Democrats' Response to SOTU Questions Trump's 'Golden Age'

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger offered a sharp contrast to President 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, the AP reports.

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. 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 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. 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. 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."