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{{short description|Annual report by the president of the United States}}
{{About||the 2024 State of the Union address|2024 State of the Union Address|other uses}}
{{
[[File:
▲[[File:Congress opening message 63rd 02406a.tif|thumb|right|upright=1.1|[[Woodrow Wilson]] giving his first State of the Union address; the first time since 1801 that such an address was made in person before a joint session of Congress,<ref>{{cite journal| title=Presidential addresses to congress: Woodrow Wilson and the Jeffersonian tradition| last=Hendrix| first=J. A.| journal=The Southern Speech Journal| volume=31| issue=4| date=Summer 1966| pages=285–294| doi=10.1080/10417946609371831}}</ref> this initiated the modern trend with regard to the State of the Union address.<ref name="AppSou">{{cite web|title=State of the Union Addresses and Messages: research notes by Gerhard Peters|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php|website=The American Presidency Project (APP)|access-date=24 January 2017}}</ref>]]
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|joint session]] of the [[United States Congress]] near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation.<ref name="house.gov">{{cite web | url=http://history.house.gov/Institution/SOTU/State-of-the-Union/ | title=State of the Union Address {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives | website=history.house.gov | language=en | access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name=CNN>{{cite web | last=Diaz | first=Daniella | url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/donald-trump-address-not-state-of-the-union/ | title=Why Trump's Tuesday speech isn't a State of the Union address | publisher=CNN| date=February 28, 2017 | access-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref> The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the [[United States federal budget|nation's budget]], economy, news, agenda, progress, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gpoaccess.gov/sou/index.html |title= Ben's Guide to U.S. Government |publisher= [[United States Government Printing Office]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090225175013/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/sou/index.html |archive-date= February 25, 2009 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>
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==Formality==
The practice arises from a duty of the president under the [[State of the Union Clause]] of the [[U.S. Constitution]]:<ref name="KesavanSidak">{{cite journal|author=Vasan Kesavan and [[J. Gregory Sidak]]|title=The Legislator-In-Chief|journal=William and Mary Law Review|year=2002|volume=44|issue=1|access-date=June 28, 2012|url=http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1345&context=wmlr}}</ref>
{{
Though the language of the clause is not specific, since the 1930s, the president has made this report annually in late January or early February. Between 1934 and 2024 the date has been as early as January 3,<ref name="CRS2">{{cite book |title=The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications |publisher=Congressional Research Service |page=2 |date=January 24, 2014 |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40132.pdf }}</ref> and as late as March 7.
While not required to deliver a speech, every president since [[Woodrow Wilson]], with the notable exception of [[Herbert Hoover]],<ref name="AppSou"
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 [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] chamber of the [[United States Capitol]]. Newly [[United States presidential inauguration|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".<ref name="CRS2"/>
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[[George Washington]] delivered the first regular annual message before a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1790, in [[New York City]], then the provisional U.S. capital. In 1801, [[Thomas Jefferson]] discontinued the practice of delivering the address in person, regarding it as too monarchical (similar to the [[Speech from the Throne]]). Instead, the address was written and then sent to Congress to be read by a clerk until 1913 when [[Woodrow Wilson]] re-established the practice despite some initial controversy, and an in-person address to Congress has been delivered nearly every year since. However, there have been exceptions to this rule, with some messages being given solely in writing, and others given both in writing and orally (either in a speech to Congress or through broadcast media).<ref name="app" /> The last president to give a written message without a spoken address was [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1981, days before his term ended after his defeat by [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref name="app">{{cite web |first=Gerhard |last=Peters |title=State of the Union Messages |publisher=The American Presidency Project |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php|access-date = September 25, 2006}}</ref>
