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President Trump has a tricky line to walk tonight during the first State of the Union address of his second term.

This is his opportunity to tout his accomplishments with the attention of millions of Americans, while outlining talking points Republicans can use heading into a critical midterm election year.

He does have accomplishments to brag about — the tax cuts in his One Big Beautiful Bill Act and lowered prescription drug prices, to name a few.

But it hasn’t all been good. His approval rating is underwater (more on that below). Many Americans are feeling the pain of economic affordability. And for critics, the daily chaos of the Trump administration has returned.

Tonight is the president's chance to explain his longer-term strategy while acknowledging the work ahead for his administration.

How things have changed in the past year: “His prized tariffs have been sharply curtailed by the Supreme Court. His most visible immigration push—federal surges into U.S. cities to carry out mass deportations—has become broadly unpopular since two Americans were killed by his masked agents. War with Iran seems to be approaching, yet Trump has not tried to sell the public on the conflict, articulated his goals, or laid out what would come next. He is facing an onslaught of questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein … as well as his efforts to use the Oval Office to enrich himself and his family.” Read more in The Atlantic: ‘Trump’s Suddenly High-Stakes State of the Union’

The dynamics inside the room: The president will look out from the dais and see many political adversaries during his address tonight. He will see some of their invited guests, highlighting the negative impacts of his policies. He will also likely see Supreme Court justices who just shot down his sweeping global tariffs — whom he says are now just “barely invited.”

It will be awfully tempting to veer off-script and air those grievances. The president has already said to expect a “long speech” (his address to a joint session of Congress last year, which was technically not a State of the Union speech, clocked in at more than 90 minutes). But for many Republicans, especially those in tough reelection fights, talking directly to the camera and selling Americans on his agenda will be key tonight.

💬 Follow today’s live blog

When and where: Trump will begin his address in the House chamber around 9 p.m.

How long will it last?: The exact length is unclear. His 2025 address to Congress set a record as the longest joint session speech, running nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The Democratic rebuttal: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) will then deliver the Democratic response.

Guests to look out for in the room: The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, multiple Epstein survivors and YouTuber Nick Shirley are expected to attend, among others. 📝 List of expected guests

The U.S. men’s hockey team will be there: Members of the U.S. men’s hockey team will attend the address after winning the Olympic gold medal. “Yeah, we’re excited to go. I mean, it’s something you don’t get to do … I don’t know what day it is … every Tuesday. But it’s going to be special for us,” hockey player Quinn Hughes told ABC News.

However, the women’s team declined Trump’s invitation.

In the wings: Keep an eye out for the Trump Cabinet secretary tapped as the administration’s “designated survivor.” Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins served in the role last year.

Tidbit: Democrats have picked Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) as their designated survivor, reprising a role he’s held over multiple years.

Democratic leaders have begged their members to be strategic in their protests this year. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) urged Democrats who choose to go to attend with “silent defiance.”

Some Democratic lawmakers are holding an alternative "state of the union" on the National Mall. Some are bringing guests to Trump’s address to highlight the negative impacts of Trump’s policies, such as people detained by federal immigration agents. And others are skipping the address altogether. Read more on the alternative event

When Trump took office in January 2025, his approval rating hovered around 50 percent. Today, it’s down to less than 42 percent, per Decision Desk HQ.

The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky scoured through polls and found that his most significant polling drop happened among young voters. Read Trump’s polling breakdown by demographic and issue areas

Tonight: Tune in for The Hill’s live coverage ... Blake Burman anchors a digital broadcast from 8-11:30 p.m. ET on TheHill.com and The Hill’s FAST Channel. Additional reporting will be provided by White House correspondent Julia Manchester, Rising’s Lindsey Granger and Robby Soave, Decision Desk HQ’s Scott Tranter, NewsNation contributor Sean Spicer and more.

“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie made a new plea this morning, saying her family will offer up to a $1 million reward for information leading to the location of her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.

From Savannah Guthrie’s new video: “It is Day 24 since our mom was taken in the dark of night, from her bed. And every hour and minute and second, and every long night, has been agony since then, of worrying about her, fearing for her, aching for her, and most of all, just missing her,” she said.

Guthrie also announced that her family will donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The New York Times’s James Wagner posted a behind-the-scenes look at how Mexican authorities killed notorious drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — or “El Mencho.”

How it happened: Authorities found El Mencho hiding in a cabin in the mountains by tracking his lover.

It was a deadly mission: “In all, Mexican authorities said they arrested 70 people and killed 34 suspected cartel members in the chaos across the country on Sunday, while 25 members of the national guard were among the dead. Local news outlets reported a civilian killed was a pregnant woman who had been caught in a shootout.” Read more

The State Department says it has received hundreds of calls from U.S. citizens in Mexico through its 24-hour crisis hotline. CNN reports that most of the calls pertain to canceled flights.

Monday’s monster blizzard slammed the Northeast, bringing more than 3 feet of snow to some areas.  

The DMV was mostly spared: DC, Maryland and Virginia’s snow totals landed around 1-5 inches.

For the first time since its founding in 1872: The Boston Globe did not print a paper today because of the storm.

🎥 Insane drone footage of massive waves hitting houses in Scituate, Mass.

^ 🎥 Another angle of the giant swells

📸 Plymouth, Mass., is buried in snow

🎥 Skiing on a street in Providence, R.I.

🎥 Scenes from Central Park in NYC

📸 Waist-deep snow drifts in Johnston, R.I.

🎥 Snow-covered branch falling on a car in NYC

“Just hours after former UK Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson was arrested in London on Monday on suspicion of leaking government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein, his successor was feted at a welcoming party in Washington.”

The Hill’s Sarakshi Rai spoke with incoming British Ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner about stepping into the role. Check it out

— Novo Nordisk announced it will cut the prices of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus by up to 50 percent starting in 2027.

— FedEx is suing the Trump administration for a full refund on what it paid in import taxes after the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs.

— Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) says Meta has agreed to buy billions of dollars’ worth of its chips to develop new AI, per The New York Times.

The Washington Post: Why DHS suddenly reversed course on suspending TSA PreCheck

The Hill: White House plays hardball with Democrats over DHS shutdown

The Wall Street Journal: Inside Apple’s Push to Build an All-American Chip

Politico: How Trump’s War With Iran Would Be Different

The New York Times: How Russia Put Its Future at Risk by Remaking Its Economy for War