New Yorkers from across the state — including residents from the greater Rochester area representing Western New York — are heading to Washington, D.C., to attend Trump’s State of the Union address tonight, Tuesday, February 24, 2026, as lawmakers from both parties use the high-profile event to send a powerful message about the issues hitting their communities hardest.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver his first true State of the Union address of his second term at 9 p.m. EST in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol. The speech follows a politically turbulent week, including the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down most of the administration’s sweeping global tariffs — and Trump’s swift response with a new 15% import tax. For the WNY guests set to attend Trump’s State of the Union, the stakes could not feel more personal.
Ready to understand how tonight’s address could affect your wallet, your healthcare, and your community? Keep reading.
Who From Upstate New York Is Going to Washington Tonight
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is bringing two Rochester-area constituents as his personal guests to the address. The first is Ben Pearson, founder and CEO of ENALAS, a small Rochester business that produces science kits and classroom products used by schools across the country. According to Pearson, Trump’s tariffs have cost his company more than $1 million in unanticipated expenses since they went into effect. The financial strain forced him to cut his workforce by 20 percent, reducing his staff from roughly 50 employees to 37. He had a negative fourth quarter he did not see coming.
Schumer’s second guest is Eva Wood, a Rochester mother of seven who had previously relied on Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits to help her family afford health insurance. After those credits expired, Wood said her monthly health insurance bill alone — not counting copays or prescriptions — climbed to roughly the same amount as her family’s monthly mortgage payment. She also takes medication for a heart condition and described the situation as having to choose between essential bills.
Angelica Perez-Delgado, president and CEO of the Ibero-American Action League in Rochester, will attend as a guest of Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle. Perez-Delgado leads an organization that serves immigrant families and vulnerable communities across the Rochester region. Her attendance is meant to spotlight the impact that federal immigration policies have had on families her organization works with daily.
Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby, a law enforcement veteran with three decades of experience, is attending as the guest of Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney. Milby has been a vocal supporter of federal-state cooperation in public safety matters.
A National Guest List With Real Human Stakes
The tradition of inviting special guests to the State of the Union goes back to President Ronald Reagan, who first acknowledged a guest from the House gallery in 1982. Since then, both the president and members of Congress have used the guest tradition to put a human face on policy debates. Tonight is no different.
President Trump himself has invited the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams, both of whom captured gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, just days ago. The women’s team declined due to prior commitments, but the men’s team is expected to be present. Trump also invited Chloe Cole, a young woman who publicly detransitioned and has become a prominent voice in debates over gender medicine policies for minors.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is bringing Shirley Brock-Dennis and Kambreigh Smith — the mother and fiancée, respectively, of Vivian, Louisiana Police Officer Marc Tyler Brock, who was shot and killed in November 2025 while serving an arrest warrant. Brock was just 25 years old. The man charged with his killing has since been charged with first-degree murder.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin and Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam are both bringing relatives of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a prominent Jeffrey Epstein survivor who died in April 2025. Several other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have also invited Epstein survivors to sit in the gallery as pressure grows on the administration to release the Epstein files. Senate Minority Leader Schumer, in addition to his Rochester guests, is also bringing Dani Bensky, a former ballerina who says she first encountered Epstein when she was 17 years old and has since become a leading advocate pushing for the release of all Epstein-related documents.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is hosting Marina Lacerda, another Epstein survivor, as a guest of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott is bringing Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary. New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith invited Claire Lai, the daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai. Minnesota Republican Rep. Peter Stauber is bringing conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley and independent journalist David Hoch, the duo who produced viral footage last year investigating state-funded daycares in Minnesota amid claims tied to a broader COVID fund fraud scheme.
The Political Backdrop of Tonight’s Speech
Tonight’s address comes at a genuinely turbulent moment in American politics. The Department of Homeland Security has been under a partial shutdown since February 14, the result of an ongoing impasse between Republicans and Democrats over immigration enforcement funding. Democrats have demanded significant changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices after two American citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed by federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis last month.
The Supreme Court’s ruling last Friday, which struck down the bulk of Trump’s global tariffs imposed under emergency economic powers, adds another layer of tension to an already charged evening. Trump announced a new 15% global import tax in response. The administration has promised to refund duties collected if the court found the original tariffs illegal, though the specifics of how that would work remain unclear.
Meanwhile, with November’s midterm elections on the horizon, Trump faces an electorate showing signs of frustration. A recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found his disapproval rating at 60 percent. A separate NPR/PBS/Marist poll found that 57 percent of respondents believe the state of the union is not strong — a four-point increase compared to a year ago.
What Trump Is Expected to Emphasize Tonight
While the White House has not released the full text of the speech, Trump signaled on Monday that the economy will be a primary focus. The address is also expected to touch on his administration’s foreign policy moves, including claimed credit for ending several global conflicts and limited military actions in the Caribbean. Immigration enforcement, election security, and what the administration frames as law and order are also anticipated themes.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who became the state’s first female governor in January 2026 after flipping the governor’s mansion from red to blue, will deliver the Democratic response immediately following Trump’s address. California Sen. Alex Padilla will give the Spanish-language Democratic response.
At least a dozen Democratic lawmakers have announced plans to boycott the speech entirely, opting instead to attend a counterprogram on the National Mall sponsored by progressive organizations. Minority Leader Jeffries has urged the majority of his caucus to show up, arguing that Democrats should make their presence felt.
The State of the Union will air live at 9 p.m. EST on all major broadcast networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, PBS, and NPR, and will also be streamed on the White House’s official website and YouTube channel.
Why Tonight’s Guest List Matters for Everyday Americans
The people sitting in that gallery tonight are not political celebrities. They are a small business owner from Rochester who had to lay off workers. A mother of seven who has to weigh her heart medication against her mortgage. A sheriff from Wayne County. A grieving family from Louisiana. Each of them reflects a very real consequence of very real policy decisions being made in Washington.
The guest list from New York, and particularly from the Rochester and WNY corridor, signals that Upstate communities are paying close attention to tonight’s speech. Schumer’s choice to bring Pearson and Wood sends a clear message: the tariff battle and the healthcare fight are not abstract debates. They are hitting Main Street businesses and kitchen tables right now.
Whether Trump’s speech addresses those specific pressures or focuses on a broader vision for America’s future remains to be seen. But for the guests heading to the Capitol tonight, the answer matters in ways that go far beyond politics.
What happens in that chamber tonight will shape the next chapter of American policy — drop your thoughts in the comments below and let us know what you want to hear from the president.