US President Donald Trump will deliver a nationwide address on the state of the nation during the night of July 17, 2026. ntv will broadcast the speech live on television and via stream at ntv.de starting at 3 a.m. Expected topics include electoral systems, the midterm elections, and the war against Iran.
Washington, July 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump will deliver a nationwide address on the state of the nation during the night of July 17, 2026, which ntv will broadcast live on television and via stream at ntv.de.
Trump announced the speech on the day of its release via social media. At the White House, he told reporters that he wanted to announce „major news“ in his address. This constitutes an announcement of an address on an unusually short notice for a US president.
ntv begins its live television broadcast at 3 a.m. during the night of July 16 to 17, 2026. In parallel, the full speech will be available via livestream at ntv.de. The broadcaster points to the special political significance of the address.
According to the broadcaster, the address is a „State of the Nation“ speech, a version of the traditional „State of the Union“ address on the state of the nation. Such speeches are usually delivered once a year before Congress; this time the announcement came on very short notice.
In terms of content, ntv expects focal points on electoral systems and allegations of foreign interference in US elections. Trump has repeatedly claimed in the past that elections in the United States have been manipulated. At the same time, he is likely to address the midterm elections coming up in November.
Another expected topic of the speech is the war against Iran. The US government has been conducting military operations against Iranian targets for weeks. A statement from Trump on this is considered likely but has not yet been officially confirmed.
The timing of the speech falls in the middle of the hot phase of the campaign ahead of the congressional elections in November. Trump traditionally uses the stage of a nationwide address to communicate his own political agenda directly to the public. The opposition, especially the Democrats, is preparing for an immediate response according to US media reports.
The short-notice announcement via social media breaks with the usual protocol practice of the White House, according to which state addresses are normally officially announced several days in advance. Observers interpret this as a deliberate move to maximize media attention.
By distributing the broadcast via ntv.de and linear television, the transmission also reaches a German-speaking audience. ABC News was the first to report on the planned address. An official confirmation from the White House regarding the exact contents has not yet been issued.
Trump had most recently announced at a press conference the day before that he would present „major news“ in his speech. What exactly is meant by this remained unclear. Should he provide details on the midterm elections, the Iran war, or changes to the electoral system, the speech would have immediate political consequences.
