United States in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
United States politics in February 2026 were dominated by the confrontation and negotiations with Iran. Talks were held in Oman on 6 February and in Geneva on 17 and 26 February, and Omani mediators reported "significant progress" after the third Geneva round, with technical talks planned in Vienna. President Donald Trump said a deal could come within a month, then gave Iran a deadline of 10 to 15 days, and a second aircraft carrier moved toward the Middle East. On 28 February the United States and Israel struck Iran. Trump claimed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead, which Tehran denied. Russia and Iran condemned the strikes, the UN Security Council met in emergency session, and Congress moved toward a vote on war powers, with Democrats calling the action illegal and Republicans backing it.
The release of documents on Jeffrey Epstein ran through the month. Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to testify to a House committee after a threat of a contempt vote. Hillary Clinton was questioned on 26 and 27 February, said she did not know of his crimes and called on Trump to testify under oath; Bill Clinton also said he had no knowledge of them. Attorney General Pam Bondi faced hard questioning, and Democrats accused the Justice Department of withholding files concerning Trump, who said he was "totally exonerated". Investigations widened abroad: Jack Lang resigned as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris, and Peter Mandelson and Prince Andrew were arrested in Britain.
Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address on record, described as theatrical and aimed at his base. At the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European allies that the United States and Europe "belong together" while urging them to spend more on their own defense. On 19 February Trump launched his Board of Peace for Gaza with representatives from 47 countries; the United States pledged $10 billion and other nations $7 billion for reconstruction.
On 20 February the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's global tariffs were illegal, and Trump and his allies promised new levies.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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