Someone else in the House chamber is saving a seat on the center aisle with the David Horowitz book "America Betrayed" https://t.co/BXTSUfnbAa

How many Democrats are boycotting the speech?

Dozens of Democrats in both chambers of Congress are choosing to skip Trump’s address with some members opting to join anti-Trump counter-programming or stay in their districts all together.

Numerous Democrats are set to join MoveOn and MeidasTouch’s “The People’s State of the Union,” a rally on the National Mall, which will be streamed online. At least 26 members are set to take part in the event including Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Representative Maxwell Frost of Florida, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania among others.

When asked by reporters last week if she would be attending the State of the Union, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said, “Probably not.”

Notably, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark intends to skip the speech, making her the highest-ranking Democrat to boycott the event. Clark told ABC News that she plans on spending her evening “talking with my constituents about their state of the union and how this administration is impacting them.”

Lindsey Graham is bringing a Paramount+ 1

Honored to have David Ellison as my guest to @POTUS’ State of the Union address this evening. pic.twitter.com/wtvEqYiXHS— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 25, 2026

Honored to have David Ellison as my guest to @POTUS’ State of the Union address this evening. pic.twitter.com/wtvEqYiXHS

Who’s delivering the official Democratic response?

Abigail Spanberger, the newly sworn-in governor of Virginia, is set to give the Democratic Party’s official customary response to Trump’s speech. And Senator Alex Padilla of California is doing the party’s Spanish-language rebuttal.

And no, there won’t be a Kid Rock halftime show

This tweet from earlier today sent a chill down countless spines (of journalists who cover politics):

THIS.SOTU to be *over 2 hours long*, several reliable Republican sources tell me they have been told. One said they were told 2.5 - 3 hours (!!), though that is the high end and could be a reverse jinx attempt.— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) February 24, 2026

THIS.SOTU to be *over 2 hours long*, several reliable Republican sources tell me they have been told. One said they were told 2.5 - 3 hours (!!), though that is the high end and could be a reverse jinx attempt.

How to watch tonight’s State of the Union

Trump’s State of the Union address is set to begin at 9 p.m. EST and will air on most major broadcast networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX and MS NOW as well as every political nerd’s favorite ultra-basic channel, CSPAN. For online viewers, those networks will also have accompanying livestreams, we’ll link you to one closer to start time.

Trump’s near-impossible hurdle

As I noted in my preview of tonight’s speech, the odds aren’t good that Trump can do what he has to do, which is make a coherent argument for keeping his party in control of Congress this fall:

Trump will need a lot of time if he indeed intends to vent his rage while delivering a midterm message about his accomplishments, particularly on the economic front. But the two agendas may not smoothly blend. It won’t be easy for Trump to boast about having built the greatest economy in the history of the world while expressing his fury over the judicial sidelining of his favorite economic policy. It could be difficult to present an “affordability agenda” while maintaining that the cost of living is already low and public unhappiness with the economy is hallucinatory. And it may strain credulity to project a sustained administration- and party-wide focus on the economy while lambasting Democrats for shutting down DHS over their very popular demands to rein in ICE.Even more fundamentally, Trump may struggle to make his SOTU remarks appeal to the sensibilities of the independent voters who are giving his second-term performance in office dangerously low marks or the 2024 Trump voters who have soured on him. With every fiber of his being, he wants to thrill his base and own his enemies. And if his script gives him any leeway to sing his favorite songs — as familiar as “YMCA” — about the depravity of immigrants, the senility of Joe Biden, the treachery of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the spiteful refusal of prize committees and voters to acknowledge his greatness, he may turn this set-piece speech opportunity into another ranting “weave.”

Trump will need a lot of time if he indeed intends to vent his rage while delivering a midterm message about his accomplishments, particularly on the economic front. But the two agendas may not smoothly blend. It won’t be easy for Trump to boast about having built the greatest economy in the history of the world while expressing his fury over the judicial sidelining of his favorite economic policy. It could be difficult to present an “affordability agenda” while maintaining that the cost of living is already low and public unhappiness with the economy is hallucinatory. And it may strain credulity to project a sustained administration- and party-wide focus on the economy while lambasting Democrats for shutting down DHS over their very popular demands to rein in ICE.

Even more fundamentally, Trump may struggle to make his SOTU remarks appeal to the sensibilities of the independent voters who are giving his second-term performance in office dangerously low marks or the 2024 Trump voters who have soured on him. With every fiber of his being, he wants to thrill his base and own his enemies. And if his script gives him any leeway to sing his favorite songs — as familiar as “YMCA” — about the depravity of immigrants, the senility of Joe Biden, the treachery of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the spiteful refusal of prize committees and voters to acknowledge his greatness, he may turn this set-piece speech opportunity into another ranting “weave.”

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2026 state of the union address

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