Live updates: Trump to give State of the Union speech tonight amid tariff threats, Iran tension
This version of Trump State Of Union Speech 2026 Live Updates Rcna258811 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The address, scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. ET, comes as the president faces challenges at home and abroad with voters' dimming views on the economy and rising tensions with Iran.
President Donald Trump, pictured addressing a joint session of Congress last year, will again deliver remarks to Congress at his State of the Union speech tonight. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
What to know about tonight's speech
- STATE OF THE UNION: President Donald Trump is set to deliver the State of the Union address tonight, where he is expected to focus in part on the economy and affordability.
- TARIFFS AND THE ECONOMY: The speech comes less than a week after he suffered a major defeat at the Supreme Court over a tariff policy that has been the cornerstone of his second term. It also comes as Trump faces poor marks from voters on his handling of the economy and has said he plans to talk about "affordability" in his prime-time speech. Trump’s reworked global tariffs began today at a rate of 10%.
- WHO'S SKIPPING THE SPEECH: More than two dozen congressional Democrats say they're boycotting the State of the Union as progressive groups hold events around Washington to counter Trump's event. In addition, the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team said it declined Trump's invitation to attend the speech.
- WHERE TO WATCH: NBC News and NBC News NOW will carry special coverage of the address starting at 9 p.m. ET, shortly before Trump is expected to begin his remarks at the Capitol.
Poll: Trump’s ratings on immigration tumble as Americans lose confidence in his top issue
Support for Trump’s immigration agenda is in free fall in early 2026 after federal immigration agents shot and killed two Americans last month, according to the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
The administration’s aggressive tactics and deportation goals have dragged down Americans’ views of Trump on the very issue that helped sweep him into office, the survey shows.
Immigration and border security had long stood out as a strength for Trump in polls, both as he ran for a second term in 2024 and in the first year of his new administration. Now, Trump’s ratings on the issue have sunk to the same level as his overall job approval rating.
House speaker announces guests for State of the Union, including daughter of Jimmy Lai
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced this morning that he has invited Claire Lai, the daughter of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist who is imprisoned in Hong Kong, to be his guest at tonight's State of the Union speech.
“Jimmy Lai has devoted his career to championing democracy in Hong Kong, steadfastly fighting for the freedoms we too often take for granted in America," Johnson said in a news release. "Today, however, he sits in a Chinese prison cell for simply defending free speech and speaking out against the totalitarian repression of the Chinese Communist Party.
"As I made clear in my address to Parliament in the United Kingdom, America is determined to secure Jimmy’s release," Johnson said. "Alongside my friend, Rep. Chris Smith, I will be proud to co-host his daughter, Claire Lai, who has shown extraordinary courage in the face of her father’s unjust imprisonment, as my guest for President Trump’s State of the Union address.”
Johnson announced several other guests as well:
- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, a NASA crew set to travel around the moon.
- Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of Yaron Lischinsky who, with Sarah Milgrim, two diplomats from the Israeli Embassy, were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum last year.
- Ziba Murat, the daughter of Dr. Gulshan Abbas who was detained and arrested by the Chinese Communist Party, in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.
- Shirley Brock-Dennis and Kambreigh Smith, mother and fiancée of Louisiana Police Officer Marc Brock, who was killed in the line of duty last year.
- Damon Magee, a Louisiana father and foster care and adoption advocate
- Trotter Hunt, a Louisiana business leader benefitting from GOP tax cuts.
- Michael Knowles, a conservative political commentator.
U.S. military boards third oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean
U.S. military forces boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said today.
U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X that U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight, conducting “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding.”
“The vessel was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade,” the post said. “From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it.”
U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner banned from meeting French government over summons no-show
Historically the job of American ambassadors posted to friendly countries has been to quietly smooth over disagreements where they arise. The envoys dispatched to Europe by Trump, however, are increasingly finding themselves at the heart of controversies themselves.
France demanded an explanation today from Charles Kushner, the American ambassador in Paris, for why he failed to show up when summoned to explain comments made by the Trump administration that France objected to.
The State Department had said it was concerned that “violent radical leftism is on the rise” after the killing of a French far-right activist.
In response, France has barred Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, from meeting any French officials.
The upstart MAGA-aligned party on the march in Britain
FAREHAM, England — This market town on England’s south coast is not usually associated with political upheaval, having voted for the traditional establishment Conservative Party at every election since 1885.
But the dramatic defection of Suella Braverman, one of the country’s most controversial politicians, made this town a vanguard of the MAGA-aligned Reform UK party, which polls suggest is a contender to form the next British government.
“I feel like I’ve come home,” a smiling Braverman said before a cheering crowd last month when she announced she was leaving the Conservatives and joining the hard-right, anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, an ally of Trump, who has vowed the mass deportation of 600,000 migrants if he is elected.
