President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address of his second term on the evening of February 24, 2026, before a joint session of the 119th Congress. At 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 40 seconds, the speech became the longest State of the Union address in American history, surpassing Bill Clinton’s 2000 address by 20 minutes. House Speaker Mike Johnson presided alongside Vice President JD Vance.
The address was themed “America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected,” a reference to the upcoming United States Semiquincentennial. Trump discussed economic policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and called on Congress to codify his healthcare framework. He addressed foreign policy amid the Iran–United States crisis and highlighted immigration enforcement, claiming his administration had produced “the strongest border in American history by far” with illegal border crossings at their lowest level since 1970.
Trump called on Congress to pass the “Dalilah Law,” which would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to individuals in the country without legal status. He introduced family members of crime victims seated in the audience and highlighted military and emergency service honorees, including presenting the Legion of Merit to U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan and announcing a Presidential Medal of Freedom for Olympic hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The speech took place during a partial government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding that had begun on February 14, 2026. Trump blamed congressional Democrats for blocking DHS funding, calling for immediate restoration of border and homeland security operations. Negotiations between the White House and Democrats had stalled over changes to ICE and immigration enforcement practices.
Democratic members responded with visible dissent during the speech. Rep. Al Green of Texas was escorted from the chamber after displaying a protest sign. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib interrupted during the immigration section. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the official Democratic response, criticizing the administration’s trade policies and immigration enforcement. California Senator Alex Padilla gave the Spanish-language response.