Trump is ‘making your life harder’: Democrat Abigail Spanberger argues in State of the Union response

Spanberger spoke from Colonial Williamsburg to deliver a message on affordability on behalf of the Democratic Party NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsTrump is ‘making your life harder’: Democrat Abigail Spanberger argues in State of the Union responseSpanberger spoke from Colonial Williamsburg to deliver a message on affordability on behalf of the Democratic PartyRachel Dobkin in New York Wednesday 25 February 2026 05:45 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverDemocrat Abigail Spanberger says Trump and Republicans are 'making your life harder' in State of the Union rebuttalYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreVirginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has led the Democratic Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, in which she focused on Americans’ affordability concerns. The former congresswoman and ex-CIA officer flipped the Republican-held governorship by a double-digit margin in November, promising to lower the cost of living for Virginians. “We did not hear the truth from our president,” Spanberger said in her speech from Colonial Williamsburg, a history museum in Virginia, Tuesday night shortly after Trump’s record-breaking long speech. “As I campaigned for governor last year, I traveled to every corner of Virginia and I heard the same pressing concern everywhere — costs are too high,” she added.Spanberger said Trump and Republicans are “Making your life harder. They're making your life more expensive. They're even making it more difficult to see a doctor,” referring to the healthcare cuts in the president’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.open image in galleryVirginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has led the Democrat Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, in which she focused on Americans’ affordability concerns (Pool via REUTERS)Trump spoke highly about the current economy as he addressed the joint session of Congress, calling his second presidency a “golden age of America.”"Today, our border is secure. Our spirit is restored. Inflation is plummeting. Incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared,” Trump said. During her rebuttal, Spanberger said Trump “offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse,” during his State of the Union address.Spanberger, Virginia’s first female governor, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, and Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill beat their Republican opponents on the message of affordability last fall. Since then, Trump has been trying to convince voters of his economic agenda. But according to an AP-NORC poll from earlier this month, the president still has work to do. Just 39 percent of respondents said they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 59 percent disapprove. open image in galleryTrump spoke highly about the current economy as he addressed the joint session of Congress, calling his second presidency a ‘golden age of America’ (AP)About half of House and Senate Democrats chose to skip Trump’s speech altogether, according to Axios. But some women lawmakers decided to attend wearing white, the color of the women’s suffrage movement. The choice for Trump’s critics to wear white to the State of the Union started during his first presidency. During his speech, some Democrats did stand in support after Trump asked Congress to pass a bill to ban lawmakers from stock trading, as observed by The Independent’s Eric Garcia. But others yelled about Trump being corrupt.House Republicans have advanced a bill that would place some restrictions on Congressional stock trading but Democrats don’t believe it goes far enough, according to The New York Times. The Trump family has generated about $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency during his second term, a Bloomberg analysis found. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s “State of Delusion” speech “failed to acknowledge...the reality millions of people face every day with higher costs, unaffordable housing, more chaos, and more corruption.”open image in galleryMany Democrats chose to