WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Standing before the historic backdrop of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, offering a methodical point-by-point rejection of the President’s “Golden Age” rhetoric. Spanberger, a former CIA officer and centrist rising star, framed the current administration not as a period of prosperity, but as an era of “manufactured chaos” that has left American families more vulnerable and the nation’s institutions more fragile.
Video courtesy of DWS
“The President speaks of a Golden Age, but for most Americans, the view from the kitchen table looks very different,” Spanberger said, her voice steady against the crisp Virginia night. “What we saw tonight was a leader more interested in settling scores with the Supreme Court and threatening new wars than in solving the actual problems facing our neighbors.”
Confronting the “Affordability Crisis”
The core of Spanberger’s 15-minute address focused on the “affordability crisis,” a term she used to contrast Trump’s focus on the stock market. While Trump touted the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting 50,000, Spanberger pointed to the “real-world inflation” caused by his administration’s aggressive tariff policies and the record-setting government shutdown of 2025.
“You don’t pay your mortgage with the Dow Jones,” she remarked. “You pay it with a paycheck that is being stretched thinner and thinner by a trade war that the Supreme Court just ruled was illegal. The President’s tariffs are, in reality, a national sales tax on every American family.”
She highlighted the Democratic alternative: a “Working Families First” agenda focused on capping childcare costs, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and protecting the Affordable Care Act from renewed Republican repeal efforts. Spanberger, who won her governorship by a historic 15-point margin in 2025, leaned into her reputation as a pragmatic problem-solver, positioning herself as a leader who understands the “purple” districts that will decide the 2026 midterms.
A Defense of Rule of Law and Personal Liberty
Spanberger’s background as a national security professional informed her strongest critiques of the President’s conduct. She addressed the President’s “unprecedented” attacks on the Supreme Court after the Court rejected his universal tariffs.
“We are a nation of laws, not a nation of one man’s whims,” Spanberger said. “When a President suggests the highest court in our land is an ’embarrassment’ simply because they upheld the Constitution, he is not just attacking a building—he is attacking the very foundation of our democracy.”
She also took aim at the administration’s domestic enforcement policies. Referencing the recent killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis, Spanberger described a “weaponized federal government” that has prioritized “militarized optics” over community safety. She argued that true security comes from “trust, not terror,” and called for a return to professionalized, transparent law enforcement.
Reclaiming the American Anniversary
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary this July, Spanberger sought to reclaim the spirit of the occasion from Trump’s “America First” nationalism. By choosing Colonial Williamsburg as her setting, she invoked the imagery of the Founding Fathers to argue for a “more perfect union” that includes all citizens.
“Our 250th year should be a celebration of our progress, not a retreat into our grievances,” she stated. She specifically criticized the President’s call to ban gender-affirming care and dismantle DEI programs, calling them “distractions designed to divide us while our infrastructure crumbles and our schools struggle.”
The “Silent Defiance” and a Divided Party
While Spanberger delivered the establishment response, her speech came amid deep internal Democratic maneuvering. In Washington, roughly 30 Democratic lawmakers—including Senators Chris Murphy and Adam Schiff—boycotted the President’s address entirely, attending a “People’s State of the Union” counter-rally on the National Mall.
Spanberger addressed this tension indirectly, framing her participation as an act of “necessary witness.” However, her moderate tone was a clear signal from Democratic leadership—Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer—that the party intends to run in 2026 on a platform of “stability and sanity” rather than revolutionary change.
A Global Warning
On foreign policy, Spanberger—the second former CIA official in a row to give the Democratic rebuttal—voiced grave concern over the President’s “fifteen-day” ultimatum to Iran.
“Loose talk of military strikes is not a strategy; it is a spark in a powder keg,” she warned. She argued that the President’s “muscular” approach has actually left America more isolated, pointing to the strained relationships with NATO allies and the “abandonment of our moral leadership” in global humanitarian crises.
Closing: A “New Chapter”
Spanberger concluded her remarks by calling for a “New Chapter” in American leadership. She urged voters to use the upcoming midterm elections to “restore the guardrails” of the American government.
“The state of our union is resilient,” she finished, “but it is being tested. We don’t need a Golden Age of rhetoric. We need an age of results. We need a government that works for the people who work for a living.”
News Sources & Links
- PBS NewsHour: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers Democratic response to Trump SOTU
- The Guardian: Democrats turn to centrist Spanberger as party seeks roadmap to relevance
- 19th News: Meet Abigail Spanberger: The Virginia Governor responding to Trump
- CBS News: Spanberger to focus on affordability and ‘chaos’ in SOTU rebuttal
- Office of Representative Hakeem Jeffries: Leaders Jeffries, Schumer Announce Governor Spanberger for Democratic Response
- Pew Research Center: Where Americans stand on the issues ahead of the 2026 SOTU
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