Braverman, 45, is the latest high-profile defector from the 200-year-old Conservative Party. Her move caps a remarkable two years for the insurgent right-wing party, rebranded from Farage’s Brexit Party, which has led every opinion poll for the past 10 months.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previews State of the Union
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that "a large portion" of Trump's State of the Union address will focus on the economy.
Trump will "lay out a very ambitious agenda, I think, for the working people of this country to make America more affordable and prosperous and safe and make the American dream more attainable," Leavitt said.
Trump will highlight "the stories of great American heroes who exemplify bravery and the spirit of 1776," she said, referring to the upcoming 250th celebration of the nation's founding. She added that Trump would "tout his administration’s record-setting accomplishments over the past year, while laying out an ambitious agenda to continue making the American dream more attainable and affordable for working class people across the country."
Asked about the president's economic message, Leavitt said Trump "will lay out the case for why he and Republicans are better suited to tackle, continue tackling, the affordability crisis that was created by the Biden administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill."
As examples of progress on that front, Leavitt pointed to lowering mortgage rates. She also said the president would tout tax policies on tips and overtime, including by highlighting a Pennsylvania waitress who she said benefits from Republican tax policies.
In other areas, Trump will tout the strength of the U.S. military, Leavitt said, pointing to the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last year. She added that viewers will hear the president speak about "the threats that remain abroad, but what the United States is doing to ensure that not only America is the safest country in the world, but remains the strongest country."
Trump will also call on Democrats to move to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, which entered a shutdown earlier this month, Leavitt said. Democrats have been pushing for immigration enforcement reforms before they support a funding bill for the department.
Zelenskyy’s public frustration grows as Putin’s war enters a 5th year
After four years leading his country in war, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very frustrated.
Russia may have been thwarted in its immediate bid to sweep aside the Ukrainian president and swallow its neighbor whole. But after months of U.S.-led negotiations, and as the conflict enters its fifth year today, there has been little clear progress on key sticking points in peace talks.
Now, Zelenskyy’s defiance of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion has taken on an increasingly exasperated, if not desperate, tone.
Trump to sell economy, unveil new affordability efforts in State of the Union
Trump is expected to try to sell the American public on the state of the economy and present new measures to improve affordability in his State of the Union address tonight, a senior administration official said.
Trump is expected to roll out several new measures to address affordability, including a program to require technology companies to pay for increased electricity costs related to artificial intelligence data centers, the official said.
The speech’s theme will be “America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected,” the senior official also told NBC News, a reference to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country. The Wall Street Journal first reported the economic focus of the president's address.
Trump will also use his speech to discuss his "peace through strength" foreign policy and his immigration and border strategy, the official said.
Trump's speech comes as polling shows voter satisfaction about the state of the economy, with a 39% approval versus 59% disapproval rating in an AP-NORC poll this month.
First to NBC News: Progressive group PCCC endorses James Talarico over Jasmine Crockett in Texas
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a Washington-based advocacy group known for supporting left-leaning populists, is endorsing James Talarico over Jasmine Crockett in the competitive and feisty Democratic Senate primary in Texas.
PCCC co-founder Adam Green, who boasts “hundreds of thousands of members,” told NBC News that his group will immediately start raising money for Talarico and provide an on-the-ground staff presence in Texas to boost him in the March 3 primary.
“James Talarico has risen to national prominence by effortlessly grounding his candidacy in bold economic populism, which is an important marker for how other Democrats should campaign,” Green said. “There’s a cogency to his worldview, where everything has a pro-worker, corporate accountability, increased quality-of-life center of gravity.”
Crockett, by contrast, has not impressed the group the same way, Green said.
“We do a lot of work with Congress, and Jasmine Crockett is an effective partisan jouster on flash points of the day but has never seriously shown up for an economic fight,” he said. “Are we just an anti-Trump party, or do we build a durable supermajority by clearly advancing a vision?”
He said they “thought it was important to intervene and reframe the race” away from the left-versus-moderate dichotomy that casts Crockett as the liberal option. Talarico “is a vibrant economic populist fighting for workers,” Green said. “There’s nothing mushy or moderate about that.”
Ahead of the endorsement, the group polled its roughly 10,000 Texas members on the primary and respondents favored Talarico 2-to-1 over Crockett, a spokesperson said.
Green added that he sees Talarico as more “electable,” criticizing Crockett for having told CNN it’s “not our goal” to convert Trump voters to win the general election. “No economic populist would ever say that,” Green said. “We are trying to appeal to independent and Republican voters.”
Talarico’s campaign had no immediate comment.