For many years, the speech was referred to as "the President's Annual Message to Congress".<ref name=CRSFAQ>{{cite web|first1=Maria|last1=Kreiser|first2=Micheal|last2=Greene|first3=Michael|last3=Kolakowski|first4=Thomas H.|last4=Neale|name-list-style=amp|title=History, Evolution, and Practices of the President's State of the Union Address: Frequently Asked Questions|work=[[Congressional Research Service]]|date=April 27, 2021|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44770.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44770.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022
{{listen
| title=State of the Union (Four Freedoms)
| filename=FDR's 1941 State of the Union (Four Freedoms speech) Edit 1.ogg
| description =[[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s January 6,
introducing the theme of the | image=[[File:FDR in 1933.jpg|alt=Franklin Delano Roosevelt headshot|100px]]
| pos=left
}}
Prior to 1934, the annual message was delivered at the end of the calendar year, in December. The ratification of the [[Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution|20th Amendment]] on January 23, 1933, changed the opening of Congress from early March to early January, affecting the delivery of the annual message. Since 1934, the message or address has been delivered to Congress early in
The Twentieth Amendment also established January 20 as the beginning of the presidential term. In years when a new president is inaugurated, the outgoing president may deliver a final State of the Union message, but none has done so since [[Jimmy Carter]] sent a written message in 1981. In 1953 and 1961, Congress received both a written State of the Union message from the outgoing president and a separate State of the Union speech by the incoming president. Since 1981, in recognition that the responsibility of reporting the State of the Union formally belongs to the president who held office during the past year, newly inaugurated presidents have not officially called their first speech before Congress a "State of the Union" message.<ref name=CRSFAQ/>
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[[File:President Ronald Reagan's First State of the Union Address 1982.gif|thumb|left|upright|The text of the first page of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s first State of the Union Address, given January 26, 1982]]
[[Warren Harding]]'s 1922 speech was the first to be broadcast on radio, albeit to a limited audience,<ref name=CNN2>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/11/politics/state-of-the-union-firsts/index.html|title=State of the Union firsts|author=Robert Yoon, CNN Political Research Director|date=February 12, 2013|access-date=September 29, 2017}}</ref> while [[Calvin Coolidge]]'s 1923 speech was the first to be broadcast across the nation.<ref name=CNN/> President Roosevelt's address in 1936 was the first delivered in the evening,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/The-first-evening-Annual-Message/|title=The First Evening Annual Message|website=history.house.gov|language=en|access-date=
[[Ronald Reagan]]'s 1986 State of the Union Address was the first to have been postponed. He had planned to deliver the speech on January 28, 1986, but it was delayed for a week following the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]] that morning.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/12886b.htm |title=Address to the nation on the ''Challenger'' disaster |access-date=July 4, 2006 |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219124528/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/12886b.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=The Shuttle Explosion: Reagan Postpones State of the Union Speech |first=Bernard |last=Weinraub |newspaper= The New York Times |date=January 29, 1986 |page=A9 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/29/us/the-shuttle-explosion-reagan-postpones-state-of-union-speech.html}}</ref> Reagan instead addressed the nation from the [[Oval Office]] about the disaster.<ref name=":0" />
In [[1999 State of the Union Address|1999]], Bill Clinton became the first president to deliver an in-person State of the Union address while [[Federal impeachment trial in the United States|standing trial]] for [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeachment]]; the speech occurred the same day that Clinton's defense team made its opening statement in [[impeachment trial of Bill Clinton|Clinton's impeachment trial]], though he did not mention the proceeding.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/20/pelosi-invites-trump-to-deliver-state-of-the-union-on-feb-4-088744|title=Pelosi invites Trump to deliver State of the Union on Feb. 4|website=POLITICO|date=December 20, 2019 |language=en|access-date=
