Abigail Spanberger, the first female governor in Virginia’s history, attacked President Donald Trump’s economic and immigration policies during Democrats’ response to the State of the Union address.
She questioned whether the president was working to make life more affordable and safer for Americans, while criticising Trump’s immigration crackdown in US cities and tariffs on imports.
The rebuttal – first delivered in 1966 by a rising star in the opposing party – came just moments after Trump finished his remarks on Capitol Hill.
Spanberger, 46, was elected as Virginia’s governor in November after serving in Congress and working as a CIA officer.
“Tonight the president did what he always does,” she said of Trump’s remarks. “He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted, and he offered no real solutions to our nation’s pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse.”
She began her speech laying out three questions she wanted Americans to ask themselves: is the president working to make life more affordable, is the president working to keep America safe at home and abroad, and is the president working for you.
Spanberger said the answer to all three of those questions is no.
She attacked the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Democrat-led cities, and applauded resistance to the efforts in Minneapolis.
“Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans,” she said. “And they have done it without a warrant.”
“They have killed American citizens in our streets. And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability.”
Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good – both US citizens – last month during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. The Trump administration replaced the top official and withdrew agents from the city following an outcry after the deaths.
Spanberger also criticised the rising costs of housing and healthcare, and described Trump’s tariff policy as “reckless”. She claimed his policies have cost American families $1,700 (1,260£) each.
Even though the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s tariff policy, Spanberger said “the damage to the American people has already been done”.
She said Republicans in Congress, by failing to oppose the president, are costing Americans.
“They’re making your life harder,” the governor said. “They’re making your life more expensive.”
The selection of Spanberger to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to Trump represented little political risk for Democrats. She was elected a few months ago and cannot run for re-election, since Virginia has a one-term limit.
In her rebuttal speech, she suggested Democrats could be in a good position to win seats in Congress in November’s midterm elections, noting that she ousted a Republican incumbent in 2018 to win a seat in US Congress and helped Democrats secure a majority.
