Students and Teachers react to The State of the Union, 2026

The State of the Union is an annual speech delivered by the president of the United States to congress and the nation. During the speech, the president discussed the current conditions of the country, talked about its challenges, and highlighted accomplishments. It also gives the president an opportunity to promote policy and convince or influence citizens to vote in their favor.

The first State of the Union address was delivered in 1790 by George Washington. The ceremony comes from Article II, Section 3 of the constitution which states that “He shall from time to time give to the congress information of the state of the union.”

With the rise of political conflict this year’s state of the union was sure to cause controversy.

Government teacher Ron DeGregorio encouraged students to watch this year’s speech and even offered extra credit to those who watched.

“I just think that if we want our students to care about the world and care about laws and policies and want them to vote they should watch these things for education and it will help prepare them,” DeGregorio said.

The speech itself lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes making it one of the longest addresses in recent history. Degregorio said that the length may have been intentional, giving the president more time to explain policies and talk about his vision for the country.

One part of the speech that DeGregorio appreciated was when the president highlighted the Americans in attendance.

“He used real people to demonstrate his points,” DeGregorio said. It shows that policies affect real people.

He also said speeches like The State of the Union can sometimes contribute to political division by explaining issues in a “us versus them” mindset.

Students who watched the speech had mixed reactions.

Freshman Thomas (TJ) McBride Jr. said he believed the president delivered a strong speech overall.

“The speech was very well put together and I thought it had a huge impact on how people are seeing the president and the country,” McBride said.

McBride said he liked how the president recognized everyday Americans and presented awards during the speech. Which he felt helped give the audience energy. However, he said he also felt the president appeared somewhat boastful at times and did not like when members of congress shouted and refused to stand at parts of the speech.

Another student Carter Montague had a different view.

“I thought that Trump made our country more divided by appealing only to his party, the republicans,when we need a moment for the president to rise above politics and speak to every American,” Montague said.

Montague said he believed the speech focused a lot on topics that divide political parties rather than addressing issues that affect all Americans.

Despite their differences, Montague and McBride both agree on the topic they wished was discussed – the Epstein files.

Overall, reactions to the speech among students and teachers show how differently people can interpret political events while some viewers saw the speech as inspiring and effective while others believe it highlighted the separations of politics in the present.

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