On January 23, 2019, the [[2019 State of the Union Address|2019 State of the Union]] speech by [[Donald Trump]], originally planned for January 29 was canceled after an exchange of letters with [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Nancy Pelosi]] in which she stated she would not proceed with a vote on a resolution to permit him to deliver the speech in the House chamber until the end of [[2018–19 United States federal government shutdown]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-state-of-the-union/index.html|title=Pelosi denies Trump use of House chamber for State of the Union|last=Liptak|first=Kevin|website=CNN|date=January 23, 2019|access-date=
==Delivery of the speech==
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===Invitations===
Every member of Congress can bring one guest to the State of the Union address. The president may invite up to 24 guests to be seated in a box with the First Lady. The speaker of the House may invite up to 24 guests in the speaker's box. Seating for Congress on the main floor is by a first-in, first-served basis with no reservations. The [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]], [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court justices]], members of the [[Diplomatic Corps]], and military leaders (the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] and [[Commandant of the Coast Guard]]) have reserved seating.<ref>Shogan, C. J. (
===Protocol of entry into the House chamber===
By approximately 8:30 p.m. on the night of the address, the members of the House have gathered in their seats for the joint session.<ref name="CRH414-2010">{{cite journal |url= http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-01-27/pdf/CREC-2010-01-27-pt1-PgH414-6.pdf#page=1 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-01-27/pdf/CREC-2010-01-27-pt1-PgH414-6.pdf#page=1 |archive-date=October 9, 2022
The speaker, and then the vice president, specify the members of the House and Senate, respectively, who will escort the president into the House chamber.<ref name="CRH414-2010" /> The Deputy Sergeant at Arms addresses the speaker again and loudly announces, in order, the [[Dean of the Diplomatic Corps]], the [[Chief Justice of the United States]] and the [[Associate Justice]]s, and the Cabinet, each of whom enters and takes their seats when called.<ref name="CRH414-2010" /> The justices take the seats nearest to the speaker's rostrum and adjacent to the sections reserved for the Cabinet and the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<ref name="CNN2008"/>
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[[File:Livingood Obama State of the Union 2011.jpg|thumb|The Sergeants at Arms [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives|of the House]] (left) and [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate|of the Senate]] (right) wait at the doorway to the House chamber before President [[Barack Obama]] enters to deliver the [[2011 State of the Union Address]].]]
Just after 9:00 pm, as the president reaches the door to the chamber,<ref name="CRH415-2010">{{cite journal |url= http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-01-27/pdf/CREC-2010-01-27-pt1-PgH414-6.pdf#page=3 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-01-27/pdf/CREC-2010-01-27-pt1-PgH414-6.pdf#page=3 |archive-date=October 9, 2022
As applause and cheering begin, the president slowly walks toward the speaker's [[Podium|rostrum]], followed by members of the congressional escort committee.<ref name="CRH415-2010" /> The president's approach is slowed by pausing to shake hands, hug, kiss, and autograph copies of the speech for Members of Congress.<ref name="CNN2008"/> After taking a place at the [[Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|Clerk]]'s desk,<ref name="CRH415-2010" /> the president hands two
After continuing applause from the attendees has diminished, the speaker introduces the president to the representatives and senators, typically stating: "Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States."<ref name="CNN2008" /><ref name="CRH415-2010" /> This leads to a further round of applause and, eventually, the beginning of the address by the president.<ref name="CRH415-2010" /> The speaker may opt not to introduce the president, as was demonstrated in 2019 and 2024.
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[[File:President Biden Addresses a Joint Session of Congress.webm|thumb|left|President [[Joe Biden]] with [[President of the Senate|Senate President]] (U.S. vice president) [[Kamala Harris]] and House Speaker Pelosi during the [[2021 Joe Biden speech to a joint session of Congress|2021 joint session address]]. It marked the first time that a woman had occupied the Senate President chair. As this speech occurred early during Biden's first year, it is not considered an official State of the Union.]]
