President Donald Trump promised that his State of the Union speech on Tuesday would be “long.” News networks are ready for however long it goes.
Broadcast and cable news networks alike are bringing out their stable of primetime anchors for coverage of Trump’s Congressional address and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s Democratic response, offering up evening news names such as David Muir and Tom Llamas with marquee cable talent like Anderson Cooper and Bret Baier. A bevy of correspondents will also appear live from the White House and Capitol Hill.
Here’s how each network is covering Trump’s 9 p.m. ET address:
ABC
ABC’s coverage will be spearheaded by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, who will be joined in Washington, D.C., by anchor Linsey Davis, chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce, chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas, senior political correspondent Rachel Scott and correspondent Jay O’Brien.
The network is also tapping Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for political analysis, and McCarthy will appear across the network and its streaming companion ABC News Live.
NBC
NBC’s “Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas will lead the network’s coverage of the speech and Democratic response, joined by “Meet the Press” anchor Kristen Welker, senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson and chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander. Chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles will lead a stable of correspondents reporting from the Capitol, while three correspondents will report live from the White House.
Chief data analyst Steve Kornacki, a holdover from the network’s split from MS NOW, will break down the country’s support for Trump and his agenda and analyze any potential impact on November’s midterms. After the speech ends, Welker will lead analysis coverage on NBC News NOW.
CBS
CBS will see “Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil lead the network’s coverage of the speech and Democratic response. After an “Evening News” interview with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Dokoupil be joined in D.C. by “Face the Nation” anchor Margaret Brennan, senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett and chief Washington correspondent Robert Costa. Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes will report from the White House, while senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe will be one of three reporters live from the Capitol.
Once the network wraps up live coverage of its speech, rather than typical post-speech coverage led by a network correspondent, CBS’ streaming service CBS News 24/7 will stream “The Free Press State of the Union Show,” hosted by Free Press senior editor Will Rahn and Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam, a Free Press/CBS News contributor. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss continues to lead the Free Press after Paramount acquired it in October, drawing upon its coverage and staff for on-air analysis.
Fox News
Fox News’ lead anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will lead coverage of the speech and Democratic response, joined by “The Five” co-hosts Dana Perino and Harold Ford Jr., “The Ingraham Angle” namesake Laura Ingraham, chief political analyst Brit Hume and Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow. Senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich and congressional correspondent Bill Melugin will be live from the White House and the Capitol, and post-speech coverage will continue with a special edition of “Hannity” from the Capitol.
The network’s coverage will also bleed into the Fox broadcast network, where “Fox News Sunday” moderator Shannon Bream will anchor coverage. She’ll be joined by senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy and chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, along with Biden 2020 campaign surrogate Kevin Walling and “Ruthless” co-host John Ashbrook.
CNN
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper will anchor the network’s coverage from D.C. and New York, respectively. Tapper will be joined by correspondents Kaitlan Collins and Kasie Hunt, while Cooper will speak with Abby Phillip and John King alongside analysts David Axelrod, Kara Swisher and former Congressman Patrick McHenry.
“Inside Politics” host Dana Bash will host interviews from inside the Capitol’s Statuary Hall, while correspondent Manu Raju will appear from inside the Capitol chamber where Trump will speak. Kristen Holmes will also be live from the White House. The network will also see its top Democratic and Republican commentators, Van Jones and Scott Jennings, appear from Saginaw, Michigan, and get swing-state voters’ immediate reaction to Trump’s speech. Phillip will pick up the network’s coverage at 12:30 a.m.
MS NOW
MS NOW star Rachel Maddow will lead the network’s coverage alongside the cable network’s suite of primetime hosts, including Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle and Jen Psaki. “Way Too Early” anchor Ali Vitali and senior White House reporter Vaughn Hillyard will report from inside the Capitol, while White House reporter Laura Barrón-López will be live from the White House.
Throughout the speech, “The Weeknight” anchor Symone Sanders Townsend and “The Weekend” anchor Eugene Daniels will also host a watch party live from MS NOW’s YouTube and TikTok accounts, complete with their own stable of guests. Once coverage concludes at midnight, Sanders Townsend and “The Weeknight” co-hosts Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele — who will also join the primetime anchors ahead of the speech — will lead a new round of analysis.
NewsNation
NewsNation’s coverage includes special editions of its primetime lineup — “The Hill,” “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” and “Cuomo” — from 6 p.m. through 8 p.m. before its chief Washington anchor Leland Vittert leads coverage of the speech and Democratic response at 9 p.m. Vittert will be joined by political editor Chris Stirewalt, primetime hosts Katie Pavlich and Jesse Weber, White House correspondent Kellie Meyer and senior congressional correspondent Joe Khalil.
Chief Washington correspondent Blake Berman will also anchor an online broadcast for The Hill, NewsNation’s sister website, throughout the speech. He’ll be joined by The Hill’s White House correspondent Julia Manchester, senior reporter Alexander Bolton, The Rising’s Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger, Decision Desk HQ’s Scott Tranter and NewsNation contributor Sean Spicer, among others.
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