US President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver the 2026 State of the Union address on Tuesday at 9:00 PM ET (7:30 AM IST on Wednesday).
With the midterm elections looming, Trump is expected to focus on issues critical to the GOP’s success, with his speech likely to be a test of the message Republicans will deliver to voters in the November election.
Trump’s speech also comes at a time when both the US president and his party appear vulnerable, with recent polls showing growing public distrust of the Trump administration’s handling of several issues.
What is expected in Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address?
The official theme of Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address is “America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected”, with reports suggesting the US president will use the opportunity to argue how he ushered in a new age of American prosperity during the first year of his second term.
Ahead of the November polls, Trump is largely expected to focus on domestic issues.
In particular, the US president is expected to tout how his administration is handling the US economy and the cost of living, which are the most important things to Americans right now, according to a CNN poll conducted by SRS.
To that end, Trump’s speech is expected to make significant references to cost-saving initiatives, including his recent move to lower drug prices and an earlier move to cut taxes.
“We have a country that is doing well now with the greatest economy we’ve ever had, the greatest activity we’ve ever had,” Trump said Monday.
“I’m going to give a speech tomorrow night and you’re going to hear me say it. It’s going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about,” he said.
Tariff and broken promises
Trump’s speech on Tuesday comes four days after the US Supreme Court ruled that the US president does not have the power to impose blanket tariffs, one of the main levers of the US president’s economic and foreign policy.
While Trump responded by imposing 15% global tariffs under another authority, the SCOTUS ruling was still a blow — the US president had previously suggested the tariffs would pay for several of his promises, including $2,000 rebate checks for Americans and a $12 billion bailout for American farmers.
Given this setback, it remains to be seen how Trump will handle his broken promises.
The problem of Iran
While Trump is expected to focus primarily on domestic issues in the speech, the US president’s speech comes at a time of rising tensions in the Middle East over Iran, with Trump previously indicating he wants regime change.
Although foreign policy issues are not particularly important to Americans in the speech — only 2% of respondents in a CNN poll said they want to hear about foreign policy — Trump is expected to use his speech to highlight some of his thoughts on the issue.
Watch this space for LIVE updates from Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address.
