Trump is now speaking about immigration, which had been one of his most important campaign issues.

He praises the progress he says his administration has made on stemming illegal immigration and fentanyl coming over the border.

"After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders, totally unfettered and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history," he says.

"The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year," Trump claims.

Illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border have hit record lows at the end of last year.

Image source, Getty Images

Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green has just been escorted out from the event.

Since the moment Trump entered the chamber, Green has been holding a sign that says "Black people aren't apes" - a reference to Trump posting a racist video that depicted America's first black president - Barack Obama - as an ape.

Green was also removed or disrupting Trump's speech last year.

Trump now turns to the economy and war, saying he inherited a terrible situation from the previous administration.

After one year, Trump says, his administration has "achieved a transformation like no one has seen before". He calls it "a turnaround for the ages".

The economy, he says, "is roaring like never before".

A USA chant breaks out from the crowd, in an apparent attempt to drown someone shouting in opposition.

Trump says that today the US border is "secure, enemies are scared, military and police are stacked, America is respected again like never before".

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from the US Capitol

When President Donald Trump was introduced, Chief Justice John Roberts stood and slowly clapped. He was not smiling.

Most Democrats are standing in silence. Meanwhile, from the Republican side, there are whistles and cheers.

There was a curt handshake between Trump and Roberts. And another scowl.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Trump is now at the podium and has begun delivering his State of the Union address.

He starts off by saying "our nation is back", and that it's better, richer and stronger than ever before.

Stick with us as we bring you key lines from his address. You can also follow our stream by pressing Watch live at the top of the page.

Protesting Democrats are noticeably absent in the House chamber.

Approximately fifty legislators, including a member of the leadership team Katherine Clark, will not take their seats tonight.

Hundreds of other lawmakers have filed in to listen to the president's address.

Image source, Getty Images

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from the US Capitol

As President Trump’s cabinet secretaries file in, it’s worth noting how stable his cabinet is this term compared to his first term in the White House.

In his first year in office, during his first administration, Trump fired his national security adviser and White House chief of staff within months, and openly sparred with other top administration officials who opposed parts of his agenda.

This time around, his cabinet is stocked with allies and has remained intact, at least for now.

Donald Trump has just walked in.

He's shaking his hands as he makes his way to the podium.

Image source, Getty

First Lady Melania Trump has arrived to a round of applause in the chamber. She's now sat next to her son, Barron.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump's family, including his children and their spouses, are now seated ahead of State of the Union speech.

Image source, Getty Images

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from the US Capitol

The Supreme Court justices have just entered the chamber.

There’s a bit of a murmur as it becomes clear that five of the nine chose not to attend.

It was just four days ago, however, that Trump angrily denounced those who voted to strike down his tariffs.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

With a bang of his gavel, House Speaker Mike Johnson has just formally opened the joint congressional session.

Displayed on his desk is the gavel used by George Washington, the country's first president.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from the US Capitol

The Joint Chiefs of Staff - the top military officials in the US - are near their chairs at the front of the chamber, chatting with some of the senators who recently arrived.

It was just over a year ago that Donald Trump fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs, Charles Brown, in a controversial move.

His replacement, General Dan Caine, was the centre of controversy recently, as the Washington Post reported he has expressed concerns about proposed US military action in Iran.

Trump has angrily denied the story.

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump has arrived at the Capitol after a short drive from the White House.

Top Trump administration cabinet members are arriving ahead of the president's address.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Vice-President JD Vance and leadership of both chambers of Congress are now entering the Capitol.

Vance, like Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senate minority leader, and John Thune, Republican Senate majority leader, are shaking their members' hands as they make their way toward their seats.

Image source, Getty Images

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from the US Capitol

Congressman Al Green is in the chamber and chatting with his colleagues. The Texas Democrat disrupted Donald Trump’s speech to Congress last year and received a censure from the House of Representatives as a result.

Because Texas redrew its legislative district lines, Green is in a tough reelection fight.

This might be his last State of the Union address.

Image source, Reuters

Trump has left the White House on his way to the Capitol.

It will be a short commute on blocked-off roads for the president, who is heading to his fourth State of the Union address - and the first of his second term in office.

The drive is about two miles (3km). We'll let you know when Trump has arrived.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from New York

Image source, Getty Images

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger will be giving the Democratic Party’s official rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address tonight.

She will be speaking from Colonial Williamsburg, an outdoor museum covering America's history as a British colony on the current-day US east coast.

The rebuttal is a tradition dating back to 1966 in which a prominent member of the opposition party delivers a formal, televised counter-argument following the president’s annual message.

Members of Spanberger's team say she will speak about "the chaos" Trump has unleashed during his second term. The location, they say, was a "specific decision" that speaks to America's 250th anniversary this year, which is also a theme of Trump's speech.

A former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman, Spanberger, 46, ran for governor on a platform focused on increasing affordability. In January, she became the first female governor of Virginia after having won by the largest margin for a Democratic candidate in the state in six decades.

“She knows Americans want lower costs, safer communities, and a stronger democracy — not chaos and corruption,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week.

“Gov Spanberger will lay out a clear path forward: lower everyday costs, protect healthcare, and defend the freedoms that define who we are as a nation,” Schumer added.

Image source, Reuters

Like so much in Washington, the excitement and dread of the president's remarks run along party lines. Dozens of Democrats are sitting out the speech in protest, while Republicans appear eager to hear from their party's leader.

Congressman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, is among those lauding the president's work since he returned to the White House.

"In just over one year, this administration has taken decisive action to reverse dangerous Biden-era open border policies, strengthen public safety by removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, restore American energy dominance by ending the radical Green New Deal agenda, and bring common sense back to Washington by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government," he said.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he expects Trump to hone in on the economy, saying in part that "the results speak for themselves".

Meanwhile, as we have heard, dozens of Democrats are expressing their frustration by skipping the speech altogether.

“What we have seen from this president is a series of lies," Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the House, said. She is among those boycotting the event.