By Tiffany Williams –
WILLIAMSBURG — Abigail Spanberger delivered a scathing response to the 2026 State of the Union from the historic House of Burgesses, where America’s first self-governing body gathered in 1705. She didn’t hold back.
Spanberger opened by framing the moment in history, reminding Americans that the nation was built by ordinary citizens demanding better from their leaders. “Before there was a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution, or a Bill of Rights, there were people in this room,” she said, and she used that backdrop to hammer the president on affordability, safety, and accountability.
AFFORDABILITY UNDER FIRE
Her attack was relentless. Spanberger blamed the president’s trade policies for $1,700 in extra costs per American family, tariffs that devastated farmers and small businesses, even after the Supreme Court struck them down. “The president is planning for new tariffs, another massive tax hike on you and your family,” she warned. She called out Congress for inaction, slamming both parties for policies that threaten healthcare access, drive up energy costs, and imperil food programs for children.
Spanberger framed herself as the contrast: a governor taking action on affordability, standing with Democrats nationwide on lowering costs for everyday Americans.
SAFETY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Spanberger drew on her law enforcement and CIA background to attack the president’s approach to security. She condemned federal agents for arrests without warrants, ripping children from families, and killing citizens with “faces masked from accountability.” Every minute spent on fear, she said, is time not spent on real crime-fighting.
Internationally, she accused the president of ceding economic and technological power to Russia and China, and making dangerous moves toward war with Iran. “We all know the answer is no,” she repeated on the president’s failure to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad.
DIVISION AND CORRUPTION
Spanberger didn’t pull punches on character. She called the president a divider, scapegoater, and self-enricher, citing Epstein files, crypto scams, foreign deals, and branding his name across Washington. “This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot,” she said.
THE POWER OF CITIZENS
Turning to solutions, Spanberger highlighted Americans stepping up at the ballot box, flipping state legislatures, winning elections, and challenging the chaos she attributed to the president. She tied this to her own 2018 victory and the wave of Democrats running nationwide. Ordinary citizens, she argued, have the power to demand more, lower costs, and keep communities safe.
HER MESSAGE: ACCOUNTABILITY
Spanberger closed with history and patriotism. Quoting George Washington, she warned of “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men rising to power” but emphasized unity and citizen action as the path forward. “It is deeply American and patriotic to do so, and it is how we ensure that the state of our union remains strong… because the people have the power to make change.”
She ended with a prayer and a punch: “May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia and may God bless the United States of America.”