WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump used much of his State of the Union address Tuesday to regain his footing on the economy, Alabama’s federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were eager to hear his plans.
Trump’s record-breaking speech, in which he spoke for an hour and 48 minutes, veered from immigration policy to tariffs to foreign affairs.
“Our country is winning again,” Trump said.
All of Alabama’s congressional delegation attended the speech inside the House chamber. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, stood in the center aisle to briefly welcome and chat with Trump and his cabinet members as they entered the room. He was back up at the end to say goodbye to the president. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, could be seen filming Trump with his cellphone as he took the podium.
I’m inside the chamber for @ALDailyNews at the State of the Union. Alabama’s delegation is in the room, including the state’s two Democratic lawmkers. @repscfigures just said hello to @SenKatieBritt and @SenTuberville. #ALPolitics
— Alex Angle (@alexangle_) February 25, 2026
As Americans’ views on the economy remain sour, the president touted lower inflation rates, cheap gas prices, and his new tax law, which includes Trump accounts for children and no tax on tips, to show he’s making improvements.
“I think that it’s going to be important that he tell Americans that while we’re on the right track to get to a better place on affordability, he understands we aren’t there yet, and that he’s doing something about it,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, told Alabama Daily News in an interview before the State of the Union.
But Trump painted a rosy picture of the past year, declaring that the nation has seen a “turnaround for the ages.”
After the speech, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, echoed that sentiment, explaining how glad he was to hear Trump explain how the country went from a “broken situation” under the Biden administration to a “dynamic, golden future for America.”
“Affordability is a problem, but I think we’re fixing that,” Moore told ADN. “And I think he talked about the path forward to do that with more affordable housing, low mortgage rates, tax cuts for working families, and also the lower spending.”
Before the speech, Strong looked forward to hearing Trump discuss his work on closing the southern border and lowering gas prices.
“These are things that excite people,” he told ADN.
But the Alabama Republican also noted that Trump needed to recognize the economic pain consumers still might face.
“I think we’ve still got work to do there,” Strong told ADN before the State of the Union. “We want to put more money in the back pockets of the American people.”
“I think (in the) second quarter of this year people will really start feeling many of the things that’s been done, but I’m excited, and I’m bullish on the next three years as Trump being our president,” he added.
As Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court’s ruling against his tariffs, four justices seated feet away from the president were stone-faced. He defended his new tariffs that he imposed after the ruling.
“They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better. Leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before,” Trump said.
Before the speech, Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, had hoped that Trump would have walked “back his ego-driven tariff policies” after the Supreme Court’s ruling last week as a way to begin addressing affordability.
“At the end of the day, him removing tariffs will mean real money in the pockets of every single American,” Figures told ADN.
“Every time…anybody in district two, or anybody in this country, for that matter, goes to the grocery store, or goes to any store, they’re paying a higher price for those imported goods because this president decided to impose a tariff on it.”
Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, said that “people are really hurting” and wanted the president to lay out his plans for lowering costs more than a year into his second term.
Several Democrats opted not to attend the State of the Union in protest of the Trump administration, but Alabama’s two Democratic lawmakers both sat in the chamber for at least part of the address.
“This is one of the few opportunities where we get the literal chance to look into the face of this administration at the highest level, and hear what they have to say about the status that America is currently in,” Figures told ADN, explaining why he attended the event inside the chamber.
Defense priorities
Trump’s speech came on the heels of a U.S. military build-up in Iran and questions on whether or not he will take further military action in the Middle Eastern nation.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon, can’t let that happen.”
As the leader of the House Armed Services Committee, Rogers said it’s “essential that we make clear” to the Iranian leadership that the country cannot have a nuclear weapon.
“If his moving resources down there to emphasize that point as part of our negotiations, because we do have negotiations going on right now with the Iranian leadership about that topic, then it will be worth moving those resources down there,” Rogers told ADN, referring to Trump’s military expansion in the region.
“But if they are committed to having a nuclear weapon, then I think he’s going to have to take some action to disabuse them of that fact,” he added.
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Rogers had hoped before the speech that Trump would call on Congress to put the Russia sanctions bill, which has been in the works for months, on the floor for a vote.
“That will send a clear message to our allies and to the Russians that we’re about to invoke some pain on Russia if they’re not going to get serious about negotiating a settlement or ceasefire,” Rogers told ADN.
On defense spending, Trump touted this year’s nearly $1 trillion budget as a way to remain “strong.”
The president previously announced he wants an even higher number next year, proposing $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, but he didn’t mention that Tuesday.
“I’d like to hear him reinforce that tonight. The challenges are pretty significant that we have to get after,” Rogers told ADN before the speech. “This is not just a number that’s pulled out of the air. We’ve got big things that we’ve got to do.”