President Donald Trump will deliver a major address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, marking his first speech of its kind since returning to office. However, despite its importance, the event is not officially a State of the Union address.
Trump, who was sworn in for his second term in January, will use the speech to highlight his administration’s early actions and outline his vision for the next four years. While this event follows the tradition of presidents addressing Congress shortly after taking office, it has a different name.
What is State of the Union address?
The State of the Union is an annual address where the president updates Congress and the public on the country’s status and future plans. However, newly elected presidents do not give an official State of the Union in their first year. Instead, they deliver a general address to Congress.
This tradition dates back to Ronald Reagan in 1981. Other presidents, including George H WBush, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Trump himself (in 2017), and Joe Biden, also followed this pattern.
According to the American Presidency Project, early-term speeches serve the same purpose as a State of the Union but are not officially recognised as such.
When and where to watch
Trump’s speech will take place on Tuesday at 9 PM ET in the House chamber. It will be broadcast live by multiple news outlets, including Associated Press’s YouTube channel.
The address was officially requested by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who invited Trump to present his vision for the country’s future.
