President Donald Trump is delivering his State of the Union tonight in Washington, D.C., as a majority of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling inflation, tariffs, relations with other countries, immigration and the economy, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
RELATED: How to watch Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address
For Trump, the high-profile speech is a chance to make the case directly to millions of Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections where control of Congress is at stake.
Watch ABC News Live coverage in the video player above. The State of the Union address is also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Key Headlines
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4 minutes agoAt least a dozen Democrats have left the chamber
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7 minutes agoTrump honors Charlie Kirk, chamber applauds widow
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14 minutes agoTrump says Dems should be ‘ashamed’
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17 minutes agoTrump’s calls for insider trading ban for members of Congress
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23 minutes agoTrump promises plan with tech companies to lower electricity costs
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.
Trump touts One Big Beautiful Bill, slams Democrats
Trump thanked congressional Republicans for passing his spending bill, dubbed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” that he contended cut taxes for millions of Americans and offered amenities such as no tax on tips.
The president slammed Democrats, who voted against the spending bill.
“They wanted large scale tax increases to hurt the people instead,” Trump said.
Flooding hero recognized
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer who is credited with saving 165 people during the deadly July 4th flooding in the Texas Hill Country was awarded the Legion of Merit for “extraordinary heroism,” President Trump said.
The awardee, Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, was reunited in the chamber with an 11-year-old girl he saved, Trump said.
Trump promises to allow migrants who ‘love our country’
“We will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.”
Trump has actually taken steps to restrict who can emigrate to the U.S. often in the name of protecting national security.
He suspended the refugee program on his first day in office and in October resumed the program but only in limited numbers for white South Africans.
Trump has also placed restrictions on who can travel or emigrate to the U.S. from nearly 40 countries. Many of those countries are in Africa.
Trump says he will make LA safe as he made Washington
“We’re going to do a good job in Los Angeles. And Los Angeles is going to be safe, just like Washington, D.C., is now one of the safest cities in the country.”
Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington in August 2025 and has credited it with lowering crime to historic lows.
Crime did go down after a surge of federal authorities and national guard members onto the streets. But Mayor Muriel Bowser maintained it was already trending down at the time. Trump and Republicans argued that local police were cooking the books and not giving the surge the true credit it merited.
A House Committee and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro issued reports supporting the fixed crime data claim. Bowser challenged those findings and asked for an inspector general review, which is underway.
Overall violent crime fell 29% in 2025 from 2024. It is currently down 29% so far this year from the same time in 2025. Federal authorities and more than 2,200 Guard members are still on the streets.
FACT CHECK: Migrant border crossings
TRUMP CLAIM: “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”
FACT CHECK: False, but crossings are down drastically
After using executive authority to enforce a series of restrictive policy measures at the southern border, the Trump administration has severely decreased the number of people who crossed the border illegally, down from the record highs of the Biden administration.
According to the data collected by Customs and Border Protection, in 2024, the last full year of Biden’s presidency, there were over 1.5 million encounters with migrants attempting to illegally cross the border. In 2025, the first full year of Trump’s second term in office, that number dropped to just under 28,000.
Those low trends continue in 2026, but have never been at “zero” as the president has often suggested. The numbers suggest migrants are still attempting to cross the border, and it would be impossible to know if any had gone through unnoticed.
Who’s the designated survivor?
They typically start the day as low-profile Cabinet secretaries. They end it that way, too, God willing.
But when the rest of the government is gathered together for a big event, like President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, a designated survivor is kept away to ensure someone in the line of leadership succession stays alive.
The president’s pick to sit out this time appeared to be Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, who was also chosen as the designated survivor last year for the president’s address to a joint session of Congress. Collins was not seen in the chamber. The White House did not immediately confirm he was chosen.
‘We ended DEI in America’
While touting his accomplishments, Trump said, “We ended DEI in America” — referring to diversity, equity and inclusion practices, a frequent target of his administration.
Trump said they got a record number of “job-killing regulations” and decreased the number of people on food stamps by 2.4 million.
Trump invites the USA women’s hockey team to the White House
The USA women’s hockey team – who, like their male counterparts were champions at the recent Olympics in Milano-Cortina – will get their due from Washington soon.
The women’s team had declined an invitation from Trump to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union, due to the timing of the address.
As the gold medal-winning men’s team made their appearance during the speech, Trump announced that the women’s team “will soon be coming to the White House.”
Men’s Olympic hockey team gets shout out from president
President Trump introduced the men’s hockey team at the State of the Union, with athletes entering the House chamber wearing their gold medals.