Both the speaker and the vice president sit at the speaker's desk, behind the President for the duration of the speech. If either is unavailable, the next highest-ranking member of the respective house substitutes. Once the chamber settles down from the President's arrival, the speaker officially presents the President to the joint session of Congress. The president then delivers the speech from the podium at the front of the House Chamber.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maszwerski |first1=Julia |title=Who sits where during a State of the Union speech? [infographic] |url=https://share.america.gov/who-sits-where-at-state-of-union-address/ |website=ShareAmerica |date=February 4, 2019 |access-date=
For the [[2011 State of the Union Address|2011 address]], Senator [[Mark Udall]] of Colorado proposed a break in the tradition of seating Republicans and Democrats on opposite sides of the House;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47554.html|title=Mark Udall wants parties together at State of the Union|last=Epstein|first=Jennifer|date=January 13, 2011|work=Politico}}</ref> this was in response to the [[2011 Tucson Shooting]] in which Representative [[Gabby Giffords]] was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt.<ref name="rival">{{cite news|url=
===Content of the speech===
[[File:President Trump Delivers the State of the Union Address.webm|thumb|President [[Donald Trump]] delivering the [[2018 State of the Union Address]]]]
The contents of the speeches typically contain information and status updates of the country and federal government during the incumbent president's administration.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ted |last=Widmer |title=The State of the Union Is Unreal |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 31, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/opinion/31widmer.html?ex=1296363600&en=52500d95fa74b0eb&ei=5090 | access-date = January 22, 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-word-nearly-every-president-uses-to-describe-the-state-of-the-union|title=The word nearly every president uses to describe the state of the union|last=Desjardins|first=Lisa|date=
Since Reagan's 1982 address, it has also become common for presidents of both parties to honor special guests sitting in the gallery, such as American citizens or visiting [[Head of state|heads of state]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Arrigo |first1=Anthony F. |title=Look out for the 'Skutnik' during Trump's State of the Union |url=https://theconversation.com/look-out-for-the-skutnik-during-trumps-state-of-the-union-109762 |access-date=
State of the Union speeches usually last a little over an hour, partly because of the large amounts of applause that occur from the audience throughout. The applause is often political in tone, with many portions of the speech being applauded only by members of the president's own party. As non-political officeholders, members of the Supreme Court or the Joint Chiefs of Staff rarely applaud in order to retain the appearance of political impartiality. In recent years, the presiding officers of the House and the Senate, the speaker and the vice president, respectively, have departed from the neutrality expected of presiding officers of deliberative bodies, as they, too, stand and applaud in response to the remarks of the president with which they agree.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}
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{{Main|Response to the State of the Union address}}
Since 1966,<ref name="res">{{cite web | author = Office of the Clerk | title = Opposition Responses to State of the Union Messages (1966–present) | url = http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/stateunion.html |publisher= United States House of Representatives | access-date = January 23, 2007}}</ref> the speech has been followed on television by a response or rebuttal by a member of the major political party opposing the president's party. The response is typically broadcast from a studio with no audience. In 1970, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] put together a TV program with their speech to reply to President [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]], as well as a televised response to Nixon's written speech in 1973.<ref name="'70s 47">{{cite book |title= How We Got Here: The '70s |last= Frum |first= David |author-link= David Frum |year= 2000 |publisher= Basic Books |location= New York |isbn= 0-465-04195-7 |page= [https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/47 47] |url= https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/47 |url-access= registration }}</ref> The same was done by Democrats for President Reagan's speeches in 1982 and 1985. The response is not always produced in a studio; in 1997, the Republicans for the first time delivered the response in front of high school students.