A new U.S. attack on Iran could risk large-scale retaliation
Although weakened and facing a domestic crisis, Iran’s regime still has substantial firepower that could potentially inflict damage on American interests and allies in the region, disrupt the global economy and trigger a protracted conflict in response for a U.S. military attack, according to former U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and regional analysts.
The prospect of Iranian retaliation has factored into Trump’s deliberations over whether to order a military attack in Iran, following strikes on its nuclear program last June, as well as discussions between the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East, according to current U.S. officials.
While Iran retaliated in June against Israel and a U.S. base in Qatar, it stopped short of more dramatic actions that could have caused casualties among American forces or destabilized Persian Gulf economies. Iran’s response to U.S. military action could play out very differently this time if Trump makes that decision, the former officials, diplomats and analysts said, particularly if Iranian leaders perceive a threat to their survival.
Former British ambassador to the U.S. released on bail after arrest in Epstein investigation
British police said the country’s former ambassador to the United States has been released on bail after having been arrested following weeks of revelations over his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Peter Mandelson was detained yesterday amid an intensifying scandal after the Justice Department released millions of Epstein-related documents, some of which appear to show him leaking sensitive political and market information to the financier.
Video on Sky News showed Mandelson, 72, being led from his home in north London wearing a gray sweater and black coat.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a news release that it was an update on an investigation into misconduct in public office offenses “relating to a former government minister.”
Trump heads into the State of the Union facing diminished voter trust on the economy
Trump has spoken before Congress plenty of times. But when he delivers his State of the Union speech tonight, he’ll be standing on unfamiliar political ground: Americans watching the speech distrust him on the economy.
An AP-NORC poll this month found that just 39% approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 59% disapprove. It’s the latest measurement, but it’s no outlier, with other surveys showing Trump’s economic approval rating underwater.
Over the last year, Trump has seen his ratings on the issue sink. That’s a marked contrast from his first term, when he largely broke even or enjoyed broad approval on the economy, even in the Covid-19 downturn, according to the same AP-NORC poll.
The public perception that Trump was good for the economy had been a vital political asset. Dating to his first campaign, Trump’s business experience and claims of understanding the economy appealed to some voters who disapproved of him over other matters.
First to NBC News: Melania Trump invites Texas student and South Carolina foster care advocate to tonight's speech
First lady Melania Trump has invited two guests for the State of the Union address who reflect her focus on children, education and technology, according to two people familiar with her invitations.
She will be joined by 10-year-old Everest Nevraumont, a student at an artificial intelligence-powered school in Austin, Texas, and Sierra A. Burns, a foster care advocate from Greenville, South Carolina.
Everest is a three-time Texas state champion in history and has given a TEDx speech about how she uses AI in her education at the Alpha School. The private school network has been backed by the Trump administration’s Education Department.
Burns, 24, who experienced the foster care system firsthand, decided to help others like her and worked to develop training resources for caseworkers statewide. She is a voucher recipient in the first lady’s Foster Youth to Independence program. She graduated from Winthrop University and is pursuing her master’s degree in advocacy and social policy at Furman University.
The first lady raised awareness about foster care with several of her guests last year, as well, during her husband’s joint address to Congress. Recently, she secured $30 million in funding in the Department of Housing and Urban Development budget for her Fostering the Future initiative, which aims to support youths transitioning out of foster care.
Trump’s global tariff takes effect at 10%, despite announcement of 15%
Trump’s reworked global tariffs began today at a rate of 10%, even though he said over the weekend that they would start at 15%.
After the Supreme Court struck down most of Trump’s tariff agenda on Friday, he announced that he would quickly implement a 10% flat tariff for all trading partners using a different trade law.
One day later, Trump posted on Truth Social that “effective immediately” he would be “raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff ... to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.”
Under the trade law the administration is now turning to, called Section 122, tariffs of up to 15% can be quickly applied, but only for up to 150 days.
Where to watch tonight's State of the Union speech
NBC News and NBC News NOW will air special coverage of the address starting at 9 p.m. ET, shortly before Trump is expected to begin his remarks.
"NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas will anchor coverage of the speech, as well as the subsequent Democratic response by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
More than two dozen Democrats plan to skip Trump's speech
At least 32 Democratic lawmakers say they won't attend this year's address.
Fifteen lawmakers are skipping it to attend a rally organized by progressive advocacy groups on the National Mall. MoveOn and MeidasTouch are co-hosting the rally as “counterprogramming” to “President Trump’s night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.” Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland are among the Democratic lawmakers scheduled to attend.
Nearby, at the National Press Club, the anti-Trump group Defiance.org will host a “State of the Swamp” event, billed as a rebuttal to Trump's speech, with numerous Democratic lawmakers and celebrities scheduled to make appearances and give remarks.
