President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union Tuesday night in Washington, as a majority of Americans disapprove of how he is handling inflation, tariffs, relations with other countries, immigration and the economy, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
For Trump, the speech was a chance to make the case directly to millions of Americans ahead of November's midterm elections where control of Congress is at stake. Dozens of Democrats, meanwhile, skipped the speech in protest.
Epstein Files Transparency Act bipartisan co-authors to sit next to each other at speech
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. -- two of the leading co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act -- will sit next to each other at the State of the Union address.
Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna speak outside the Department of Justice in Washington, February 9, 2026.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
This is notable because it is often rare to see Democrats and Republicans sitting together on the House floor during the State of the Union.
Khanna and Massie plan to show their support for Epstein survivors, with the Democrat inviting Epstein survivor Haley Robson as his guest to the address.
-ABC News' Lauren Peller
Feb 24, 2026, 6:34 PM EST
Democrats say Trump must make his case on Iran to the American people
House and Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday that Trump needs to better explain his aims for Iran after congressional leaders were briefed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
“This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
An F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, Feb. 15, 2026.
Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/US Navy
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioned whether Iran’s nuclear program has been "completely and totally obliterated" as the White House claimed after the U.S. military struck Iranian facilities in June.
“If that, in fact, was true, what is the urgency as of this moment? That's an open question, and the American people need a real explanation,” Jeffries said.
Rubio and Ratcliffe briefed the Gang of 8 -- the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate and the top Republicans and Democrats on the intelligence committees from each chamber -- remotely as the lawmakers met in a secure location.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray and Noah Minnie
Feb 24, 2026, 5:53 PM EST
Trump hosts USA men's hockey team in Oval Office
President Donald Trump greeted members of the gold medal-winning men's hockey team in the Oval Office on Tuesday, ahead of the State of the Union, photos and videos show.
The USA men's Olympic ice hockey team pose with their gold medals at the White House in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026.
The White House
The members can be seen filing into the Oval Office wearing their Olympic gold medals around their necks, with some shaking the president's hand, in a video posted on X by one of Trump's top aides, Dan Scavino.
"I recognize every one of you. I know every one of you," Trump said as the athletes made their way in. The president also laughed that they were "big guys" and congratulated the team.
Wearing their gold medals, USA men's Olympic ice hockey players Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Mathews lead their teammates along the colonnade at the White House in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026.
The White House
The athletes were also captured holding up their gold medals while standing around the president at the Resolute Desk, on the South Lawn and making their way down the colonnade during their White House visit.
Feb 24, 2026, 6:01 PM EST
Virginia Giuffre's brother, Epstein survivors speak out ahead of SOTU
Just hours before President Trump's State of the Union address, Democratic lawmakers and several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein spoke on Capitol Hill to demand more action from the administration.
Sky Roberts, the brother of the late Virginia Roberts Guiffre, called for "Virginia’s Law" to be passed by Congress, legislation that seeks to do away with the statute of limitations on sex abuse and trafficking victims' right to sue.
"Virginia's Law is about saying clearly that the rules that protected abusers and traffickers for decades will no longer stand. It’s about closing the gaps that powerful people exploit. It is about strengthening accountability so survivors are not forced to fight alone for years against the machine built to wear them down," Sky Roberts said.
Sky and Amanda Roberts will attend Trump's speech as guests by Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramanyam.
Danielle Bensky, a Jeffrey Epstein survivor, speaks during a news conference ahead of the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol, on Feb. 24, 2026. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Sens. Andy Kim, and Amy Klobuchar also appear.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor, took aim at the Trump administration and FBI Director Kash Patel. Bensky is attending Trump's speech as a guest of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“As we prepare to attend the State of the Union, survivors and this country have so many questions that need to be answered. The first one is, where are the rest of the files? The truth must come out. Why are there no investigations when there are plenty of people in these files to investigate?" Bensky said. "This administration needs to do better."
President Trump and the Justice Department have been dogged by questions about the Epstein files and their partial release and redactions. The DOJ said it has complied with the law passed by Congress that forced their release.
