WATCH LIVE: President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union handle

President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term before Congress and the nation on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Watch our coverage live, starting at 6 p.m. EST, in the video player above.

He’s likely to outline his view of his administration’s accomplishments on issues such as mass deportation, deregulation and “law and order,” as well as tout his efforts to end several global conflicts. The speech is one of his biggest opportunities to make his case for keeping his party in power this November, when Americans vote in the midterm elections.

While Trump may use his address to look ahead to the major test he’ll face at the ballot box, he’s also likely to invoke this year’s 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and the vision of “anti-woke” history and patriotism his administration has worked to project and enforce across the public domain.

At the same time, he’ll be navigating a partial government shutdown, flagging poll numbers, rising tensions with Iran and a Supreme Court decision nixing his main economic policy.

How to watch

Trump’s speech will begin at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s first woman governor and vocal Trump critic, will deliver the official Democratic response. Spanberger was elected last November in an off-cycle election dominated by Democratic wins that was seen as a warning sign for Republicans in the upcoming midterms.

PBS News will host continuous coverage starting with the 6 p.m. EST broadcast, followed by digital special coverage at 8 p.m., before PBS News Hour co-anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett host on-air special coverage at 9 p.m.

PBS News will provide live ASL interpretation for the event provided by our partners at D-PAN.

You can also follow the PBS NewsHour’s live coverage on YouTube, X, Facebook and TikTok, and see highlights on our Instagram.

On Wednesday at 11 a.m. EST, PBS News’ Deema Zein will host a live conversation with Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins and White House correspondent Liz Landers on the major takeaways from Trump’s speech.