The team flew to Washington earlier Tuesday on a government plane and spent the day at the White House.
Trump specifically shouted out goalie Connor Hellebuyck for his performance, and said he will be awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Rep. Al Green is escorted from the chamber as Republicans chant ‘USA’
The House Sergeant at Arms approached and escorted Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who stood as Trump began speaking with a sign reading “Black People Aren’t Apes!” from the chamber barely two minutes into the address.
Two Trump allies, Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas and Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, had approached the area where Green was sitting before Capitol Police escorted him out.
Before Green exited, some Republicans began chanted “USA.”
Trump touts his economy, but polls show most Americans disapprove
President Trump, early on in his speech, sought to highlight what his administration sees as economic wins: lower gas prices and a booming stock market.
“The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” Trump said.
But most Americans disapprove of how he’s handling the economy (57%) and inflation (65%), according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
Trump touches early on key issue — immigration
President Trump early in his speech is addressing immigration, his best and worst issue, a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll finds.
Trump said the U.S. has “the strongest and most secure border in American history,” though noted that those who come in legally and “will love our country” are always welcome.
Trump now speaking: ‘Our nation is back’
President Trump started off his address saying, “Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.”
“After just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages. It is indeed a turnaround for the ages,” Trump said.
Trump enters House chamber
President Trump entered the House chamber just after 9 p.m. to boisterous applause. He is shaking hands with lawmakers as he makes his way to the dais. This is Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term.
Melania Trump joins Trump family members in chamber
First lady Melania Trump was greeted with applause as she entered the chamber. She is seated with members of the Trump family, including Barron and Ivanka Trump.
Trump expected to pledge ‘peace wherever I can’ as showdown with Iran looms
Trump is expected to tout himself as a peacemaker in his speech, according to excerpts released by the White House.
“As president, I will make peace wherever I can — but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump will say.
Iran looms large over Trump’s address tonight. U.S. military assets have been surging to the Middle East for weeks, as Trump seeks to strike a nuclear deal with Tehran.
Supreme Court justices enter the chamber to applause
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett entered the chamber with an applause from the attendees.
Trump expected to demand ‘full and immediate restoration’ of DHS funds
Hours after the Senate failed to advance a procedural motion to fund the Department of Homeland Security, Trump is expected to demand the “full and immediate restoration of all funding for the Border Security and Homeland Security of the United States,” according to an excerpt of his prepared speech.
“As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers,” the excerpt of his remarks stated.
Trump expected to tout prescription drug, home buying policies
The president is expected to tout two economic policies he enacted during his first term, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House.
Trump will talk about “ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs,” and will ask Congress to codify his executive order that banned investment firms from buying up single family homes.
“Now I am asking Congress to make that ban permanent, because homes are for people, not corporations,” the excerpts read.
Vice President Vance, congressional leaders gather in House chamber
Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other congressional leaders have made their way into the House chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson was already at the dais and greeted Vance as he arrived.
Trump leaves White House en route to Capitol
President Trump left the White House just after 8:30 to make his way to the Capitol, departing hand in hand with first lady Melania Trump. Trump raised his fist as he headed toward his motorcade, and a wave as it pulled away.
Nancy Pelosi to attend speech: Source
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi will attend the State of the Union address, a source familiar with her plans told ABC News.
The source said Pelosi is attending to show solidarity and support for the Jeffrey Epstein survivors in the gallery.
Pelosi, who will be attending her final State of the Union as a Congress member, is wearing a “Stand with Survivors, Release the Files” pin that other Democrats are wearing as well, according to the source.
Sen. Padilla to look toward the future in Spanish-language response
“The Dream that has inspired generations of Americans and immigrants will remain long after Trump is gone.”
California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla will outline a “better path” forward for the country in his Spanish-language response to the State of the Union address, according to excerpts released ahead of the speech.
“The truth is that the State of our Union does not feel strong for everyone,” Padilla plans to say.
Padilla’s remarks come after a high-profile confrontation last year in which he was shoved to the ground and briefly handcuffed by federal agents after confronting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a Los Angeles news conference.
“They may have knocked me down for a moment, but I got right back up,” Padilla plans to say.
Notable guests: Artemis II crew, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family
As attendees begin to gather in the U.S. Capitol, here are some more notable guests.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is bringing Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of slain Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky, to attend the speech.
House Republicans have also invited NASA’s Artemis II crew: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
House Democrats have invited several Jeffrey Epstein survivors, including Haley Robson, Annie Farmer and Marina Lacerda. Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, will also be in the House chamber.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also invited the family of late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last week.