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Trump State of the Union

State of the Union Takeaways

SOTU stand-out moments

Content from Google Cloud

Opinion The most patriotic thing broadcasters can do for America’s 250th Opinions - Civil Rights | 3 minutes ago

Watch live: Casey Means, Trump’s pick for surgeon general, faces Senate confirmation hearing Health Care | 5 minutes ago

Pelosi explains white buttons at State of the Union address House | 8 minutes ago

Democrats demand special counsel investigation of Bondi, accusing her of perjury  House | 33 minutes ago

Opinion Affordability will be key to Republicans’ success — or failure — in 2026 Opinions - Finance | 33 minutes ago

Bessent on new Trump retirement plan: ‘We can do it through reconciliation’ Health Care | 42 minutes ago

Warner walks out of Trump speech: ‘Couldn’t sit through … lies’ Senate | 43 minutes ago

Live updates: Trump, GOP celebrate wins; surgeon general pick faces Senate Health Care | 53 minutes ago

Trump jabs, taunts Democrats in marathon speech

Morning Report is The Hill’s a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.

▪ Trump, Dems trade barbs during State of the Union

▪ President outlines arguments for war with Iran

▪ MAHA frustrated with Trump executive order

▪ New U.K. ambassador looks to turn the page

President Trump took numerous shots at Democrats throughout his record-long State of the Union address, accusing the opposition of obstructing his agenda while touting accomplishments from his first year.

Trump hinted ahead of the event that his speech would be long and he followed through, speaking for nearly one hour and 50 minutes. That broke the record previously held by former President Clinton for the longest State of the Union address in history.

Tensions erupted within seconds of Trump entering the chamber Tuesday night. As Trump stopped to take photos with lawmakers, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) held up a sign behind the president that read “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES,” a reference to a video Trump posted of former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama that was later deleted.

“The president has depicted Black people, two prominent Black people, the president and the first lady, as apes. That cannot go unnoticed,” Green, who was ejected from Trump’s address to Congress last year after heckling the president, told The Hill after being escorted out again Tuesday.

Throughout the speech, Trump touted what he considered the high points of his first year back in office while portraying Democrats as constant detractors, challenging members of the party to stand in support of his message and lambasting them when they refused.

The president pointed the finger early over Democrats’ opposition to his signature legislative achievement last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“All Democrats — every single one of them — voted against these massive tax cuts. They wanted tax increases,” Trump said.

He also blamed Democrats for the current shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The White House and Democrats are engaged in a standoff over restoring funding for DHS but are diametrically opposed on the subject of potential immigration enforcement reforms.

“As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They have instituted another Democrat shutdown,” Trump said.

The president’s words became sharper as the speech went on.

At one point, he ad-libbed asking those in attendance to stand if they agree with the “fundamental principle” that the “first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

When Democrats didn’t stand, Trump told them they should be “ashamed.”

He also denounced Democrats as “crazy” as he railed against gender-affirming care and called on Congress to ban it for minors.

“We’re lucky we have a country, with people like this. Democrats are destroying our country, but we’ve stopped it just in the nick of time,” Trump said.

Democrats pushed back vocally on several occasions.

When Trump spoke about immigration enforcement and the border, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) yelled out, “You have killed Americans.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) yelled, “You’re killing Americans.”

Their calls were seemingly references to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement agents. Trump referenced Minnesota only to speak against members of the Somali American community whom he said were involved in the ongoing fraud scandal in the state.

A number of Democrats also protested by wearing pins urging the Trump administration to “release the files” on Jeffrey Epstein, a nod to their claims of a lack of transparency about material on the convicted sex offender. Several brought Epstein accusers as their guests to the event. 

Trump’s speech was also marked by honoring various individuals in attendance. A rare moment of bipartisan extended applause came when he praised the men’s Olympic hockey team, who walked out donning their gold medals from Milan. The president hosted the team at the White House earlier in the day.

Trump said he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the team’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, who recorded more than 40 saves in the final game. It was one of several awards that Trump handed out during the speech, including two Medals of Honor.

But jousts with Democrats were just as prominent.

Trump jabbed former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) by name while urging Congress to pass a ban on lawmakers trading stocks. His support for the bill prompted members of both parties to stand in applause.

“They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up — if she’s here? Doubt it,” he said.

“I thought the speech was lazy,” Pelosi told CNN afterward. “You know, it’s one thing to acknowledge patriotism and people getting well and everything when you have absolutely nothing to do with their courage or the rest, but you spend an hour and a half doing it — what is the state of the nation?”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger tore into Trump on issues ranging from affordability to immigration in the Democratic response to the address.

