Trump State of the Union 2026 Speech Live Updates: Trump defends tariffs, repeats claim of averting India-Pak nuclear war

US President Donald Trump, during his State of the Union address, described Iran as the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism and vowed he would never allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Trump’s remarks came as two US aircraft carriers were dispatched to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran.

He said he preferred a diplomatic resolution. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen,” he said.

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While speaking at the living history museum in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger offered a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s depiction of the nation as being in a “golden age” during his State of the Union, arguing in her Democratic rebuttal that costs remain high for many Americans more than a year into his second term. She said that families are still struggling under Trump’s policies. "Democrats across the country are laser-focused on affordability in our nation’s capital and in state capitals and communities across America," said Spanberger. “In the most innovative and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night.”

The US has received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela since Washington's ouster of the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro said Trump during his State Union address. "American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day," he said.

During his 2026 State of the Union at the United States Capitol, US President Donald Trump claimed he had ended eight wars, including a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. Trump asserted that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could have died had he not intervened. The remarks underscored Trump’s portrayal of himself as a global peacemaker during the high-stakes address.

“For years, large swaths of territory in our region, including parts of Mexico, have been controlled by murderous drug cartels,” Donald Trump said. He added that he designated the cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and classified illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. Trump claimed that a new military campaign has stopped record amounts of drugs from entering the US and has virtually halted trafficking by water and sea.

In his speech, Trump again claimed that he had “stopped eight wars.” The US president said this included last year’s four-day India-Pakistan military conflict.

Donald Trump said that although it began four months ago, he was formally announcing a “war on fraud” to be led by the Vice President, adding that if enough fraud is uncovered, the US could achieve a balanced budget overnight.

Trump asserted that since he took office, the typical 401k balance is up almost $30,000 dollars and yet half of all working Americans still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer. "To remedy this gross disparity, I am announcing that next year, my administration will give these often-forgotten American workers access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker, we will match your contributions with up to $1,000 dollars each year," he said.

"Together, we're building a nation where every child has the chance to reach higher and go further—where government answers to the people, not the powerful—and where the interests of hardworking American Citizens are always our first and ultimate concern. That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us—and that is the promise we must keep to America for our 250th Year," said Trump

"As time goes by, I believe that tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love," said Trump

Donald Trump claimed that in the past 12 months the US has secured investment commitments worth more than $18 trillion from around the world, contrasting it with the previous administration. “In four long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion in new investment in the United States. In 12 months, I secured more than $18 trillion,” he said.

Talking about the private sector, Trump said that more Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country and 100% of all jobs created under his administration have been in the private sector.

Talking about drug and crime, Trump said that the flow of fentanyl is down by 56 per cent and the murder rate has been at a 125 year low.

During his State of Union address, Trump said that was inherited a nation at crisis, there was chaos but after one year achieved a tranformation. "A turned aroud for the ages," he said.

US President Donald Trump arrives at the Capitol