2026 in the United States

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in the United States, as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred.

2026 is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from the British Empire. ^[1] The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Donald Trump (R-Florida)
• Vice President: JD Vance (R-Ohio)
• Chief Justice: John Roberts (Maryland)
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana)
• Senate Majority Leader: John Thune (R-South Dakota)
• Congress: 119th

State governments

Governors and lieutenant governors

Governors See also: List of current United States governors Governor of Alabama: Kay Ivey (Republican) Governor of Alaska: Mike Dunleavy (Republican) Governor of Arizona: Katie Hobbs (Democratic) Governor of Arkansas: Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Republican) Governor of California: Gavin Newsom (Democratic) Governor of Colorado: Jared Polis (Democratic) Governor of Connecticut: Ned Lamont (Democratic) Governor of Delaware: Matt Meyer (Democratic) Governor of Florida: Ron DeSantis (Republican) Governor of Georgia: Brian Kemp (Republican) Governor of Hawaii: Josh Green (Democratic) Governor of Idaho: Brad Little (Republican) Governor of Illinois: J. B. Pritzker (Democratic) Governor of Indiana: Mike Braun (Republican) Governor of Iowa: Kim Reynolds (Republican) Governor of Kansas: Laura Kelly (Democratic) Governor of Kentucky: Andy Beshear (Democratic) Governor of Louisiana: Jeff Landry (Republican) Governor of Maine: Janet Mills (Democratic) Governor of Maryland: Wes Moore (Democratic) Governor of Massachusetts: Maura Healey (Democratic) Governor of Michigan: Gretchen Whitmer (Democratic) Governor of Minnesota: Tim Walz (Democratic) Governor of Mississippi: Tate Reeves (Republican) Governor of Missouri: Mike Kehoe (Republican) Governor of Montana: Greg Gianforte (Republican) Governor of Nebraska: Jim Pillen (Republican) Governor of Nevada: Joe Lombardo (Republican) Governor of New Hampshire: Kelly Ayotte (Republican) Governor of New Jersey: Phil Murphy (Democratic) (until January 20); Mikie Sherrill (Democratic) (since January 20) Governor of New Mexico: Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democratic) Governor of New York: Kathy Hochul (Democratic) Governor of North Carolina: Josh Stein (Democratic) Governor of North Dakota: Kelly Armstrong (Republican) Governor of Ohio: Mike DeWine (Republican) Governor of Oklahoma: Kevin Stitt (Republican) Governor of Oregon: Tina Kotek (Democratic) Governor of Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro (Democratic) Governor of Rhode Island: Daniel McKee (Democratic) Governor of South Carolina: Henry McMaster (Republican) Governor of South Dakota: Larry Rhoden (Republican) Governor of Tennessee: Bill Lee (Republican) Governor of Texas: Greg Abbott (Republican) Governor of Utah: Spencer Cox (Republican) Governor of Vermont: Phil Scott (Republican) Governor of Virginia: Glenn Youngkin (Republican) (until January 17), Abigail Spanberger (Democratic) (since January 17) Governor of Washington: Bob Ferguson (Democratic) Governor of West Virginia: Patrick Morrisey (Republican) Governor of Wisconsin: Tony Evers (Democratic) Governor of Wyoming: Mark Gordon (Republican) Lieutenant governors See also: List of current United States lieutenant governors Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Will Ainsworth (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Nancy Dahlstrom (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Leslie Rutledge (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of California: Eleni Kounalakis (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Dianne Primavera (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Susan Bysiewicz (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Kyle Evans Gay (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Jay Collins (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Burt Jones (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Sylvia Luke (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Scott Bedke (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Juliana Stratton (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Micah Beckwith (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Chris Cournoyer (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: David Toland (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Jacqueline Coleman (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Billy Nungesser (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Aruna Miller (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Kim Driscoll (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Garlin Gilchrist (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Peggy Flanagan (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Delbert Hosemann (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: David Wasinger (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Kristen Juras (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Joe Kelly (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Stavros Anthony (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey: Tahesha Way (Democratic) (until January 20), Dale Caldwell (Democratic) (since January 20) Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Howie Morales (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of New York: Antonio Delgado (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Rachel Hunt (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Michelle Strinden (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Jim Tressel (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Matt Pinnell (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Austin Davis (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Sabina Matos (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Pamela Evette (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Tony Venhuizen (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: Randy McNally (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Dan Patrick (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Deidre Henderson (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: John S. Rodgers (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Winsome Earle-Sears (Republican) (until January 17), Ghazala Hashmi (Democratic) (since January 17) Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Denny Heck (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia: Randy Smith (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Sara Rodriguez (Democratic)

Elections

Further information: 2026 United States elections

The midterm elections are scheduled to be held on November 3. In the federal government, the offices up for election are all 435 seats of the House of Representatives, and roughly one third of the Senate. Most states and territories will hold elections for their governors and legislatures.