“Small businesses have suffered. Farmers have suffered — some losing entire markets. Everyday Americans are paying the price,” she said of Trump’s tariff efforts. “And even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us, the American people, has already been done.”

▪ The Hill: Five memorable moments from the speech.

▪ The Hill: Clashes with Democrats dominate Trump’s State of the Union.

▪ The Hill: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says Dems ‘brought shame’ with heckling.

3 Things to Know Today

A federal judge has rejected the Department of Justice’s request to search the electronic devices of a Washington Post reporter after they were seized last month as part of a leak investigation. Federal agents had taken a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a hard drive and a watch in the unprecedented search.

The Pentagon has appealed a judge’s order barring officials from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for participating in a video urging military service members to ignore unlawful orders. The department is seeking to censure Kelly, a retired Navy captain, and lower his military rank.

Hear takeaways on the State of the Union: Join The Hill editor-in-chief Ian Swanson, Congress editor Regina Zilbermints, White House editor Rema Rahman and associate editor Colin Meyn for an in-depth discussion at noon ET today followed by a live audience Q&A. Register here

TRUMP’S IRAN ARGUMENTS: Trump used his speech Tuesday night to emphasize he wants to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program while outlining his arguments for using military force if necessary.

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy—but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Can’t let that happen.”

The president issued a stark warning, accusing Iran of developing long-range missiles that can reach U.S. territory. A Defense Intelligence Agency report stated earlier this year that Iran could have 60 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles by 2035.

Trump’s remarks come as U.S. and Iranian negotiators are set to meet again in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday for the latest round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. He gave a short timeline last week of 10 to 15 days to reach a deal, saying he may otherwise turn to striking Iran.

That has put Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a difficult position facing one of the most consequential decisions of his rule: whether to make a deal or risk a full-scale war, The Hill’s Laura Kelly reports.

The so-called Gang of Eight congressional leaders received a classified briefing on the administration’s plans with Iran earlier Tuesday. Senate Democrats emerged from that meeting calling on Trump to make his case to the American people for potentially striking Iran.

Amid the rising tensions, many Democrats and some Republicans have pushed back against the possibility of a military conflict with Iran.

“I was reminded tonight of President Trump’s earlier inclination toward restraint in foreign policy,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote in a post on the social platform X. “I hope that same approach prevails—avoiding another Middle East war and coming to Congress before any military action against Iran.”

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) have introduced a war powers resolution in the House to restrict Trump’s ability to use force in Iran without congressional authorization.

But The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports this morning that resolution is on track to fail with a handful of Democrats coming out against it and Massie being the only Republican on record in favor.

Trump touted the strikes the U.S. carried out on Iran last summer as critical to setting back its nuclear development efforts but said Iran is again pursuing “sinister ambitions.”

“They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, we will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

DEEPENING DISAGREEMENT: A vote in the Senate to try to end the DHS funding gap failed mostly along party lines Tuesday. Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), who has a policy of not voting for government shutdowns, was the only Democrat to break with his party and vote with every Republican to fund the department.

Some Republicans previously expressed hope that the sides could reach an agreement following the State of the Union amid rising pressure over DHS employees set to miss their first paycheck this Friday, but it’s unclear how the president’s remarks in his speech blaming Democrats may impact those negotiations.

House Democrats will have an opportunity to strategize Wednesday when they go on their annual policy retreat in Virginia. The retreat will run through Friday.

▪ The Hill: House Democratic leader says no deal without reforms.

▪ USA Today: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has money to spare.

TROUBLE AT THE AIRPORTS: Airlines are still looking to get back on track in the aftermath of the massive winter storm that struck the Northeast in recent days.

More than 2,000 flights into, out of or within the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, with many of them coming from the Northeast, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. About half of the flights scheduled to leave from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Boston Logan International Airport were canceled.

The cancellations come as observers also watch the impact the DHS shutdown may have on air travel, with most Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees required to continue working without pay. That has during past shutdowns resulted in a greater number of employees calling out sick and exacerbating delays in TSA lines.

GONZALES REFUSES TO RESIGN: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) rejected calls for him to resign in the aftermath of allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

“I’m not going to resign,” Gonzales told CNN on Tuesday. “I work every day for the people of Texas.”

“There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts,” he continued.

The allegations stem from texts that the San Antonio Express-News reported on last week indicating that the congressman had an affair with Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died after setting herself on fire in September. Messages purportedly from Santos-Aviles’s phone show Gonzales sending her sexual messages.

The allegations come as Gonzales is facing a challenge in Texas’s primary elections next week. YouTuber Brandon Herrera is trying again to oust Gonzales from the right after narrowly losing the GOP nomination to him two years ago.

