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Washington — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger criticized President Trump’s record on affordability during the Democratic response to the State of the Union address Tuesday night, as the party sought to counter the president’s message.
Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA officer, was elected in November as Virginia’s first female governor in one of Democrats’ first major electoral victories since the 2024 elections.
The Virginia governor claimed that during Tuesday night’s State of the Union, “we did not hear the truth from our president.” And while she repeatedly criticized the Trump administration and the chaos Democrats say it has inflicted on the U.S., her address focused heavily on affordability — an issue that Democrats have zeroed in on ahead of the midterms later this year.
Spanberger said as she campaigned for governor, she heard the “same pressing concern everywhere — costs are too high.” She claimed Democrats are “laser-focused on affordability,” and argued that Mr. Trump’s tariffs — which she called “reckless trade policies” — have hurt American consumers and businesses.
The governor also pushed back on Mr. Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, saying he “has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities.”
She delivered the speech from Colonial Williamsburg in the chambers of the House of Burgesses, which was Virginia’s colonial-era legislative body. She said “the people who served here ultimately dreamed of what a new nation, unlike anything the world had ever seen, could be.”
“The United States was founded on the idea that ordinary people could reject the unacceptable excesses of poor leadership, band together to demand better of their government and create a nation that would be an example for the world,” she said.
Steve Helber/Pool via REUTERS 
Spanberger said this year, as the nation celebrates 250 years, “I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on the current state of our union.”
Party leaders announced last week that Spanberger would deliver the Democratic rebuttal to Mr. Trump’s address, while highlighting her record of public service and commitment to lowering costs for Americans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement announcing the address that Spanberger “stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who will lie, deflect and blame everyone but himself for his failed presidency on Tuesday evening.”
Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said as the nation looks toward the 250th anniversary this summer, Spanberger “embodies the best of America as a mother, community leader and dedicated public servant.”
Rising stars within the opposing party have often been tapped to deliver the rebuttal to the State of the Union address in recent years. Last year, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, delivered the response to Mr. Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, while GOP Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama delivered the Republican response in the final year of President Joe Biden’s presidency.
Mr. Trump delivered his first State of the Union address since returning to the White House on Tuesday night, where he touted his administration’s accomplishments during his first year back in office and outlined the GOP agenda heading into the midterm elections.
