President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in U.S. history on Feb. 24, speaking for 108 minutes, or about one hour and 48 minutes, in the U.S. Capitol.
In his fifth official address, Trump praised what he called the American “golden age” before a joint session of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Cabinet and an estimated 32.6 million Americans across the U.S.
The State of the Union is an annual communication from the president, which is mandated by article II, section 3, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution. This year, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson welcomed the president in the House Chamber with George Washington’s gavel presiding over the 250th anniversary of the nation.
There were several key moments as the night progressed. Upon his entrance, Trump shook hands with the four Supreme Court justices present a few days after they issued a decision striking down his sweeping tariffs.
Following their ruling against him, Trump had called the judges “very unpatriotic” and “an embarrassment to their families.”
On the topic of tariffs, Trump discussed the economic challenges Americans faced, highlighting the nation’s strong recovery, even as voters blamed his policies, such as the tariffs, for the economy’s disappointing performance.
Early into the night, Texas Rep. Al Green was escorted out after holding up a sign saying, “Black people aren’t apes!” This was in response to a post Trump shared earlier this month, which depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
An outburst by Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib ensued after Trump talked about a fraud investigation into the Somali community in Minnesota. Omar called the president a “liar” and Tlaib accused him of “shooting Americans.”
The U.S. men’s hockey team, recent gold medal winners at the 2026 Winter Olympics, were also present.
During a victory phone call, the president joked that he would “have” to invite the women’s team as well. The team laughed but later apologized, regretful of the joke.
The president honored several members of the military, including a helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a 100-year-old Korean War veteran and the families of the two National Guard service members who were shot in D.C. in November 2025.
Several international issues briefly came into frame, such as the war in Ukraine, Iranian nuclear programs and the recently deposed Venezuelan president.
There was a renewed push to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to vote.
This followed Trump’s continued claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election after his loss.
The president also addressed the housing issue, which he said was caused by the Biden administration, promising to make housing more affordable by lowering interest rates for homebuyers and mortgage rates for homeowners.
After the State of the Union, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic response to the public, saying, “we did not hear the truth from our president.”
