Abigail Spanberger calls out Trump's ‘reckless trade policies’ in SOTU response

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA: Democrats mounted a sharp rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s claims about the American economy during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the party’s official response, challenging the administration’s economic record, policy priorities, and approach to governance.

Abigail Spanberger rebuts Trump’s economic claims

Trump opened his address by declaring, “Our nation is back,” and asserting that his administration had ushered in a “golden age of America.”

Trump claimed that the border was secure, inflation was falling, incomes were rising, the economy was stronger than ever, and America was again respected globally. He added that the country’s enemies were scared and that the military and police were “stacked.”

Responding on behalf of Democrats, Spanberger, a former member of Congress, was elected governor in November and offered a starkly different assessment. 

She said that Americans “are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring.” Spanberger argued that since Trump took office last year, his “reckless trade policies” had forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs.

According to Spanberger, small businesses and farmers have suffered significantly, with some farmers losing entire markets. “Every day Americans are paying the price,” she said.

She noted that even though the Supreme Court struck down these tariffs four days earlier, the damage to the American people had already been done. She further warned that the president was planning new tariffs, describing them as another massive tax hike on families.

Spanberger also criticized Republicans in Congress, saying they were unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop the president. “They’re making your life harder. They’re making your life more expensive,” she said, adding that they were even making it "more difficult for Americans to see a doctor."

Abigail Spanberger targets Trump's policies and immigration enforcement

Turning to affordability and health care, Spanberger focused on the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which she said was championed by Trump and Republicans in Congress.

She argued that the bill was already leading to rural health clinics in Virginia and across the country closing their doors. According to her, the legislation threatens rural hospitals, strips health care from millions of Americans, and drives up costs in energy and housing, while cutting food programs for hungry children.

Spanberger accused the president of enriching himself and his inner circle, seeking to contrast Democrats as standing for ordinary people while portraying Trump as serving the powerful. “He’s enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented,” she said.

She cited what she called a cover-up of the Epstein files, crypto scams, and relationships with foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, as well as putting his name and face on buildings across the nation’s capital. “This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot,” she added.

In the final portion of her response, Spanberger criticized immigration enforcement under Trump, specifically calling out ICE. She accused the administration of sending “poorly trained federal agents into our cities,” alleging that they had arrested and detained American citizens and people aspiring to be Americans without warrants.

“Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities,” she said.