Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday night accused President Donald Trump of raising costs through tariffs, backing legislation she said is stripping healthcare from millions, and pursuing immigration enforcement actions she called harmful, delivering the Democrats' response to his State of the Union address.
Speaking from the House of Burgesses Chambers in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, Spanberger said, "Tonight, as we watched our nation's lawmakers gather for a joint session of Congress, we did not hear the truth from our president."
She framed her remarks, which aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform, around three 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?"
On the economy, Spanberger said, "Because since this president took office last year, his reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs.
"Meanwhile, the president is planning for new tariffs. Another massive tax hike on you and your family," she said.
She also criticized Republicans in Congress.
"Republicans in Congress? They remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him," she said. "They're making your life harder. They're making your life more expensive. They're even making it more difficult to see a doctor."
Spanberger targeted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"Rural health clinics in Virginia are already closing their doors thanks to the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill' championed by the president and Republicans in Congress," she said.
"And tonight, the president celebrated this law — the one threatening rural hospitals, stripping healthcare from millions of Americans, and driving up costs in energy and housing, all while cutting food programs for hungry kids."
After again asking whether Trump was working to make life more affordable, she said, "We all know the answer is no."
Turning to immigration enforcement and public safety, Spanberger said, "And yet our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans — and they have done it without a warrant.
"They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies, they have sent children — a little boy in a blue bunny hat — to far-off detention centers, and they have killed American citizens on our streets," she said. "And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability.
"Our president told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that."
On foreign policy, she said Trump "continues to cede economic power and technological strength to China, bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with Iran."
"Here's the truth: over the last year, through DOGE [the Department of Government Efficiency], mass firings, and the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation's most serious positions, our president has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good," she said.
"In his speech tonight, the president did what he always does: He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted," Spanberger added.
She accused Trump of self-enrichment, saying, "He's enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented."
She cited "the cover-up of the Epstein files," "the crypto scams," and "cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms," adding, "This is not what our founders envisioned."
She closed by quoting George Washington's Farewell Address warning of "cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men" and urging Americans to unite in "a common cause."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.