The State of the Union Was a Rally for an Ailing Strongman The State of the Union Was a Rally for an Ailing Strongman
An increasingly unpopular Trump lurched from plodding teleprompter readings to gothic MAGA fantasies in his long-winded speech.
Feb 25, 2026 / Chris Lehmann
Summer Lee Knows the Real State of the Union Summer Lee Knows the Real State of the Union
The progressive representative from Pennsylvania will speak truth to Trump’s power tonight.
Feb 24, 2026 / John Nichols
The State of the Union Will Be Even Worse Than Trump’s Polling Numbers The State of the Union Will Be Even Worse Than Trump’s Polling Numbers
What’s a flopping demagogue to do? Lash out at his enemies, pretend he’s doing great, and bore us all into submission.
Feb 24, 2026 / Jeet Heer
Keep Talking About President Biden’s Age Keep Talking About President Biden’s Age
Why he should exploit, for political purposes, his wisdom and experience.
Mar 12, 2024 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
The True State of the Union The True State of the Union
We must listen to the cries of those who are suffering.
Mar 7, 2024 / Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Joe Biden Is Embracing His Inner FDR Joe Biden Is Embracing His Inner FDR
Biden has begun to deliver a critique of capitalism that, while hardly radical, carries unmistakeable echoes of the 32nd president.
Feb 14, 2023 / John Nichols
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, You’re No Jack Kennedy Sarah Huckabee Sanders, You’re No Jack Kennedy
Trying to evoke a lost Cold War consensus, the GOP’s rising star conflated “normal” with “crazy.”
Feb 10, 2023 / Jeet Heer
Joe Biden Is Following the Lead of West Coast Progressives Joe Biden Is Following the Lead of West Coast Progressives
The president's State of the Union address showed a willingness to implement a program of economic justice that has secured Democratic wins in Western states.
Feb 10, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky
Congress Shouldn’t Clap for Tyre Nichols’s Parents—They Should Apologize Congress Shouldn’t Clap for Tyre Nichols’s Parents—They Should Apologize
Many of the people rising for Nichols’s parents during the State of the Union didn’t do enough to prevent his death—and quite a few did worse than that.
Feb 9, 2023 / Elie Mystal
Facing a Divided Congress, Biden Takes a Populist Stance Facing a Divided Congress, Biden Takes a Populist Stance
In his first State of the Union address since last year’s midterms, the president upheld a program of economic justice and stood firm against GOP obstructionists.
Feb 8, 2023 / Chris Lehmann