Skip Trump’s State of the Union and Watch the “People’s State of the Union Rally” Instead

Skip Trump’s State of the Union and Watch the “People’s State of the Union” Rally Instead

Democrats plan to counter Trump’s speech to Congress with a rally that you can watch on X, YouTube and independent, progressive media outlets for live coverage.

Coinciding with the official address, the live rally will take place next Tuesday evening, February 24, 2026, at 6pm Tucson time, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Organized by MoveOn and MeidasTouch, it will feature speeches from lawmakers and testimony from citizens affected by disastrous 2026 Trump policies.

The rally will be hosted by MSNBC political commentators Joy Reid and Katie Phang. Speakers at the event include Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), according to a press release.

Expect gibberish from tariff dictator Trump

The average sticker price for a new car or truck now sits above $50,000, up 30% more since 2019. The average monthly payment to buy a new vehicle has reached an all-time high of $800. Severely delinquent auto loan rates have soared to levels last seen in 2020. The last car with an asking price under $20,000 — the subcompact Nissan Versa, at $17,390 — ended production in December.

Trump plans to tell Americans how great the economy is, despite housing shortages, high prescription prices, and overpriced groceries. He’ll call people names and whitewash murderous ICE raids and bloviate about how great the stock market is doing.

He’ll say, “I think we have the greatest economy, actually, ever in history.” Yeah, right.

Trump’s tariffs cost American households $1,000 last year. The cost is set to grow to $1,300 per household, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The research found that Trump’s tariffs were “the largest U.S. tax increase as a percent of GDP since 1993.”

Since Trump was elected, the price of coffee rose by 33.6%, ground beef by 19.3%, romaine lettuce by 16.8%, and frozen orange juice by 12.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“There is no doubt that affordability is front of mind,” said Mike Manley, chief executive of AutoNation. Affordability was cited as the biggest obstacle for people planning to buy a car, according to a TransUnion survey.

Thanks to Trump tariffs, many companies are planning big price increases, including:

• Levi Strauss
• Columbia Sportswear
• Stanley Black & Decker
• Computer makers Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo (prices up by 15-20%)
• Nike
• Levi Strauss
• Newell Brands (Sharpie, Rubbermaid)

Trump tariffs added $70 million in gross costs last year, and will add another $70 million this year, according to spice maker McCormick & Co. More than half of small business leaders said they planned to increase prices in the next three months.

Consumer confidence falls to its lowest since 2014

“Consumer confidence collapsed in January, as consumer concerns about both the present situation and expectations for the future deepened,” said Dana M. Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. “Consumers’ responses on factors affecting the economy continued to skew towards pessimism,” she added. “References to prices and inflation, oil and gas prices, and food and grocery prices remained elevated.”

In the January 17 New York Times poll, a majority said life has been less affordable since Trump took office, with 64% disapproving of his handling of the cost of living. In a CBS poll completed on January 16th, 76% of respondents believed that their income was not keeping up with inflation.

A vast majority now give Trump his lowest marks ever in his handling of inflation and the economy. In both the CBS and CNN polls, Trump has a net -22 approval on his handling of the economy. He had a -17 approval rating for handling the economy in the New York Times poll, while the Wall Street Journal poll gave him a net -17 approval rating for managing inflation (a six-point drop since July).

“Young Americans’ views of Trump have moved sharply and consistently against him,” said pollster and author John Della Volpe. “Among voters under 30, his net approval on inflation fell to ‘deeply negative,’ signaling a credibility break’ on the economic pressure younger voters feel.” This includes young GenZ men, women, black, and Latino voters, because of high rent, grocery costs, and delayed independence.

56% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance, a net job approval of -19. That’s among the lowest net job approval Trump has ever received in Economist/YouGov polls during his first and second terms.

Instead of sitting through another round of self-congratulation and economic spin, viewers have a clear alternative: tune out the bluster and tune into the People’s State of the Union. While Trump paints a rosy picture from the Capitol, millions of Americans are still staring down higher prices, tighter budgets, and shrinking confidence in the future. Next Tuesday night, the real story won’t just be told from the House chamber—it will be coming from the National Mall, where the voices of everyday Americans may prove far harder to ignore.