In the Senate, nine senators have announced their intention not to seek re-election this cycle, including five Republicans and four Democrats. Republican seats in Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio are seen as vulnerable, while Democrats will be defending seats in Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire. ^[2] In the House, numerous states have redrawn their congressional districts ahead of the election, with Republicans attempting to strengthen their narrow margins. ^[3]

On the state level, 38 states and three territories will hold gubernatorial elections, and most states and territories will hold elections for their legislatures. Many major cities, including Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, St. Petersburg, and Washington, D.C., will also elect their mayors and municipal governments.

Events

January

January 1: Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as Mayor of New York City by Bernie Sanders and accompanied by his wife Rama Duwaji.

• January 1
  • Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as the 112th Mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and the first Asian American to hold the city's highest office. ^[4]
  • Public Domain Day: Books, films, and other works published in 1930 enter the public domain. ^[5]
• January 2 – A private MD 369FF helicopter strikes a slackline and crashes in Pinal County, Arizona, killing the pilot and all three passengers onboard. ^{[6] [7]}
• January 3 – 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela: President Trump announces the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a large-scale air strike. ^[8]
• January 4 – 31st Critics' Choice Awards: One Battle After Another and its director Paul Thomas Anderson win Best Picture and Best Director respectively. Films Frankenstein and Sinners and television series Adolescence all top the charts with four awards each. ^{[9] [10]}
• January 5
  • Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife appear in a federal court in Manhattan and plead not guilty to drugs and weapon charges. ^[11]
  • New coins celebrating the Semiquincentennial, featuring pilgrims, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, begin circulating. ^[12]
  • Tim Walz announces he will not seek reelection as governor amidst political attacks and the Minnesota fraud scandal. ^[13]
  • The Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes to dissolve itself. ^[14]
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rewrites its childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of shots universally recommended from 17 to 11. ^[15]

January 7: ICE agents stand off with civilians in Minneapolis following the killing of Renée Good.

• January 7
  • Killing of Renée Good: An American woman is shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ^[16]
  • Trump announces that the United States will withdraw from 66 international organisations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. ^[17]
  • Somalia–United States relations: The State Department suspends all ongoing assistance programs to Somalia. ^[18]
  • 2026 Salt Lake City church shooting: Two people are killed and six others are injured in a mass shooting during a funeral at a LDS Church meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. ^{[19] [20]}
• January 8 – The Senate votes 52–47 to advance a resolution that would bar the president from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. It will now pass to the House of Representatives. ^[21]
• January 10 – 2025–26 measles outbreak: North Carolina experiences a surge in measles over the past week, with cases rising to 310 in the state alone. Nearly 2,500 are reported nationally. ^[22]
• January 11
  • Federal prosecutors open a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell over the testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings. ^[23]
  • Low-cost airline Allegiant Air purchases Sun Country Airlines for $1.5 billion. ^{[24] [25]}
  • Three inmates are killed, thirteen others are hospitalized, and a guard is injured when violence breaks out at the Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia. ^[26]
• January 13
  • The Trump administration designates the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Islamic Group in Lebanon, and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan as foreign terrorist organizations for their support of Hamas. ^[27]
  • Meta announces the closure of the studios Armature Studio, Sanzaru Games, and Twisted Pixel. ^[28] In addition, they announced more than 1,000 jobs would be laid off in their Reality Labs business. ^[29]
• January 14 – A Verizon outage affects at least 175,000 people. ^[30]
• January 16 – Trump announces that he may place tariffs on nations that refuse to accept his plan to annex Greenland. ^[31]
• January 17 – Trump confirms that European countries will be hit with a 10% tariff on "all or any goods" exported to the US from 1 February, amid the dispute over Greenland. ^[32]
• January 19 – The Indiana Hoosiers defeat the Miami Hurricanes 27–21 in the College Football Playoff National Championship, winning their first national title, also being the first football team to go 16-0 since the Yale Bulldogs in 1894. ^[33]
• January 20 – A surge in immigration enforcement begins in Maine, primarily in the cities of Lewiston and Portland. The operation is titled "Operation Catch of the Day". ^[34]

Predicted and scheduled events

• February 1 – The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, honoring the best in music from September 2024 to August 2025. ^[35]
• February 5 – The New START Treaty is scheduled to expire.
• February 8 – Super Bowl LX is scheduled to be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. ^[36]
• February 24 – Trump will deliver his first official State of the Union Address of his second term to a joint session of Congress. ^[37]
• March 5 to 17 – The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to be held in the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as in Japan. The championship game will be held at LoanDepot Park in Miami. ^[38]
• March 15 – The 98th Academy Awards are scheduled to be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best in films released in 2025. Ryan Coogler's Sinners is nominated for 16 awards, breaking the three-way-tied record jointly set by All About Eve , Titanic and La La Land . ^{[39] [40]}
• April – Artemis program: NASA is scheduled to launch Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Orion in which four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor J. Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) will perform a flyby of the Moon and return to Earth. ^[41]
• April 6 – The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament final will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
• June 1 to 3 – The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities sesquicentennial (150th annual) meeting is scheduled to be held in Chicago.
• June 11 to July 19 – The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico and will host the majority of games during the tournament, including all games past the quarterfinals of the knockout stage including the final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
• July 4 – The United States will celebrate its 250th birthday as a nation. ^[42]
• August 12 – A total solar eclipse is predicted to occur at the Moon's descending node of the orbit in North America and Europe. The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain. ^[43]
• November 3 – The 2026 United States midterm elections are scheduled to be held. ^[44]

