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WATCH: Trump announces public retirement plan with federal match up to $1,000 at State of the Union

Politics Feb 24, 2026 10:48 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced a plan to offer retirement accounts matched by the federal government to workers without access to employer-matched plans during his State of the Union address Tuesday.

Watch the full clip in our video player above.

"Half of all of working Americans still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer," Trump said.

"To remedy this gross disparity, I'm announcing that next year my administration will give these oft-forgotten American workers, great people, the people that built our country, access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker. We will match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year, as we ensure that all Americans can profit from a rising stock market."

Trump's address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.

Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration's accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's independence.

At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump's positive messages during his primetime speech.

On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump's agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.

According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.