Summer Lee Knows the Real State of the Union
Policy
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February 24, 2026
Pennsylvania’s progressive representative will speak truth to Trump’s power tonight.
Summer Lee (D-PA) participates in a public forum on the violent use of force by Department of Homeland Security agents, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, February 3, 2026.
(Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump will deliver his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, and the vast majority of Americans already know how it will go, because we’ve seen and heard it all before. Trump will try to stick to his script. He will fail. He will say outrageous, irresponsible and dangerous things. He will deepen further divisions in an already divided nation because of his decades-long assault on the fundamental premises of the American experiment. The only real question is how quickly and to what extent the discourse will derail.
Perhaps what sets this year’s speech apart is the despair Trump feels over the dramatic drop in his approval ratings. A new survey from the American Research Group finds that 62 percent of voters disapprove of how he is handling his job. A new CNN/SSRS poll puts the disapproval rate at 63 percent. As if that weren’t enough, special election results across the country suggest independent voters are shifting toward Democratic candidates. The stock markets are in turmoil. Americans are in open revolt against data centers that are the most easily targeted face of the AI tech scam that the White House has so enthusiastically endorsed. International relations are in crisis and wars that people absolutely do not want are looming on Trump’s horizon. And then there is the devastating blow that the usually Trump-friendly Supreme Court dealt to the tariffs that are at the heart of the president’s miserable excuse to justify his economic plan.
Amid all this turmoil and decline, Americans could be excused for looking away from the State of the Union. But now is not the time for apathy. It’s time for clarity, and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) intends to provide it.
In one of several responses to the SOTU speech — including an official Democratic rebuttal from newly elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger — Lee says she plans to use her remarks on behalf of the Working Families Party to get to the heart of the problems facing this country.
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Well aware of the violent chaos that has resulted from the administration’s decision to send masked and armed ICE agents to Minneapolis, Chicago and other cities, and equally aware of threats from the administration and its allies to employ even more chaotic strategies as the 2026 election season progresses, Lee, a progressive member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and workforce, says growing concerns about Trump’s autocratic approach “cannot go unaddressed because we are in a moment of authoritarianism.
“I think the way that part of our American exceptionalism works prevents us from really coming to terms with what we’re actually facing in real time,” Lee says. “I think there are still a lot of people here [in Washington]many people in our governing bodies are reluctant to recognize this moment – to recognize his governance as an act of authoritarianism, which it is. I think any response to Trump, any response to the state of the nation that doesn’t recognize him, is insufficient. This does a disservice to Americans who deserve honesty right now. »
Lee relishes the opportunity to demonstrate this honesty in his speech. “I think we can all agree that we are living in a really scary time,” she says. “Even before we get to what ICE did in Chicago and Minnesota, the things that [Trump] what we do scares those who have been paying attention. She points to “budget cuts at NIH… Budget cuts at USAID, at a time when diplomacy is so important. What does it mean for the United States to no longer have allies who trust our nation? In reality, all of these things have created a dangerous situation for the United States, and that’s before we even get to the acts of physical violence that he has inflicted on Americans, on people who came to America seeking refuge. So, yes, absolutely, absolutely, we need to fix it.
But elected Democrats can’t just discuss the crisis once a year, on State of the Union night, Lee believes. “Those of us who are in power, who are in Congress, in the states, we have to address this problem every day because, if we don’t know what we’re dealing with, then how can we actually counter it? How can we lead our country through this?”
That’s one reason the Pennsylvanian — who will also attend a State of the Union event Tuesday night featuring nearly two dozen fellow Democrats in Congress — is excited to speak on behalf of the Working Families Party. The PAM works closely with many Democrats, but it also aligns with unions and grassroots movements that seek to pull the party to the left.
Lee appreciates WFP’s determination to raise issues that challenge both sides, as well as its emphasis on fighting for economic, social and racial justice.
“Whatever Trump says about the State of the Union, it will be filled with misinformation. It will be illusory in the sense that he will not take into account the realities experienced by so many people in this country, as will his policies,” Lee says. “I think people are looking for right now [representatives] who can call it that, who is going to be clear and express what we actually want to see – what direction we want to see our country go – and I think this is a good opportunity to do that, to say it clearly.
Lee will speak amid widespread concern over Trump’s comments about an attack on Iran. She is prepared to declare that “the president, the executive branch, does not have the constitutional authority to unilaterally declare war. That remains reserved to Congress.” It also unequivocally warns of the threat that Trump and his allies pose to democracy.
“When Donald Trump says something, I believe him,” Lee says. “He always tested the system to see what he could do. And in the early days…he would cross the line with a toe in a way that maybe wasn’t as blatant. But every time he’s done it, he does it to see how far he can actually push the line, until you can’t see that line anymore.”
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Lee will call on Trump on Tuesday evening. But she says the threats we face aren’t limited to one man. The president has exposed the flaws in the system, says Lee, who reminds us: “When you see the cracks in your democracy, your democracy is already failing. »
To address this vulnerability, Lee says, there must be a “stronger opposition” willing to absolutely defend democracy, boldly oppose wars, and speak truth to power with a louder, clearer voice. Tonight, that’s precisely what Summer Lee is ready to do.
Readers can see Lee’s response to Trump here.
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