US President Donald Trump is set to deliver the 2026 State of the Union Address at 9 pm ET local time on Tuesday (7.30 am IST on Wednesday).
With the midterm elections approaching, Trump is expected to focus on issues critical to the Republican party’s success, with his address likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters for November’s elections.
Trump’s address also comes at a time when both the US President and his party appear vulnerable, with recent polls showing growing public distrust of Trump administration’s handling of several issues.
What’s expected in Trump’s State of the Union 2026 address?
The official theme for Trump’s State of the Union 2026 address is ‘America at 250: Strong, Prosperous, and Respected’, with reports suggesting that the US President will use the occasion to argue how he ushered in a new age of American prosperity within the first year of his second term in office.
Ahead of November’s polls, Trump is largely expected to focus on domestic issues.
In particular, the US President is expected to tout his administration’s handling of the economy and cost of living issues, which, according to a cnn The poll conducted by SRS, is the most important issue for Americans at the moment.
To that end, Trump’s speech is expected to have considerable references to cost-saving initiatives, including his recent move to lower drug prices and earlier move to cut taxes.
“We have a country that’s now doing well with the greatest economy we’ve ever had, most activity we’ve ever had,” Trump said Monday.
“I’m making a speech tomorrow night, and you’ll be hearing me say that. It’s going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about,” he said.
Tariff blow and unfulfilled promises
Trump’s speech on Tuesday comes four days after the US Supreme Court ruled that the US President did not have the authority to impose sweeping tariffs, one of the chief levers of the US President’s economic and foreign policy.
While Trump responded by imposing 15% global tariffs under a different authority, the SCOTUS ruling was a blow nonetheless—the US President had earlier proposed that tariffs would pay for several of his promises, including $2,000 rebate checks for Americans and a $12 billion bailout package for American farmers.
Given this setback, it remains to be seen how Trump addresses his promises falling short.
The Iran issue
While Trump is largely expected to focus on domestic issues in the address, the US President’s speech comes amid increasing tensions in the Middle East over Iran, with Trump having hinted earlier that he wants a regime change.
Although foreign policy issues aren’t of particular importance to Americans for this speech—only 2% of respondents to a CNN poll want to hear about foreign policy—Trump is nonetheless expected to use his speech to highlight some of his thinking on the issue.
Follow this space for LIVE updates from Trump’s State of the Union 2026 address.
