‘We did not hear the truth from the president’: Spanberger squares up to Trump in State of the Union rebuttal
This affects the entire country.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) said the nation did not hear the truth from President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Spanberger, who was speaking from Williamsburg, Virginia, for the official Democratic rebuttal, made Trump’s economic stewardship the key thrust of her remarks.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” she asked. “We all know the answer is no.”
Spanberger also said in her rebuttal that the cost of living is too high, a complaint she said she heard repeatedly from Virginians. She added that Democrats across the country were also focused on affordability.
The governor also delivered a response to Trump’s deportation agenda, adding that Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have spread fear across America.
“Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings,” she said. “Our president told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that.”
In her 12-minute rebuttal, she also took aim at Trump’s tariff policies, claiming they had cost families more than $1,700 each and said that other tariffs Trump said he would introduce would cost them even more.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Spanberger spoke live from Colonial Williamsburg, the restored historic district that preserves Virginia’s colonial-era capital. The setting was selected for its symbolic role in American history: In 1776, Virginia leaders gathered there to advance independence from Britain and approve the Virginia Declaration of Rights — a document that helped shape both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Spanberger was tapped to deliver the Democratic response, in part, due to her successful gubernatorial campaign, which centered on affordability and prosecuting the case against Trump. It has been seen as a blueprint for other Democrats to emulate going into this year’s midterm elections.
The governor, who …
This affects the entire country.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) said the nation did not hear the truth from President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Spanberger, who was speaking from Williamsburg, Virginia, for the official Democratic rebuttal, made Trump’s economic stewardship the key thrust of her remarks.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” she asked. “We all know the answer is no.”
Spanberger also said in her rebuttal that the cost of living is too high, a complaint she said she heard repeatedly from Virginians. She added that Democrats across the country were also focused on affordability.
The governor also delivered a response to Trump’s deportation agenda, adding that Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have spread fear across America.
“Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings,” she said. “Our president told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that.”
In her 12-minute rebuttal, she also took aim at Trump’s tariff policies, claiming they had cost families more than $1,700 each and said that other tariffs Trump said he would introduce would cost them even more.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Spanberger spoke live from Colonial Williamsburg, the restored historic district that preserves Virginia’s colonial-era capital. The setting was selected for its symbolic role in American history: In 1776, Virginia leaders gathered there to advance independence from Britain and approve the Virginia Declaration of Rights — a document that helped shape both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Spanberger was tapped to deliver the Democratic response, in part, due to her successful gubernatorial campaign, which centered on affordability and prosecuting the case against Trump. It has been seen as a blueprint for other Democrats to emulate going into this year’s midterm elections.
The governor, who …
‘We did not hear the truth from the president’: Spanberger squares up to Trump in State of the Union rebuttal
This affects the entire country.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) said the nation did not hear the truth from President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Spanberger, who was speaking from Williamsburg, Virginia, for the official Democratic rebuttal, made Trump’s economic stewardship the key thrust of her remarks.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” she asked. “We all know the answer is no.”
Spanberger also said in her rebuttal that the cost of living is too high, a complaint she said she heard repeatedly from Virginians. She added that Democrats across the country were also focused on affordability.
The governor also delivered a response to Trump’s deportation agenda, adding that Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have spread fear across America.
“Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings,” she said. “Our president told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that.”
In her 12-minute rebuttal, she also took aim at Trump’s tariff policies, claiming they had cost families more than $1,700 each and said that other tariffs Trump said he would introduce would cost them even more.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Spanberger spoke live from Colonial Williamsburg, the restored historic district that preserves Virginia’s colonial-era capital. The setting was selected for its symbolic role in American history: In 1776, Virginia leaders gathered there to advance independence from Britain and approve the Virginia Declaration of Rights — a document that helped shape both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Spanberger was tapped to deliver the Democratic response, in part, due to her successful gubernatorial campaign, which centered on affordability and prosecuting the case against Trump. It has been seen as a blueprint for other Democrats to emulate going into this year’s midterm elections.
The governor, who …