<ref name="jcwatts">{{cite news | first= Richard E. Jr. |last= Sincere |work= Metro Herald |date= February 1997 |title= O.J., J.C., and Bill: Reflections on the State of the Union |url= http://www.arg-media.com/articles/domestic/dom43.htm |access-date= January 23, 2007 |quote= Watts told his audience—about 100 high school students from the CloseUp Foundation watched in person, while a smaller number watched on television at home—that he is 'old enough to remember the Jim Crow' laws that affected him and his family while he grew up in a black neighborhood in small-town Oklahoma. |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020731143540/http://www.arg-media.com/articles/domestic/dom43.htm |archive-date= July 31, 2002}}</ref> In 2010, [[Governor of Virginia|Virginia Governor]] [[Bob McDonnell]] gave the Republican response from the [[Virginia House of Delegates|House of Delegates]] chamber of the [[Virginia State Capitol]] in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], in front of about 250 attendees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012704953.html|title=Virginia Gov. McDonnell gives Republican Party response to State of the Union|last=Kumar|first=Anita|date=
In 2004, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s response was delivered in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for the first time, by [[Governor of New Mexico|New Mexico Governor]] [[Bill Richardson (politician)|Bill Richardson]].<ref name="spa04">{{cite news |first= Byron |last= York |title= The Democratic Response You Didn't See |date= January 21, 2004 |url= http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/209216/democratic-response-you-didn-146-t-see |work= National Review |access-date= January 23, 2007 |quote= And then there was the Spanish-language response—the first ever—delivered by New Mexico governor, and former Clinton energy secretary, Bill Richardson.}}</ref> In 2011, [[Minnesota]] Congresswoman [[Michele Bachmann]] also gave a televised response for the [[Tea Party Express]], a first for a political movement.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/26/AR2011012603412.html | title=Michele Bachmann offers Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union Address | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=January 26, 2011 | access-date=
==Significance==
Although much of the pomp and ceremony behind the State of the Union address is governed by tradition rather than law, in modern times, the event is seen as one of the most important in the US political calendar. It is one of the few instances when all three branches of the US government are assembled under one roof: members of both houses of [[United States Congress|Congress]] constituting the [[legislature]], the president
==Local versions==
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Some cities or counties also have an annual [[State of the City Address]] given by the mayor, county commissioner or board chair, including [[Sonoma County, California]]; [[Orlando, Florida]]; [[Gwinnett County, Georgia]];<ref>{{cite web|title=Official page on Gwinnett County Website|url=https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/boardofcommissioners/stateofthecounty}}</ref> [[Cincinnati]], Ohio; [[New Haven, Connecticut]]; [[Parma, Ohio]]; Detroit, Michigan; [[Seattle]], Washington; [[Birmingham, Alabama]]; Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; [[Buffalo, New York]]; [[Rochester, New York]]; [[San Antonio]], Texas; [[McAllen, Texas]]; and [[San Diego]], California. The Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] gives a speech similar called the State of Metro Address. Some [[university president]]s give a State of the University address at the beginning of every [[academic term]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.unh.edu/president/sotu-2015 |title=UNH State of the University 2015 |date=February 17, 2015 |work=The University of New Hampshire}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.scu.edu/president/publiccommentary/state-of-university-2015.cfm |title=State of the University 2015 |date=February 19, 2015 |work=Santa Clara University}}</ref> Some elementary and secondary schools and school districts also 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.inc.com/jeremy-goldman/why-your-company-deserves-a-state-of-the-union-address.html |title=Why Your Company Deserves a 'State of the Union' Address |first=Jeremy |last=Goldman |date=January 20, 2015 |work=Inc.}}</ref> As well, 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 also [[State of the European Union|been adopted]] by the [[European Union]]
In [[Spain]], the [[Congress of Deputies]] adopted the tradition under the name "Debate on the State of the Nation" in 1983. The [[Prime Minister of Spain|Prime Minister]] gives an address for an undetermined length of time, and afterwards each of the [[Parliamentary group (Spain)|parliamentary groups]] have the chance to respond in an address with a maximum length of thirty minutes. These are sorted by the amount of deputies that each parliamentary group holds, thus starting with the [[Leader of the Opposition (Spain)|Leader of the Opposition]]. Since its creation, it has taken place in every non-election year except for 2021, where [[Prime Minister of Spain|Prime Minister]] [[Pedro Sánchez]] was forced to cancel it due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.congreso.es/es/cem/debates-estado-nacion|title=Debates sobre el Estado de la Nación - Congreso de los Diputados |publisher=[[Congress of Deputies]] |access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/presidente/actividades/Paginas/2021/151221-sanchezcontrol.aspx |title=La Moncloa. 15/12/2021. Pedro Sánchez anuncia que el próximo año se celebrará el debate sobre el estado de la nación |access-date=March 17, 2024 |publisher=[[Prime Minister's Office (Spain)]]}}</ref>
