What Trump avoided in the State of the Union could haunt him in November

The president’s state of the union was notable for something his second term has largely lacked: restraint.

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 24, 2026. | Alex Kent for POLITICO

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was defined in many respects not by what he said but by what he avoided saying.

There were the mistakes he avoided making: Trump did not attack the Supreme Court. He did not blitz members of his own party who have criticized him. He avoided rambling, angry digressions from the script.

Then there were the issues he avoided addressing: Trump offered no new ideas on housing or health care, two defining issues of the midterm campaign. He made no mention of the Jeffrey Epstein scandals consuming politics in Washington and far beyond. He did not clarify his policy toward Iran, even as he masses air and naval forces in the region.

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