See also

• 2026 deaths in the US
• 2026 in American music
• 2026 in American television
• List of American films of 2026
• List of animated feature films of 2026
• 2026 NFL season
• 2026–27 NHL season
• 2026–27 NBA season
• 2026 Major League Baseball season

References

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2. Browning, Kellen (January 5, 2026). "The Key Senate Races to Watch in 2026" . The New York Times . ISSN   1553-8095 . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
3. Lieb, David (January 7, 2026). "Trump urged mid-decade redistricting. One-third of states have now looked at reshaping House seats". ABC News . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
4. Helmore, Edward (January 1, 2026). "Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York City". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 1, 2026.
5. Jenkins, Jennifer. "Public Domain Day 2026". Center for the Study of Public Domain. Duke University School of Law. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
6. Helsel, Phil; Dallman, Angela (January 2, 2026). "4 dead after helicopter appears to strike recreational slackline in Arizona". NBC News . Retrieved January 3, 2026.
7. Golden, Hallie (January 2, 2026). "Helicopter crashes in Arizona mountains, killing 4 people aboard". Associated Press . Retrieved January 3, 2026.
8. "Trump says US has 'captured' Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife in 'large-scale strike'". BBC News. January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
9. Lang, Brent (January 4, 2026). "Critics Choice Awards 2026: 'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Film, 'The Pitt', 'Adolescence' and 'The Studio' Dominate TV Prizes". Variety . Retrieved January 5, 2026.
10. Pedersen, Erik (January 4, 2026). "Critics Choice Awards: 'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Picture As Paul Thomas Anderson Takes Best Director; Chalamet & Buckley Win Top Acting Prizes; 'Sinners', 'Frankenstein' & 'Adolescence' Lead With 4 Each". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 5, 2026.
11. "'I'm a prisoner of war' - In the room for Maduro's dramatic court hearing". BBC News. January 5, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
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13. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
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    • "Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes to Dissolve Organization in Act of Responsible Stewardship to Protect the Future of Public Media" (Press release). Corporation for Public Broadcasting. January 5, 2026.
15. "US cuts universal childhood vaccine recommendations, including covid and hepatitis". BBC News. January 5, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
16. "Minneapolis driver shot and killed by ICE officer during immigration-related operation, DHS says". NBC News. January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
17. "Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations". The Guardian. January 8, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
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19. Sinkewicz, Michael (January 8, 2026). "Shooting outside Salt Lake City LDS church leaves at least 2 dead, 6 injured: police". FOX News . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
20. Schoenbaum, Hannah (January 8, 2026). "2 killed in a shooting outside a Mormon church in Salt Lake City". Associated Press . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
21. "US Senate votes to curb military action in Venezuela, Trump says oversight could last years". Reuters. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
22. Matthews, Brad (January 10, 2026). "South Carolina measles outbreak reaches 310 cases". The Washington Times . Retrieved January 12, 2026.
23. "Fed chair Powell hits out at 'unprecedented' probe by US justice department". BBC News. January 12, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
24. Small, Jonathan (January 12, 2026). Thomas, Jessica (ed.). "Allegiant Is Buying Sun Country for $1.5 Billion to Become 'More Competitive'". Entrepreneur . Retrieved January 12, 2026.
25. "Allegiant to acquire Sun Country Airlines for $1.5 billion". Reuters . January 12, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
26. Blankenship, Grant (January 12, 2026). "Three dead and a dozen hospitalized after violence at Georgia's Washington State Prison". Georgia Public Broadcasting . Retrieved January 13, 2026.
27. Hussein, Fatima; Lee, Matthew (January 13, 2026). "Trump administration labels 3 Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations". Associated Press . Retrieved January 13, 2026.
28. Romano, Sal (January 13, 2026). "Meta shuts down Armature Studio, Sanzaru Games, and Twisted Pixel". Gematsu. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
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30. Hutchinson, Bill (January 14, 2026). "Verizon outage affecting thousands of customers". ABC News. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
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34. Rego, Max (January 21, 2026). "Nearly 50 people arrested in federal immigration enforcement surge in Maine". The Hill. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
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38. Clair, Michael (May 23, 2024). "Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 hosts". MLB.com . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
39. Feinberg, Scott (March 17, 2025). "Oscars: Conan O'Brien to Return as Host in 2026". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
40. Canfield, David (January 22, 2026). "'Sinners' Gets Most Oscar Nominations Ever". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
41. Chang, Kenneth (December 5, 2024). "NASA Artemis Moon Missions Delayed Until 2026 and 2027". The New York Times . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
42. "Welcome, 2026! Here are the landmark events that will happen in the new year". NBC News. January 1, 2026. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
43. Tara, Serena (November 17, 2023). "Forget 2024, It's Time to Start Planning for the 2026 Solar Eclipse". Thrillist. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
44. Schneid, Rebecca (December 30, 2025). "Here Are the Key Elections to Watch Out For in 2026". TIME Magazine . Retrieved January 1, 2026.