Trump delivers 2026 State of the Union Address by Phil Mattingly CNN

President Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. President Trump is expected to focus largely on the economy. Voters’ views on the economy have soured, with many saying that the price of healthcare, housing and groceries is too high.

The president bounced between highlighting policy and calling out Democrats in his record-long address before Congress. CNN reporters and experts are sharing analysis and updates.

President Donald Trump repeated his regular claim that there are more people working today in the US than ever before. That’s true, but the claim needs context: the number of people working tends to rise over time because the US population tends to rise over time.

Economists say there are far better measures of the health of the labor market.

The employment-population ratio, which measures the percentage of the population that is employed, is down slightly this presidential term so far, going from 60.1% in January 2025, the month Trump returned to office, to 59.8% in January 2026.

The unemployment rate, which measures unemployment as a percentage of the labor force, has increased, going from 4.0% in January 2025 to 4.3% in January 2026. It hit a four-year high of 4.5% in November before easing.

The labor force participation rate, which measures the percentage of the population that is employed or actively looking for work, has been almost unchanged, ticking down 62.6% in January 2025 to 62.5% in January 2026. To read more go to the link below:

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-state-of-the-union-2026