==Historic speeches==
[[File:Second Bill of Rights Speech.ogv|thumb|Franklin Roosevelt proposing a [[Second Bill of Rights]], 1944]]
[[File:"Freedom from Fear" - NARA - 513538.jpg|thumb|upright|''Freedom from Fear'' from [[Norman Rockwell]], 1943]]
* President [[James Monroe]] first stated the [[Monroe Doctrine]] during his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress on December 2, 1823. It became a defining moment in the [[foreign policy of the United States]] and one of its longest-standing tenets, and would be invoked by many U.S. statesmen and several U.S. presidents, including [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[John F. Kennedy]], and [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=23|title=Monroe Doctrine (1823)|publisher=ourdocuments.gov|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref>
* The [[Four Freedoms]] were goals first articulated by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] on January 6, 1941.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Four+Freedoms+were+goals+first+articulated+by+Franklin+D.+Roosevelt+on+January+6,+1941.|title=The Four Freedoms were goals first articulated by Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. – Google Search|website=www.google.com|access-date=February 6, 2019
* During his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944, FDR proposed the [[Second Bill of Rights]]. Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the constitution and the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the [[Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness|pursuit of happiness]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/address_text.html|title=State of the Union Message to Congress|publisher=Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref> This was technically a "Message" and not a speech, as Roosevelt had "a case of the grippe" and could not come; there was no joint session, and a Senate clerk read the message. (Although he did manage to read it as a Fireside Chat over the radio, from his office that same day.)<ref name=DruryS>
{{Cite book|title=A Senate Journal: 1943–1945|first1=Allen|last1=Drury|publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.|year=1963}}Drury, 1963, pp. 43–46, and 53.</ref>
* During his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson introduced legislation that would come to be known as the "[[War on Poverty]]". This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent. The speech led the [[United States Congress]] to pass the [[Economic Opportunity Act]], which established the [[Office of Economic Opportunity]] (OEO) to administer the local application of federal funds targeted against poverty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lbjlibrary.org/press/civil-rights-tax-cuts-and-the-war-on-poverty|title=President Lyndon Johnson's 1964 State of the Union Address called for a war on poverty – LBJ Presidential Library|website=www.lbjlibrary.org|access-date=February 6, 2019
|website= cnbc.com|date=February 6, 2019
}}</ref>
* During his State of the Union address on January 15, 1975, [[Gerald Ford|Gerald R. Ford]] very bluntly stated that "the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work...We depend on others for essential energy. Some people question their Government's ability to make hard decisions and stick with them; they expect Washington politics as usual." Ford said he did not "expect much if any, applause. The American people want action, and it will take both the Congress and the president to give them what they want. Progress and solutions can be achieved, and they will be achieved."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/speeches/750028.asp|title=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum|website=www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov|access-date=February 6, 2019
[[File: Bush State of the Union 2002.ogg|thumb|right|George W. Bush delivering the 2002 State of the Union]]
* During his [[2002 State of the Union Address|State of the Union address]] on January 29, 2002, President [[George W. Bush|Bush]] identified North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as representing significant threats to the United States. He said, "States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an [[axis of evil]], arming to threaten the peace of the world". In this speech, he would outline the objectives for the [[War on Terror]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html|title=President Delivers State of the Union Address|website=georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov|access-date=February 6, 2019
{{clear}}
==TV ratings==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Television ratings for recent State of the Union addresses<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2019/nearly-47-million-viewers-watch-president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address.html|title=2019 State of The Union Address TV Ratings|date=February 6, 2019