Gonzales has accused his opponent of trying to benefit politically from the allegations but didn’t directly address questions about whether the messages are authentic.

Several of his fellow House Republicans have called on him to resign or end his reelection bid amid the accusations.

▪ The Hill: Gonzales facing growing pressure.

▪ The Hill: Resolution would require Ethics Committee to release sexual misconduct reports.

The president will participate in executive time at 9 a.m. He will participate in a policy meeting at 11 a.m. He will meet with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at 3 p.m. and participate in another policy meeting at 4:30 p.m.

The House will convene at 9 a.m.

The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.

MAHA TEST: The president’s recent environmental moves are testing his base of support among those who consider themselves part of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement.

Trump issued an executive order last week praising and offering “immunity” for producers of the pesticide glyphosate, which is a key ingredient in herbicides such as Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup. Thousands of people have alleged Roundup has caused them to develop cancer, but Bayer-Monsanto denies that.

The order has raised already simmering tensions between Trump and the MAHA movement over the administration’s approach to pesticides, The Hill’s Rachel Frazin and Joseph Choi report.

MAHA comprises a general coalition of voters skeptical of the pharmaceutical, chemical and agricultural industries, largely led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some members viewed the decision on glyphosate as a betrayal, even as Kennedy defended the order.

They’ve also taken issue with other measures from the administration, including its loosening of restrictions on emissions of mercury from some power plants last week. While the administration and MAHA have been largely in line on the issue of vaccines, they have split more often on the environment.

Meanwhile, a high-profile MAHA figure will appear before Congress on Wednesday as Casey Means takes part in a confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for her nomination to become U.S. surgeon general. Means has been controversial given her views on the medical and pharmaceutical industries and vaccines.

▪ The Hill: Coast Guard members who refused COVID vaccine reinstated.

▪ The Hill: Jillian Michaels slams pesticide order as ‘devastating.’

NEW AMBASSADOR: New British Ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner said his priority is to “get stuff done” as he attempts to turn the page from the controversy surrounding his predecessor, Peter Mandelson.

Turner told The Hill’s Sarakshi Rai in an interview that he’s “here to make a difference” and solve problems, not just manage them.

“I’m not one of those people who’s always been ambitious for the amazing house and the flummery and the sort of prestige of the job of ambassador,” Turner said at the ambassador’s residence in Washington.

His comments came days before Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his relationship with Epstein. Mandelson was fired from his role as ambassador in September following additional disclosures about the extent of his ties to the disgraced financier.

Turner emphasized that he was “vetted to within an inch of my life” because of his past security work as the lead negotiator for the U.K. Foreign Office.

“There is nothing that is not out there or exposed,” he said. “That’s what is required to have the security clearances that I do.”

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is continuing with its investigation into Epstein with depositions from multiple high-profile figures this week.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton are set to testify on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

▪ The New York Times: Mandelson arrest rattles British politics.

▪ NPR: Justice Department withheld some Epstein files related to Trump.

FRENCH CONTROVERSY: U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner is seeking to resolve tension after he missed a meeting with his French counterpart.

The father of the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was barred from meeting with French government officials Monday after he didn’t show at the French Foreign Ministry when he was summoned, a breach of diplomatic protocol.

“We just wanted to underline that he will not be granted direct access to ministers and members of the government, but he can carry out his duties [and present himself at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs],” a French official said.

Charles Kushner reached out Tuesday to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to address the situation. The two spoke by phone and agreed to meet in the coming days.

The U.S. Embassy in Paris said they had a “frank and amicable call” and reaffirmed their shared commitment to working together.

▪ Axios: Kushner is latest ambassador stirring controversy.

John Quincy Adams’s State of the Union rebuttal is a model worth reviving, Bob Crawford writes in The Hill.

Here’s the smartest way the U.S. can promote regime change in Iran, Mark A. Fowler writes in The Washington Post.

And finally … Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins served as the designated survivor for the second consecutive year at the State of the Union, taking on the role to ensure continuity of government in the event of catastrophe.

The White House didn’t formally announce Collins’s selection as the designated survivor, but a source familiar with the decision told NewsNation that Collins was the pick to skip the address. One Cabinet member in the presidential line of succession skips every presidential speech to Congress in case a disaster occurs.

The tradition dates back to the 1950s amid the Cold War, though the selectee has never become president.

Meanwhile, congressional leaders have also traditionally selected a designated survivor from each party since the 9/11 attacks to ensure the continuity of the legislative branch. Rep. Mike Thompson (Calif.) was the Democrats’ choice, continuing a streak going back to 2020, while the Republicans’ choice was unclear.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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