The Latest: Trump will lay out his midterm agenda at the State of the Union

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President Donald Trump is giving his State of the Union address. He’s slated to champion his immigration crackdowns, his slashing of the federal government, his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will give the Democratic Party response following Trump’s speech. California Sen. Alex Padilla, who made national headlines last year after being forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents, will deliver the party’s response in Spanish.

The Latest:

A number of Democratic lawmakers chose to skip the president’s address, with some gathering just outside the Capitol on the National Mall for a “People’s State of the Union.” Standing alongside activists, they argued that Trump’s speech would not offer an accurate portrayal of the state of the nation.

“We know our state of the union. We know it is under attack,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Democrats held other counterprogramming as well, including a “State of the Swamp” event. The party’s formal rebuttal, however, was scheduled to come from Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger following Trump’s address.

“I urged this Congress to begin the mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majorities delivered so beautifully. Thank you Republicans.”

Republicans’ tax and spending package that Trump signed into law last summer includes various provisions that eliminate federal income taxes on tips for people working in jobs that have traditionally received them, a deduction for older Americans and the creation of Trump accounts.

“I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor.”

Trump announced that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Team USA hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Trump said the award has been given to “many athletes over the years.”

Hellebuyck made 41 saves, many of them spectacular, during the United States’ 2-1 victory over Canada for the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games.

In his first term, Trump honored athletes including golfer Tiger Woods and football players Alan Page and Roger Staubach with the Medal of Freedom. He also awarded it posthumously to baseball great Babe Ruth.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, members of the Men’s Olympic Hockey team received a standing ovation as they entered the House chamber after a shoutout from Trump.

The players received multiple rounds of applause, chants of “USA” and pumped fists from lawmakers. Rep. Lisa McClain, the Republican House Conference Chair, shouted “Love you!”

Members of the team stood in the gallery seats overlooking the House floor after Trump praised them. Several smiled and waved at the crowd.

Trump then gave a shoutout to the women’s team, who also received a standing ovation despite not being in attendance. Both teams won gold at the Winter Olympics in Milan.

“In the past 9 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”

Arrests for illegal crossings have plummeted to their lowest levels since the mid-1960s under Trump’s watch.

Republicans including Trump constantly criticized President Joe Biden for the number of migrants arriving at the southern border.

Arrivals hit a peak of 250,000 in December 2023. Then they started to fall to less than 50,000 in December 2024, Biden’s last full month in office.

They’ve plummeted even further under Trump.

The January tally of 6,070 arrests along the Mexican border translates to the lowest annualized rate since 1967.

Critics say the drop has carried big moral and humanitarian costs by ending asylum at the border.

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.”

The president said the U.S. has received more than 80 million barrels of oil from its “new friend and partner, Venezuela.”

That exceeds what his administration had initially projected in the days after the U.S. military carried out a stunning raid in Venezuela’s capital last month and captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela’s oil industry produces roughly 1 million barrels a day. The country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

Trump vowed to turn around Venezuela’s crippling oil industry after Maduro was captured and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Trump said gas prices now are below $2.30 per gallon in most states, which overstates the price drop since last year.

According to AAA, the national average was $2.95 per gallon as of Tuesday.

That’s below the $3.14 average as one year ago, but not nearly as low as Trump claims.

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 Trump’s State of the Union address, 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.

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“I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe.”

Trump has presented no evidence that he’s secured this much domestic or foreign investment in the U.S. Based on statements from various companies, foreign countries and the White House’s own website, that figure appears to be exaggerated, highly speculative and far higher than the actual sum. The White House website offers a far lower number, $9.6 trillion, and that figure appears to include some investment commitments made during the Biden administration.

A study published in January raised doubts about whether more than $5 trillion in investment commitments made last year by many of America’s biggest trading partners will actually materialize and questions how it would be spent if it did.

“Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world, the hottest.”

The U.S. economy has generally performed strongly in Trump’s second term — after getting off to a bumpy start.

GDP shrank for the first time in three years during the first quarter of 2025. Growth rebounded in the second half of the year — from April through June, the economy expanded at a healthy 3.8% pace. And from July through September, it grew even faster — 4.4%. It slowed in the fourth quarter, increasing at only a 1.4% annual rate.

