Date set for first State of the Union address of Trump’s second term

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Vice President JD Vance applaud as US President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Win McNamee / POOL / AFP) (Photo by WIN MCNAMEE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance applaud as U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Photo by WIN MCNAMEE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
10:45 AM – Thursday, January 8, 2026

“Marking the Semiquincentennial anniversary of American Independence,” GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson formally invited President Donald Trump to deliver the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on February 24th.

Johnson (R-La.) announced the news in an X post on Wednesday, attaching a letter addressed to the president.

“As our nation marks the Semiquincentennial anniversary of American Independence, the United states stands stronger, freer, and more prosperous under your leadership and bold action. Together in 2025, your administration and the 119th Congress delivered one of the most consequential agendas in history, and Americans across this great country will experience the tangible results of commonsense governance,” the speaker wrote to the president.

“We look forward to advancing the important work ahead of us in 2026, serving the American people, defending liberty, and preserving this grand experiment in self-governance. To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives,” he concluded.

 

Johnson highlighted this year’s relevance as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s founding, which the Trump administration regards highly, having planned celebrations throughout 2026.

Republicans have control of both chambers of Congress and are campaigning to maintain their majority in the midterm elections this fall. The State of the Union will give Trump the opportunity to better shape the GOP’s message to voters ahead of the critical election season.

 

In response to a question from CBS News, Johnson previously said the February 24th date hadn’t been officially scheduled yet.

“We were looking at some alternative dates and trying to figure out what works,” Johnson said at a news conference. “But I think that’s the week that we’re in session in mid-to-late February and that would be the preference of the White House.”

President Trump also addressed a joint session of Congress back in March, though it was not considered a formal State of the Union address — marking the upcoming address as the first State of the Union of Trump’s second term.

 

During Trump’s most recent State of the Union Address, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made headlines for tearing up a copy of his Address while others applauded. Pelosi told reporters as she left the Capitol that “It was a manifesto of mistruths.”

The State of the Union address fulfills a presidential requirement written in the United States Constitution.

“He 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,” the Constitution says.

 

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