Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger questions whether Americans feel the
‘golden age’ Trump describes
[February 25, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia Gov. 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.
Her message, that families are still struggling under Trump’s policies,
is one Democrats plan to carry nationwide ahead of the midterm
elections. Party leaders point to Spanberger’s double-digit victory in
Virginia last November as validation of a disciplined, cost-focused
campaign they now hope to replicate across the country.
"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.”
Spanberger asks Americans whether life is better under Trump
Spanberger was flanked by American flags as she delivered the speech
from Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum with restored
18th-century buildings, invoking the site's role at the heart of
Virginia’s early opposition to British rule.
“As we celebrate 250 years since America declared our independence from
tyranny, I can think of no better place to speak to you,” Spanberger
said.
Spanberger said she wanted to “plainly and honestly” speak to people
watching at home. She structured her speech around a series of direct
questions: “Is the president working to make life more affordable for
you and your family? Is the president working to keep Americans safe,
both at home and abroad? Is the president working for you?”
She contrasted those questions with what she described as the reality
under Trump, saying he “has sent poorly trained federal agents into our
cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and
people who aspire to be Americans.” She added that Trump seeks to “pit
us against one another” while “enriching himself, his family, his
friends.”
“This is not what our founders envisioned. Not by a long shot,” said
Spanberger. “So I’ll ask again: Is the president working for you? We all
know the answer is no.”
Spanberger had a fraction of Trump's record-breaking time
Spanberger had far less time than the Republican president to make her
case, speaking for around 13 minutes. Trump’s address to Congress
stretched for just over an hour and 48 minutes, the longest in history,
and ran late into the night.
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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger watches President Donald Trump's
State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg,
Va. Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response after the
address. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
In his speech, Trump described a nation with lower costs than when
he took office, declaring, “This is the golden age of America.”
He also goaded the Democratic side of the House chambers throughout
the speech for not standing, increasing his insults throughout the
speech and calling his opponents “crazy.” But Democrats inside the
chamber largely didn't react, sitting silently. Texas Rep. Al Green
was removed from the chamber barely two minutes into the president’s
address after holding a protest sign reading “Black People Aren’t
Apes!”
Outside the chamber, Democrats who had skipped the speech responded
at counterprogramming events, including a “People's State of the
Union” featuring Democratic lawmakers alongside state and local
leaders and celebrities.
“We know our state of the union. We know it is under attack,” Sen.
Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said at the event.
Democrats look toward November's midterms
Democrats believe the political environment is shifting in their
favor. Spanberger’s win in Virginia was followed by other
high-profile Democratic victories, including a special election this
month in Texas, where a Democrat flipped a reliably Republican state
Senate district that Trump carried by 17 percentage points in 2024.
In California Sen. Alex Padilla's Spanish-language response to
Trump's address, he described the nation as “living a nightmare that
divides and destroys our communities” and urged viewers to “prepare,
starting today, for your voice to reverberate this November.”
Padilla, who was forcefully removed from a Homeland Security news
conference in Los Angeles last year while questioning immigration
raids, referenced the moment in his remarks.
“They may have knocked me down for a moment, but I got right back
up,” he said. “As our parents taught us: If you fall seven times,
get up eight. I am still here. Standing. Still fighting.”
Spanberger, meanwhile, sought to tie Republicans in Congress closely
to Trump as Democrats aim to flip the House and Senate in November.
She warned that additional tariffs would raise costs “and
Republicans in Congress, they remain unwilling to assert their
constitutional authority to stop him.”
“They’re making your life harder. They’re making your life more
expensive,” she said.
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