State of the Union 2026: How & When to Watch Donald Trump’s Speech

Kelli Boyle February 17, 2026, 12:00 pm

President Donald Trump delivers 2019 State of the Union Address — Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson invited President Donald Trump to deliver his 2026 State of the Union Address on January 7. The event is scheduled for February 24 in Washington, D.C., and it be broadcast live across all the major news networks.

Trump didn’t deliver an official State of the Union address in 2025. Instead, he delivered an “Address Before a Joint Session of Congress” in March of that year. Should he proceed with this year’s plan as scheduled, it will be his first State of the Union of his second term. It will air during a time of massive national unrest as the Trump administration continues to send ICE agents into major American cities to arrest immigrants unlawfully, and the National Guard is still deployed in D.C., per Trump’s direction.

Here’s a breakdown of when and how to watch the 2026 State of the Union.

When is the 2026 State of the Union Address?

President Trump will deliver a speech on Tuesday, February 24, to a joint session of Congress.

The annual speech, which Trump skipped in 2025, gives the president a national platform to inform Congress and the American people about their plans for the year ahead.

What time does the 2026 State of the Union Address start?

The live broadcast will begin at 9/8c. Coverage will continue through 11 p.m. ET, followed by local programming.

Where can I watch the 2026 State of the Union Address?

The State of the Union will air live on all of the major news networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox (airing a Fox News special), PBS, from 9-11 p.m. ET on February 24. Some of the following channels currently have livestream links available on YouTube as of the time of publication. Some of the YouTube live coverage will begin before 9 p.m. ET, but the speech will start around 9 p.m. ET for all of the channels.

ABC

ABC News’s coverage is called “State of the Union and the Democratic Response.” The speech will be broadcast live on ABC, with commentary to follow. There will also be a livestream of the address on ABC News’s YouTube channel.

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CBS

CBS News’s coverage will begin at 8/7c on YouTube, with the speech beginning at 9/8c on CBS and YouTube.

NBC

NBC News coverage can be watched on NBC.

Late-night talk shows tend to have special programming for the State of the Union Address, but coverage announcements have not been made as of the time of publication, so stay tuned for updates.

PBS NewsHour

Coverage on PBS NewsHour’s YouTube channel begins at 6/5c. PBS will air the speech at 9/8c on the TV channel, followed by the Democratic response and analysis.