A key measure of inflation fell to nearly a five-year low in January. However, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, it remains elevated as the cost of goods such as furniture, clothes and groceries increase. Companies have also sharply reduced hiring.

The U.S. stock market did well last year, and yet it underperformed many foreign markets. The benchmark S&P 500 index climbed 17% — a nice gain but short of a 71% surge in South Korea, 29% in Hong Kong, 26% in Japan, 22% in Germany and 21% in the United Kingdom.

“I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe.’’

It’s unclear where that number comes from. The White House has published a figure of $9.7 trillion, which includes private and public investment commitments from other countries.

Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics last month calculated the investment pledges at $5 trillion from the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Persian Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

“Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history.”

Homicide rates did drop sharply in many cities last year. But violent crime has been trending downward for years in the U.S. after a spike during the coronavirus pandemic. And experts say the historic drop in violence defies easy explanation despite elected officials at all levels rushing to claim credit.

A study from the Council on Criminal Justice — a nonpartisan think tank — released in January showed a more than 20% drop in the homicide rate between 2024 and 2025 in 35 cities that reported data. Some cities, including Denver and Washington, reported a 40% decrease.

FBI reports for 2023 and 2024 also showed significant reductions in violent crimes. Violent crime dropped to near pre-pandemic levels around 2022 when Biden was president.

Trump has praised the U.S. economy tonight, but AP-NORC polling shows that most Americans don’t think the country is doing well economically.

About two-thirds of U.S. adults continue to say the country’s economy is “poor.” That’s unchanged from recent months, and it’s broadly in line with views throughout Biden’s last year in office.

Republicans are the exception. About 6 in 10 say the economy is good. But even within Trump’s own party, a significant share — about 4 in 10 — describe it as poor.

“Incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before.”

After-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, rose just 0.9% in 2025, down from 2.2% in 2024. That is the smallest annual gain since 2022, when inflation soared and caused Americans’ inflation-adjusted income to drop.

Wages and salaries are the largest component of incomes, and their growth has slowed as companies have sharply slowed hiring. Workers typically command smaller wage gains in such an environment.

The House Sergeant at Arms approached and escorted Green, 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 chanting “USA.”

“When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy.”

Not quite.

Voters were unhappy with high inflation in the 2024 election, but the U.S. economy was far from stagnant.

U.S. gross domestic product rose 2.8% in 2024 after adjusting for inflation. That’s a stronger pace of growth than the 2.2% achieved last year during the start of Trump’s second term.

The president briefly greeted the four Supreme Court justices, shaking their hands before quickly moving on.

Representing the court were Chief Justice John Roberts, Elena Kagan and two of Trump’s appointees, Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan.

The greetings were notable because Trump angrily lashed out at the court after the justices in a 6-3 opinion Friday struck down his tariffs, a signature element of his economic policy.

Roberts, Coney Barrett and another Trump appointee, Neil Gorsuch, joined the court’s three liberal justices in voting down the tariffs.

Although Trump’s overall presidential approval has remained largely steady in his first year, he’s lost support on his handling of immigration. An AP-NORC poll conducted in early February found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way he’s handling immigration, down from 49% last March.

That shift means that immigration is no longer a strength for Trump. In his first few months, his approval on immigration exceeded his overall approval, but now they’re indistinguishable.

The February poll suggested that political independents, in particular, are increasingly uncomfortable with the president’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.

“Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.”

Trump opened with a triumphant assessment of his first year back in the White House, declaring, “this is the golden age of America.”

“USA!” chants erupted in the chamber after House Speaker Mike Johnson introduced the president.

The president immediately acknowledged first lady Melania Trump and second lady Usha Vance, who both received standing ovations from Republicans.

The congressman stood in silence as Trump walked past him after he unfurled the sign.

It appeared to refer to a video the president posted that spread false claims about the 2020 election and included a racist caricature of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama depicted as apes.

“It’s a huge night for President Trump, and the stakes could not be higher,” anchor Anderson Cooper said at the open of CNN’s coverage Tuesday night.

“Can he convince the American public that his policies are working?” co-anchor Jake Tapper asked.

The cable news networks had hourlong pregame shows, and each started with different approaches.

“The State of the Union is always a big night, no matter who the president is,” Rachel Maddow said at the top on MS NOW, formerly MSNBC. “Tonight it definitely feels a little bit uniquely unpredictable.”

