Tom Llamas to Anchor NBC News’ Live Network Coverage and a Special Edition of “NBC Nightly News” from Washington
Kristen Welker and Hallie Jackson to Lead Special Coverage on NBC News NOW
Steve Kornacki to Provide a Data-Driven Look at What’s at Stake Ahead of the Midterms
NBCNews.com and NBC News App to Feature Real-Time Coverage of the President’s Address
Feb. 20, 2026 – NBC News will provide extensive live coverage of President Trump’s State of the Union address and the Democratic response from the nation’s capital across broadcast, streaming and digital on Tuesday, Feb. 24. This will mark President Trump’s first official State of the Union address of his second term and will set the stage for a high-stakes midterm election cycle later this year.
TOM LLAMAS TO ANCHOR LIVE NETWORK COVERAGE STARTING AT 9 P.M. ET
- Beginning at 9 p.m. ET, NBC Nightly News Anchor and Managing Editor Tom Llamas will anchor special coverage of the President’s State of the Union address followed by the Democratic response delivered by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger from Washington, D.C. across NBC News and NBC News NOW. Llamas will also anchor a special edition of NBC Nightly News at 6:30 p.m. ET.
- Llamas will be joined by Meet the Press Moderator Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson NOW Anchor and Senior Washington Correspondent Hallie Jackson, Co-Anchor of Saturday TODAY and Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander and Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles.
- NBC News’ team of journalists will be dispatched across key locations, including Nobles reporting from the House Chamber, NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Julie Tsirkin from National Statuary Hall, Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur and Senior Congressional Reporter Scott Wong from the Capitol. NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Melanie Zanona and Senior National Political Reporter Jon Allen will also provide up-to-date coverage.
- NBC News White House Senior Correspondents Garrett Haake and Gabe Gutierrez and NBC News White House Correspondent Monica Alba will all report live from the White House.
STREAMING COVERAGE BEGINS AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBC NEWS NOW
- NBC News NOW will stream rolling live coverage, beginning at 4 p.m. ET, ahead of the President’s State of the Union address. NBC News NOW is free and accessible across dozens of platforms, including NBCNews.com and NBCNews.com/Watch.
- Welker, Jackson and Llamas will anchor special editions of Meet the Press NOW (4–5 p.m. ET), Hallie Jackson NOW (5–7 p.m. ET) and Top Story with Tom Llamas (7–8 p.m. ET), respectively, live from Washington.
- Throughout the evening, Chief Data Analyst Steve Kornacki will map out the political stakes surrounding the president’s final-term agenda and approaching midterm elections. He’ll break down the numbers on public support of the President and his policies compared to other presidents at this point in their terms and will look ahead to see how public sentiment will foreshadow potential midterm election results.
- At 8 p.m. ET, Jackson will anchor coverage as the President makes his way to the Capitol and prepares to give his address to the nation.
- At 9 p.m. ET, NBC News NOW will feature network coverage of Llamas anchoring the President’s State of the Union address followed by the Democratic response.
- At 11 p.m. ET, Welker will anchor live post-speech analysis on NBC News NOW. She will be joined by key political reporters, analysts and voices in the Democratic and Republican parties to break down themes from the speech.
NBCNEWS.COM AND NBC NEWS APP TO FEATURE LIVE VIDEO AND REAL-TIME REPORTING THROUGHOUT THE EVENING
- NBCNews.com and the NBC News app will serve as comprehensive destinations for live news and analysis, delivering real-time updates on the President’s State of the Union address and the Democratic response from NBC News’ anchors, correspondents and reporters across the country.
- Coverage will feature key takeaways, factchecking, a data-driven topic tracker and in-depth analysis of the night’s most significant moments.
- NBC News subscribers will have exclusive ad-free access to reporting, including insight and analysis videos from Kornacki, Welker and Jackson.
For more information, contact:
Emma Dulaney
Catherine Morris
