State of the Union

Extracted Attributes

• Location

  House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States

• Frequency

  Annual (typically January or February)

• Safety Protocol

  Designated survivor (one cabinet member absent to maintain line of succession)

• Standard Phrasing

  "The State of the Union is strong" (introduced by Ronald Reagan in 1983)

• 2026 Policy Proposal

  Rate Payer Protection Pledge (forcing tech companies to provision power for AI)

• Constitutional Basis

  Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution

• Official Name Origin

  Popularized by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935; formalized under Harry Truman in 1947

Timeline

• George Washington delivers the first annual message to Congress. (Source: George W. Bush White House Archives)

  1790-01-08

• Thomas Jefferson shifts the tradition to written reports rather than in-person speeches. (Source: U.S. Senate Traditions)

  1801-12-08

• Woodrow Wilson resumes the practice of delivering the address in person. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1913-04-08

• Calvin Coolidge's address becomes the first to be broadcast on radio. (Source: George W. Bush White House Archives)

  1923-12-06

• Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his "Four Freedoms" speech during the annual message. (Source: George W. Bush White House Archives)

  1941-01-06

• Harry Truman's address is the first to be televised; the name "State of the Union" becomes official. (Source: U.S. Senate Traditions)

  1947-01-06

• Lyndon B. Johnson begins the tradition of delivering the address during prime time. (Source: U.S. Senate Traditions)

  1965-01-04

• The opposition party begins the tradition of offering a televised response. (Source: U.S. Senate Traditions)

  1966-01-12

• Ronald Reagan introduces the standard phrase "The State of the Union is strong." (Source: Wikipedia)

  1983-01-25

• Donald Trump delivers the address, proposing the Rate Payer Protection Pledge and highlighting 2.4 million Americans lifted off food stamps. (Source: Document 9f332d4d-91f6-4dca-90f4-5110695c9b0c)

  2026-01-20

State of the Union

The State of the Union address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The speech generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, progress, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals. The address fulfills the requirement in Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient". During most of the country's first century, the president primarily submitted only a written report to Congress. After 1913, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. president, began the regular practice of delivering the address to Congress in person as a way to rally support for the president's agenda, while also submitting a more detailed report. With the advent of radio and television, the address is now broadcast live in all United States time zones on many networks. The speech is generally held in January or February, and an invitation to the president is extended to use the chamber of the House by the speaker of the House. Starting in 1981, Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, began the practice of newly inaugurated presidents delivering an address to Congress in the first year of their term but not designating that speech an official "State of the Union".

Web Search Results

• State of the Union - Wikipedia

  Since Franklin Roosevelt, the State of the Union is given typically each January before a joint session of the United States Congress and is held in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol. Newly inaugurated presidents generally deliver an address to Congress in February of the first year of their term, but this speech is not officially considered to be a "State of the Union". [...] Some elementary and secondary schools and school districts hold a "State of the School(s)" address at the beginning of each calendar year. Private companies usually have a "State of the Corporation" or "State of the Company" address given by the respective CEO. The commissioners of some North American professional sports leagues, in particular Major League Soccer and the Canadian Football League, deliver annual "State of the League" addresses, usually in conjunction with events surrounding their respective leagues' championship games. The State of the Union model has been adopted by the European Union. In France, President Emmanuel Macron initiated a similar event in 2017, again in 2018, but the practice did not continue the following years. [...] ### Content of the speech [edit] The contents of the speeches typically contain information and status updates of the country and federal government during the incumbent president's administration. It has become customary to use the phrase "The State of the Union is strong", sometimes with slight variations, since President Ronald Reagan introduced it in his 1983 address. It has been repeated by every president in nearly every year since, with the exception of George H. W. Bush. Gerald Ford's 1975 address had been the first to use the phrasing "The State of the Union is...", though Ford completed the sentence with "not good."

• State of the Union

  Most annual messages outline the President's legislative agenda and national priorities in general or specific terms. James Monroe in 1823 discussed the centerpiece of his foreign policy, now-known as the Monroe Doctrine, which called on European countries to end western colonization. Lincoln famously expressed his desire for slave emancipation in 1862, and Franklin Roosevelt spoke about the now-famous four freedoms during his State of the Union message in 1941. Whatever the form, content, delivery method or broadcast medium, the President's annual address is a backdrop for national unity. The State of the Union gives the President an opportunity to reflect on the past while presenting his hopes for the future to Congress, the American people and the world. [...] Since Washington's first speech to Congress, U.S. Presidents have "from time to time" given Congress an assessment of the condition of the union. Presidents have used the opportunity to present their goals and agenda through broad ideas or specific details. The annual message or "State of the Union" message's length, frequency, and method of delivery have varied from President to President and era to era. [...] With the advent of radio and television, the President's annual message has become not only a conversation between the President and Congress but also an opportunity for the President to communicate with the American people at the same time. Calvin Coolidge's 1923 speech was the first annual message broadcast on radio. Franklin Roosevelt began using the phrase "State of the Union" in 1935, which became the common name of the President's annual message. Roosevelt's successor, Harry Truman, also set a precedent in 1947 when his State of the Union speech became the first to be broadcast on television.

• About Traditions & Symbols | State of the Union - U.S. Senate

  Each year, before a joint session of Congress, the president fulfills his or her constitutional duty to "give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union" (Article II, section 3). Presidents George Washington and John Adams delivered their messages in person, but in 1801 Thomas Jefferson chose to send his in writing. That precedent held until Woodrow Wilson decided to deliver his message in person in 1913, a tradition that continues today. Franklin Roosevelt referred to it as the "State of the Union Address," a title that became official during the Harry Truman administration. The first national radio broadcast of the message occurred in 1923, following a limited but successful experimentation with radio in 1922. Truman's 1947 address was the first to be televised, and in 1965, [...] 1947 address was the first to be televised, and in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson began the tradition of delivering the address in prime time. In 1966 the opposition party began offering a televised response to the president's speech, a tradition that has continued. Each year one member of the president's cabinet is absent from the address to maintain the line of succession in case of an emergency.

• Read the complete transcript of Trump's 2026 State of the Union

  More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country. Think about that. Any time in the history of our country. More working today, and 100% of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector. We ended DEI in America. We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans - a record - off of food stamps. And for all of these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, the state of our Union is strong. Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore. We’re not used to winning in our country until you came along, we’re just [...] the World Cup, so we have the World Cup and the Olympics coming and that is exciting news. [...] And here is one more opportunity to show common sense in government.

• Read Trump's full 2026 State of the Union address | PBS News

  More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country. Think about that. Any time in the history of our country. More working today, and 100% of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector. We ended DEI in America. We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans - a record - off of food stamps. And for all of these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, the state of our Union is strong. Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much that we really don't know what to do about it. People are asking me, please, please, please, Mr. President, we're winning too much. We can't take it anymore. We're not used to winning in our country until you came along, we're just [...] the World Cup, so we have the World Cup and the Olympics coming and that is exciting news. [...] This was a major military installation, protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military technology. How did that work out? Not too good.

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• Instance Of

  Q11424