Rosy Predictions, Angry Attacks: Trump’s State of the Union

In his first State of the Union address of his second term, President Trump offered a rosy portrait of a United States that has lost confidence in his leadership.

He also relentlessly baited Democrats, who want to win back control of Congress in the midterms this fall.

David E. Sanger, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, takes us inside the room.

Guest: David E. Sanger (https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-e-sanger) , the White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times, reporting on President Trump and his administration.

Background reading: 

• During his State of the Union address, Mr. Trump heralded economic and border policies while deriding Democrats (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/24/us/trump-state-of-the-union) .

• Here are some fact checks of his speech (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/25/us/fact-check-state-of-the-union-trump) .

Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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