Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, accusing him of failing to lower costs, undermining public safety and using his office for personal enrichment.
Speaking from Colonial Williamsburg as the nation marked the 250th anniversary of American independence, Spanberger framed her remarks around three questions she posed to viewers: “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?”
“We all know the answer is no,” she said.
Spanberger said Trump’s trade policies had driven up costs for families and businesses, pointing to tariffs that she said forced American households to pay higher prices. She also criticized Republicans in Congress for failing to block those policies.
“They’re making your life harder. They’re making your life more expensive,” she said.
She also attacked the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” championed by the president, saying it would harm rural health care and raise costs.
“Tonight, the President celebrated this law, the one threatening rural hospitals, stripping health care for millions of Americans and driving up costs in energy and housing, all while cutting food programs for hungry kids,” she said.
In contrast, Spanberger said Democrats were focused on affordability and cost-of-living issues nationwide.
“In the most innovative and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night,” she said.
Drawing on her background in law enforcement and intelligence, Spanberger criticized Trump’s public safety and immigration policies, accusing his administration of deploying federal agents without accountability.
“Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities,” she said.
Spanberger also warned that Trump’s foreign policy was weakening U.S. standing abroad. Referring to mass firings and appointments in national security agencies, she said the president “has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good.”
Spanberger accused Trump of corruption and self-enrichment, calling it unprecedented in modern American politics.
“He’s enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented,” she said.
The governor closed by urging voters to reject division and political chaos at the ballot box, citing recent Democratic election victories and increased civic engagement nationwide.
Quoting George Washington’s farewell address, Spanberger warned against “cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men rising to power,” while calling on Americans to unite around shared democratic values.
“Because we, the people, have the power to make change, the power to stand up for what is right, the power to demand more of our nation,” she said. “May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia, and may God bless the United States of America.”