On Fox News Channel, Jesse Watters began his show with a focus on heroes, noting the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team visited the White House in the wake of its gold medal. Watters called it one of the most exciting, patriotic and unifying moments for the country in decades.

“Left or right, we’re all on the same team,” Watters said.

But he quickly pivoted to a political attack, criticizing some Democrats who announced they would not be attending.

“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.

Few Americans, 29%, think the country is heading in the right direction, according to the most recent AP-NORC poll. Most, 69%, believe things are heading in the wrong direction.

That pessimism is higher than it was when Trump took office last year. Last March, about 6 in 10 Americans said the country was heading in the wrong direction.

That’s partially because Republicans’ mood grew much darker last fall, after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Republicans are now more optimistic than they were a few months ago, but only about 6 in 10 say the country is heading in the right direction, down from about 7 in 10 last March.

Several Democratic members of Congress have invited guests to the State of the Union who they say highlight the cruelty and chaos of the president’s clampdown on immigration.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has invited the mother of a New York City school student who is being held by immigration authorities, while Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado is bringing a college student who was arrested during a traffic stop and then detained in an ICE facility for more than two weeks.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas has invited a pediatric critical care specialist who has repeatedly called attention to the poor medical care that children and mothers can face in immigration detention. And guests of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota include four people who were affected by the recent immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis area.

Lisa Phillips, who was invited by Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon to attend in her place, said she was “just hoping for some type of acknowledgment” from the president during his address.

Phillips said she is “really close” with the other Epstein survivors who are attending, and while she felt a bit overwhelmed before her first State of the Union, it is always empowering to “stand here with my survivor sisters.”

“We’re not stopping until all the files are released,” she said.

Here are some recent averages:

— Joe Biden: 1:07:22

— Barack Obama: 1:02:45

— George W. Bush: 52:35

— Lyndon Johnson: 50:38

— George H.W. Bush: 45:32

— Gerald Ford: 45:31

— Ronald Reagan: 40 minutes (approx.)

— Jimmy Carter: 36:53

— Richard Nixon: 35:26

Measured in words, the brevity award goes to George Washington for his first speech. On Jan. 8, 1790, he spoke 1,089 words.

The president will be entering a Capitol where lawmakers are at an impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats demand changes to how federal immigration agents conduct raids.

Legislation to fund the department failed to advance in the Senate yet again Tuesday evening as every Democrat present except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against it. There has been little sign of movement toward an agreement to reopen DHS since it shut down 10 days ago.

At 11 years old, Everest Nevraumont has three regional history bee titles and her own TEDx talk. On Tuesday she’ll add another honor: guest to the first lady at the State of the Union.

“Like everybody in the entire world is watching it, and I’m right there in the same room,” Everest said in a Tuesday interview.

The first lady champions the use of artificial intelligence — one of Everest’s passions. Her TEDx talk explores how she uses AI to learn, and she’s a student at the Alpha School in Austin, Texas, where learning is powered by AI.

Everest said she’s been using AI tools to study the history of the State of the Union. She was thrilled to get a tour of the White House (she loved the paintings and the “poofy” furniture).

Being chosen to sit with the first lady reflects AI’s growing national importance, she said, and also that “academic achievements like the history bee actually really pay off.”

Speaking at a news conference with Senate Democrats, Dani Bensky said she and other victims want the Department of Justice to release “every single file,” to investigate those “who caused harm to so many victims” and to properly redact their information when files are released.

Bensky has said she was sexually abused by Epstein two decades ago. She said Tuesday that she felt victimized again when her information was exposed in a recent release of Epstein’s case files.

Schumer said “the American people deserve the truth and survivors deserve accountability.”

Democratic leaders say negotiations with the White House over reopening the Department of Homeland Security are at a stalemate as they demand changes to federal immigration enforcement.

The department’s funding expired Jan. 30. Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats “have heard crickets” from the White House since they sent a proposal to end the shutdown last week.

He said the White House “has not budged on the key issues” like requiring agents to take off masks and obtain warrants before entering homes. Federal agents shot and killed two protesters in Minneapolis last month.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that “until that changes, the DHS funding bill is not going to move forward.”

“There hasn’t been any real, recent communication with the White House,” Jeffries said.

Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump will call on Democrats to reopen the department in his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening.