State of the Union Address Tonight: Exact Start Time, TV Channels & How to Watch Live

Need to know what time President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address starts? The nationally televised speech begins tonight, Tuesday 24 February 2026, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (8 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. PT / 02:00 UTC on 25 February). The White House schedule allots roughly 90 minutes, so plan for the broadcast to run until about 10:30 p.m. ET. Where and how to watch • Network TV: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS will break into regular programming just before 9 p.m. ET. • Cable news: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-SPAN carry uninterrupted coverage. • Streaming: Each network’s app plus YouTube, X (Twitter) and Facebook Live will host free streams; C-SPAN.org offers an ad-free feed. • Radio: NPR and most major talk stations simulcast the address. Why search interest is spiking Google queries for “what time is the State of the Union address” surge every year on speech day as viewers confirm start time across time zones. This year’s spike coincides with a busy news cycle around tariffs, border policy and the 2026 midterm map, issues the president is expected to highlight. What to expect in the 2026 SOTU • Economy: Trump is likely to defend the revived 15 % tariff plan and tout job numbers. • Foreign policy: Expect updates on Iran tensions and the Pacific trade pact. • Domestic agenda: Immigration enforcement, fentanyl interdiction and workforce reductions remain headline priorities. • Length: Trump’s 2025 joint-session speech set a record at 1 hr 40 min, and aides hint tonight could be “the same or longer.” Who gives the official responses • English-language rebuttal: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers Democrats’ response moments after the speech ends, carried on the same channels. • Spanish-language rebuttal: Sen. Alex Padilla of California answers from Los Angeles. NBC News will stream both responses live. Pro tips for viewers 1. Tune in five minutes early; networks begin commentary at 8:55 p.m. ET. 2. Turn on closed-captioning if you plan to fact-check in real time. 3. DVR an extra hour to capture the full speech plus responses in case it runs long. Quick time-zone converter • Eastern (Washington, D.C.): 9:00 p.m. Tuesday • Central (Chicago): 8:00 p.m. Tuesday • Mountain (Denver): 7:00 p.m. Tuesday • Pacific (Los Angeles): 6:00 p.m. Tuesday • GMT/UTC: 02:00 Wednesday • CET (Paris/Berlin): 03:00 Wednesday • IST (New Delhi): 07:30 Wednesday • JST (Tokyo): 11:00 Wednesday Bookmark this page so you’re ready when the sergeant-at-arms announces, “Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!”