US President Donald Trump, on Tuesday (local time), will deliver his first State of the Union address since returning to the White House for his second term in January 2025, NPR reported.
The address will allow him to highlight his agenda and shape his party’s message ahead of the midterm elections, scheduled for 2026. But his primetime address comes at a time when Trump’s agenda has been complicated on several fronts, including trade, where his tariff policies were struck down by the Supreme Court, and immigration, on which the US President and congressional Democrats have locked horns over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Trump’s State of the Union address: All you need to know
When will the address begin?
Trump is expected to begin his address at 9 PM ET (7:30 AM IST), NPR reported, adding that it could be a long address. In 2025, when Trump addressed Congress, which was not technically a State of the Union speech, it was for over 90 minutes. He even broke the record as the longest-ever joint address in at least six decades.
How to watch Trump’s State of the Union address?
Major news networks are expected to broadcast Trump’s address live and also carry coverage throughout the day, The Guardian reported. CBS and PBS will also be livestreaming on their YouTube channels.
What is Trump expected to discuss?
Trump’s first State of the Union address is likely to focus on issues like immigration, which has been a key pillar of Trump’s second term. His administration has consistently defended its enforcement agenda, arguing that it is aimed at removing those who are living illegally in the country and have committed dangerous crimes. However, the NPR report suggests that lawmakers have flagged concerns over the tactics that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses in cities across the country. The concerns were raised after two US citizens were killed in Minneapolis in January 2026.
The US President is also likely to focus on tariffs, something that has long been defended as a way to boost domestic manufacturing. However, on 20 February, the Supreme Court struck those down, terming them illegal, putting the two sides at a crossroads. The address is also happening at a significant time in the US foreign policy, as Trump is pressuring Iran over its nuclear program, and has not ruled out the use of force to make that happen. In the last few days, the American military has expanded its presence in the Middle East, with the Trump administration sending additional fighter jets and a second aircraft carrier.
According to APamong the topics, Trump’s main theme is likely to center on how America is booming with a rise in new jobs and local manufacturing, despite many Americans not feeling that way. Trump, who promised a heavy dose of talk about the economy, said, “It’s going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about.”
Does the address happen every year?
According to an NPR report, the State of the Union address is a part of the job for every American president. The US Constitution requires that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.” The address is intended to be a recap of sorts of their previous year in office.
