State of the Union as it happened: Trump calls out Supreme Court to their face; Democrats wearing Epstein pins; Congressman booted out of the chamber
Updated . First published
STATE OF THE UNION
The biggest night of the US political calendar is underway - the State of the Union. US President Donald Trump is speaking to the Houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, the cabinet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation and the world.
Follow here for live rolling coverage, and you can watch the livestream at the top of the page.
READ MORE: What to expect at Donald Trump's State of the Union address
Latest posts
Thanks for reading
That's where we'll wrap up our live coverage of the State of the Union.
You can read our analysis of the speech here.
Thanks for reading.
Spanberger rails against ICE
Spanberger also spoke against ICE, a government agency that Trump did not mention in his speech.
"Our president has sent poorly trained troops into our cities," she said.
"They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies.
"They have sent children to far-off detention centres. And they have killed American citizens in our streets."
Spanberger talks affordability in response
Governor Abigail Spanberger is railing against Donald Trump's speech in the official Democratic response to the State of the Union.
Spanberger is speaking on the issues of affordability, a topic Trump avoided mentioning in his speech.
"Is the president working to make life more affordable to you and your family? We all know the answer is no," she said.
"The president is planning for new tariffs - another massive tax hike on you and your family.
"Americans deserve to know their leaders are focussed on the problems that will keep them up at night."
Trump's record-breaking speech finally over
Donald Trump has finished his State of the Union, the longest speech in history at 1:47:46.
Trump beat the record he set the previous year by nearly ten minutes.
Despite the length, there were few surprises in his address, with the speech being very similar to his previous addresses.
Trump compares himself to war heroes as he gives Medals of Honour
Donald Trump has given the Congressional Medal of Honour for a helicopter pilot badly wounded in the raid of Venezuela leading to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
The president described in gruesome detail how the pilot Eric Slover was struck by enemy machine gun fire.
"He was gushing blood, which was flowing back down the aisle," he said.
"Eric manoeuvred his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat."
In a particularly touching moment, another aviator was given the Medal of Honour.
Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams was given the award more than 70 years after a daring mission in the Korean War.
The 100-year-old was loudly applauded by the crowd.
But Trump couldn't help make a comment which was likely not in his prepared remarks.
"I've always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honour, but I was informed I'm not allowed to give it myself," the president said.
"I don't know why I'd be taking it. But if they ever open up that law, I will be there with you some day."
The Medal of Honour is given for extraordinary courage in war. Trump has never served in uniform.
His speech is now the longest State of the Union in history, and counting.
Trump's speech nears record-breaking length
We are now getting close to a record-breaking State of the Union.
Trump's address last year was 99 minutes long, by far the longest speech by a president to Congress.
But at the current rate, Trump will beat his own record today.
He does appear to be going off-script increasingly at this point of the speech.
He spoke about how he added a dollar to the bonuses of the military members so they would be receiving $1776, matching the year of America's independence from the USA.
Donald Trump at the State of the Union. AP
Trump speaks on Ukraine, Iran
Donald Trump is now speaking of the eight wars he has ended - a widely disputed claim.
"We're working very hard to end the ninth war between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
"A war which would have never happened if I were president."
When campaigning for re-election, Trump vowed the war in Ukraine would end on his first day in office.
But weeks after administration leaks hinted at a prospective military action in Iran, he demurred on an announcement today.
"One thing is certain - I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
Trump recounts gruesome murders in front of relatives
We have passed the hour-mark of the State of the Union and Donald Trump is showing no sign of slowing down.
A large section of the speech has been dedicated to describing in graphic detail high-profile crimes.
As Trump described the murders, relatives of the victims sat in the audience.
Among those is Erika Kirk, the widow of political commentator Charlie Kirk.
Erika Kirk gestures as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) AP
The mother of alleged murder victim Iryna Zarutska was in tears as Trump described her daughter's death.
"Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body," Trump said.
"No-one will forget the expression of terror on Iryna's face as she looked at her attacker in the last seconds of her life."
Teen at the centre of transgender school dispute invited
In a particularly provocative move, one of Donald Trump's guests was a teenager whose battle to transition led to a fight between her parents and the courts.
"In 2021, she was 14 when school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy, and hiding it from her parents," Trump said.
"Before long, a confused Sage ran away from home.
"After she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland, a left-wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not state that their daughter was (their) son.
"Sage was thrown into an all boys state home, and suffered terribly for a long time.
"But today, all of that is behind them, because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full ride scholarship to Liberty University."
Sage Blair is recognized by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP
As she stood up to be applauded, Sage did not look especially happy to be there.
The camera feed cut to a concerned-looking Sarah McBride, the only transgender member of Congress.
'You should be ashamed,' Trump tells Democrats
Donald Trump is now touting his deportation program by speaking about crimes committed by immigrants.
He spoke of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old stabbed in her home by an immigrant.
"Lizbeth's killer was a previously arrested illegal alien who had broken in, and just brutally extinguished the brightest light of her family's life," he said.
"The only thing standing between Americans and a wide open border right now, is President Donald Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress."
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) AP
Trump called on members to stand if they agreed with him.
"If you agree with the statement, then stand up and show your support," he said.
"The duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."
As Democrats remained seated, he told them they should be ashamed of themselves.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us