Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address skips China, first time since 2005
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address skips China, first time since 2005")
US President Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address on record, but notably avoided mentioning China — a rare omission ahead of his planned Beijing visit.
US President Donald Trump didn't mention China in his annual speech to Congress, despite Tuesday's address being the longest ever speech made in modern history. The more than two-hour-long speech at the US Capitol had mentions of domestic issues, and the economy with the US is "bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before." But it did not feature China, which had been mentioned in many of the annual presidential speeches Congress gave by former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and even by Trump himself in his first term.
The last time any President skipped China from their congressional speech was in 2005 when Bush was president. Tuesday's address, however, did include a passing reference to the world's second-largest economy. While addressing the Venezuela operation and honouring Army helicopter pilot Eric Slover, Trump mentioned that Chinese military technology was used by Nicolas Maduro to fortify his compound.
“Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduros’ heavily protected military fortress,” said Trump, “This was a major military installation protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military technology.”
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Why is the omission of China significant?
Trump said that the nation was in crisis, with a "stagnant economy", high inflation and rampant crime, with "war and chaos all over the world." But just within one year, Trump has said that the US has entered the “golden age". However, the silence followed a volatile year of trade war with Trump imposing tariffs as high as 145 per cent.
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Now, omission of China reflects caution from one of the most "rash" Presidents in US history. It is a silent acceptance of China's growing economic might. Trump didn't want to pick a fight with China, as he is scheduled to visit Beijing in April. “Trump doesn’t want to pick a fight with China in an election year,” said Gabriel Wildau, managing director, Teneo, referring to the upcoming mid-term election. China is yet to confirm the exact dates of the visit of the US President; however, according to White House, it is scheduled for March 31-April 2.
