Before President Trump had even existed the House chamber following his 2026 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, CBS News was already poohpoohing it by whining about Trump making Democrats look bad by oversimplifying complex issues like protecting criminal illegal immigrants over American citizens. They also continued the debunked lie that Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger was “very much a moderate.”

CBS chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett cautiously explained that Trump’s verbal battles with Democrats the whole night was indeed intended. He noted that Republicans wanted Americans to see the left as “crazy,” and Garrett had to defend himself using that term:

Well look, before the speech many Republicans said one of the priorities for the President was to make sure Americans after the speech had a sense of the opposition party was off the rails, was crazy. Their terminology, not mine.

Many of the contrast the President articulated tonight were to drive that message forward. That not only do I disagree with the opposition party sitting before me in Congress but I disagree with them so strongly, and they with me so much, that they can’t even applaud basic common sense things.

Garrett went on to decry Trump’s moment of getting the Democrats to visibly refuse to support Americans and put illegal immigrants over them. He called it a “dark art” that “oversimplifies the issue dramatically”:

And that line that you mentioned that he added to the speck, whether it was ad-libbed or not, the first obligation American citizens versus illegal aliens was meant to create a visual moment of perpetual contrast. It oversimplifies the issued dramatically. But if anyone has learned how to master that art, some call it a dark art, in American presidential politics, it’s Donald Trump that was on full display to tonight.

CBS News’s Major Garrett says Trump’ State of the Union address showed off his use of the “dark art” of oversimplifying issues like illegal immigrant crime and protecting American citizens:
“Well look, before the speech many Republicans said one of the priorities for the… pic.twitter.com/XMMRmglBod
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 25, 2026
 

Contrast that with CBS New’s praise for President Biden’s address in 2024, when chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes proclaimed: “This seemed to me to be a speech designed first and foremost to show that Joe Biden has the stamina and the fire in the belly to go another four years.”

It turned out that that fire in the belly was just bad gas.

With moments to spare just before Spanberger began to speak, Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan falsely claimed the Democrat was governing from the middle:

Well, Abigail Spanberger as a congresswoman and now as governor has been very much moderate; campaigning strongly on energy prices, affordability in the special election in this period of time, this off-year election where she came to office, very much a focus here. You see her taking the podium.

But that was miles away from the truth.

Margaret Brennan insanely claims that Abigail Spanberger has so-far governed Virginia as “very much a moderate.”
While Virginia Democrats and Spanberger jack up the cost of living in the state , Brennan insists the the latter is still all about “energy prices, affordability.” pic.twitter.com/MH3NFfh6j8
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 25, 2026
 

As Nick Minock of the local ABC affiliate, 7NewsDC had been reporting for weeks, Spanberger and state Democrats were proposing some truly insane bills that were set to drive the cost of living through the roof via taxes. Including things like a “Delivery tax, which would hit Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx, and UPS orders in Northern Virginia,” “Vehicle repair tax,” “Home repair tax,” and a “dog walking tax” just to name a few.

Virginia Democratic lawmakers are proposing a tsunami of tax increases, despite telling voters they’d make life more affordable for you. pic.twitter.com/8dgA2AeeAq
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) January 28, 2026
 

The transcript is below. Click “expand” to read:

CBS News: State of the Union Address 2026
February 24, 2026
11:02:37 a.m. Eastern

(…)

TONY DOKOUPIL: Cause we have Major here at the table, I want to bring the conversation back here to our group watching long. Major, you’ve seen a lot of these I think more than any of us. What stood out to you?

MAJOR GARRETT: Well look, before the speech many Republicans said one of the priorities for the President was to make sure Americans after the speech had a sense of the opposition party was off the rails, was crazy. Their terminology, not mine.

Many of the contrast the President articulated tonight were to drive that message forward. That not only do I disagree with the opposition party sitting before me in Congress but I disagree with them so strongly, and they with me so much, that they can’t even applaud basic common sense things.

And that line that you mentioned that he added to the speck, whether it was ad-libbed or not, the first obligation American citizens versus illegal aliens was meant to create a visual moment of perpetual contrast. It over simplifies the issued dramatically. But if anyone has learned how to master that art, some call it a dark art, in American presidential politics, it’s Donald Trump that was on full display to tonight.

(…)

11:08:28 a.m. Eastern

DOKOUPIL: Delivering the Democratic response to President Trump’s address is Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, 46 years old, elected this past November, becoming the commonwealth’s first female governor. Spanberger served three terms in the House of a Representatives, and is a former CIA officer. With me at the table here is Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan. Margaret, what do we expect.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Abigail Spanberger as a congresswoman and now as governor has been very much moderate; campaigning strongly on energy prices, affordability in the special election in this period of time, this off-year election where she came to office, very much a focus here. You see her taking the podium.

DOKOUPIL: Famously difficult job. Let’s listen in.