While taking questions from reporters aboard Air Force One this evening, President Trump was asked about his upcoming State of the Union address. President Trump confirmed that he will be delivering his State of the Union next week whether or not the Democrat-fueled partial government shutdown continues. Watch his full response here: IT’S OFFICIAL: President Trump confirms he WILL give his State of the Union next week even IF Democrats continue the government shutdown In front of the ENTIRE COUNTRY Trump can nail Democrats on opposing voter ID, supporting voter fraud and shutting down DHS! DO IT, 47 pic.twitter.com/HcoxiYLuGM — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 17, 2026 President Trump’s State of the Union address is scheduled for February 24th. Right now, the Democrats have shut down key programs like FEMA, the TSA, and the Coast Guard over their refusal to come to an agreement on funding the DHS. This partial shutdown is expected to last for several weeks. Politico confirmed that there are no plans to delay the State of the Union: President Donald Trump is barreling ahead with the first State of the Union address of his second term, despite concerns among Republicans that it’s set to hit during a partial government shutdown. The speech, set for 11 days from now, is poised to land in the middle of a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security – the product of a standoff with Democrats over immigration enforcement that the White House had hoped to avoid. Behind the scenes, some administration officials and senior Capitol Hill Republicans are quietly fretting about the optics, according to six people granted anonymity to describe private conversations. The concerned Republicans believe it would be less than ideal for Trump to stand in the well of the House and declare that the state of the union is strong when a critical part of the federal government remains shuttered. “It doesn’t exactly scream ‘a functioning GOP trifecta,’” said one House Republican granted anonymity to speak candidly. Asked whether postponing the address was under discussion, a senior White House official said Friday, “Not as of yet.” Senior Hill Republicans believe the president is full steam ahead as well. In 2019, Trump publicly battled with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi for more than a week over whether to delay his State of the Union address during an earlier government shutdown. He eventually relented. Republicans expect Speaker Mike Johnson, who is responsible for extending the formal invitation to the president to address a joint session of Congress, not to delay the speech unless the White House specifically asks. The latest shutdown, which will begin when DHS funding lapses overnight, is expected to drag on until at least the week of Trump’s Feb. 24 State of the Union speech because the White House and Senate Democrats appear to be far apart on how far to rein in Trump’s immigration enforcement activities as part of a funding agreement. Notably, when there was a government shutdown in 2019 during his first term, President Trump postponed his State of the Union address until it was over. However, this time will be different. It will provide the perfect opportunity for President Trump to highlight all the ways that the Democrats are actively working against the interests of the American people. These include shutting down the DHS and voting against the SAVE Act to require proof of citizenship to vote. Excellent… let the world see them for what they are. — Chad Neibert (@cneibert13) February 17, 2026 Your thoughts?