|-
!scope="col"| Date
Line 134 ⟶ 137:
!scope="row"| [[2024 State of the Union Address|2024-03-07]]
| rowspan="4" | [[Joe Biden]]
| 32.30
| TBA
| TBA
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Telemundo, Univision, PBS, CNN, CNNe, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NewsMax, NewsNation
|-
!scope="row"| [[2023 State of the Union Address|2023-02-07]]
Line 143 ⟶ 146:
| 20.00
| 16.1
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2022 State of the Union Address|2022-03-01]]
Line 149 ⟶ 152:
| 27.41
| 22.4
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2021 Joe Biden speech to a joint session of Congress|2021-04-28]]
Line 155 ⟶ 158:
| 19.95
| 16.5
|ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2020 State of the Union Address|2020-02-04]]
Line 162 ⟶ 165:
| 27.46
| 22.7
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2019 State of the Union Address|2019-02-05]]
Line 168 ⟶ 171:
| 33.62
| 28.0
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2018 State of the Union Address|2018-01-30]]
Line 174 ⟶ 177:
| 32.17
| 26.9
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2017 Donald Trump speech to a joint session of Congress|2017-02-28]]
Line 180 ⟶ 183:
|
| 28.7
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2016 State of the Union Address|2016-01-12]]
Line 187 ⟶ 190:
| 23.04
| 19.6
| ABC,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2015 State of the Union Address|2015-01-20]]
Line 193 ⟶ 196:
| 23.14
| 19.9
| ABC,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2014 State of the Union Address|2014-01-28]]
Line 199 ⟶ 202:
| 23.95
| 20.7
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2013 State of the Union Address|2013-02-12]]
Line 205 ⟶ 208:
| 24.77
| 21.8
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2012 State of the Union Address|2012-01-24]]
Line 211 ⟶ 214:
| 27.57
| 24.0
| ABC, CBS
|-
!scope="row"| [[2011 State of the Union Address|2011-01-25]]
Line 217 ⟶ 220:
| 30.87
| 26.6
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2010 State of the Union Address|2010-01-27]]
Line 223 ⟶ 226:
| 34.18
| 29.8
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[February 2009 Barack Obama speech to a joint session of Congress|2009-02-24]]
Line 229 ⟶ 232:
| 37.18
| 32.5
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2008 State of the Union Address|2008-01-28]]
Line 236 ⟶ 239:
| 27.70
| 24.7
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2007 State of the Union Address|2007-01-24]]
Line 242 ⟶ 245:
| 32.97
| 29.6
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2006 State of the Union Address|2006-01-31]]
Line 248 ⟶ 251:
| 30.53
| 31.2
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2005 State of the Union Address|2005-02-02]]
Line 254 ⟶ 257:
| 28.36
| 35.3
| ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2004 State of the Union Address|2004-01-20]]
Line 260 ⟶ 263:
| 30.29
| 28.0
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2003 State of the Union Address|2003-01-28]]
Line 266 ⟶ 269:
| 41.48
| 38.8
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2002 State of the Union Address|2002-01-29]]
Line 272 ⟶ 275:
| 35.55
| 33.6
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[2000 State of the Union Address|2000-01-27]]
Line 279 ⟶ 282:
| 22.54
| 22.4
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[1999 State of the Union Address|1999-01-19]]
Line 285 ⟶ 288:
| 30.70
| 31.0
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[1998 State of the Union Address|1998-01-27]]
Line 291 ⟶ 294:
| 36.51
| 37.2
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[1997 State of the Union Address|1997-02-04]]
Line 297 ⟶ 300:
| 27.60
| 28.4
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[1996 State of the Union Address|1996-01-23]]
Line 303 ⟶ 306:
| 28.40
| 29.6
| ABC, CBS,
|-
!scope="row"| [[1995 State of the Union Address|1995-01-24]]
Line 319 ⟶ 322:
==See also==
* [[List of joint sessions of the United States Congress]]
* [[State Opening of Parliament]]
Line 329 ⟶ 333:
{{Commons category|State of the Union}}
{{Wikisource|Portal:State of the Union Speeches by United States Presidents}}
* [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php The American Presidency Project: State of the Union Messages], table of all State of the Union Addresses from 1790
* [http://www.c-span.org/search/?sdate=&edate=&searchtype=Videos&sort=Least+Recent+Event&text=0&tagid%5B%5D=2109&show100= State of the Union videos and transcripts] at C-SPAN (since 1945)
* [http://stateoftheunion.onetwothree.net State of the Union] (Visualizations, statistical analysis, and searchable texts)
Line 336 ⟶ 340:
* [https://digital.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/corpus/ Corpus of Political Speeches]: free access to political speeches by American and other politicians, developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library
{{State of the Union}}{{State of the Nations}}▼
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▲{{State of the Union}}
[[Category:State of the Union addresses| ]]
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