Sen. Gallego calls Trump’s State of the Union address the ‘state of denial’

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona was not present for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, instead sharing his own remarks at counterprogramming dubbed the “People’s State of the Union.”

He began with a warning that Trump’s address would be filled with falsehoods and attempts to portray the country in a better position than it actually is.

“They call that the State of the Union? It’s the state of denial,” Gallego said during the event. “Because what’s going to happen under that Capitol is a bunch of lies. Lies that Donald Trump and the Republicans are going to tell us about how great this country is doing right now.

“But what is true, what’s happening right now is Donald Trump and the Republicans have made this country, sicker, poorer and less secure.”

He talked about how Trump’s first steps back in office were to cut Medicaid and food stamps, leaving the poorest Americans in a crucial position while giving back “an extra billion dollars for their billionaire friends.” He said the leftover funds went to building up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“(ICE is) targeting U.S. citizens, racial profiling Americans, arresting Latino veterans and telling them you are not part of this country, and making them prove that they are Americans when nobody asked (us) to prove our citizenship when they were sending us to war for this country,” Gallego said, referring to his own service in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006.

The senator also highlighted the Supreme Court ruling that turned back tariffs imposed around the globe, arguing that corporations will likely get their money back while consumers will not.

“Is every American going to get a refund for what this president did? No,” Gallego said. “And not only that, he’s going to double down. He’s going to say, ‘Screw you, Supreme Court. I want to do 15% tax and guess what, all of the Americans are going to pay for it.’

“And now we have to figure it out again, how are we going to pay for our rent, electricity, food?”

Gallego then mentioned the two people killed in Minnesota at the hands of ICE under what he called “military occupation.”

“They said to you that they deserved to die,” the senator said. “Those are U.S. citizens. They deserve the right to free speech. They deserve the right to say that there’s something wrong in that community, and they deserve the right to protect themselves and say, ‘I will not stand for this. I will invoke my First Amendment rights, and get out of my city.'”

Arizona Democrats react to Trump’s State of the Union address

Rep. Yassamin Ansari also spoke at the event about how ICE is not fulfilling its intended cause.

“Donald Trump claims he is going after the worst of the worst, and that is a lie,” Ansari said, providing the example of her guest’s loved one being held in the Eloy detention center despite no criminal record.

“Meanwhile, this administration and the Republican enablers in Congress handed ICE a $75 billion slush fund to terrorize our communities with no accountability.

She called Stephen Miller, who architected the hardline immigration policy, an “awful human being” who has an “agenda rooted in fear, rooted in hatred and the belief that some people simply do not belong.”

Ansari also used the story of her own parents who migrated to the United States in search of a better life to eventually see their daughter reach public office.

“That is the promise of America, and I refuse to let it be dismantled,” Ansari said. “The real state of our union is whether people like (her guest’s loved one) are safe, whether the sick receive care and whether human dignity still matters.”

Kelly added some of his thoughts on social media, including that Trump needs to “come back to reality and work with us to actually bring down costs.”

Who is winning exactly? Reminder that Trump has profited more from the presidency than anyone in our history. Estimates say his wealth has more than doubled since he won the election. How many American families can say the same? https://t.co/9ZZ5XRYbIa

— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) February 25, 2026

Well, Donald Trump has said one thing so far that is true: We need to ban stock trading in Congress. I’ve been fighting for years to get it done. Just need Republicans to put it up for a vote.

— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) February 25, 2026

While Trump used the word “strong” to describe the state of the union, Grijalva called it “far too expensive, tearing families apart, rigged for the rich, fearful of a door knock and worse than ever.”

Donald Trump is moments away from delivering his State of the Union address-but let's be clear: the real state of the union is far too expensive, tearing families apart, rigged for the rich, fearful of a door knock, and worse than ever. pic.twitter.com/rZvS5edCkS

— Rep. Adelita Grijalva (@Rep_Grijalva) February 25, 2026

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