Published February 05, 2019
President Trump is ready to give his second State of the Union address Tuesday following a short postponement due to the now-ended partial government shutdown.
While the practice of giving the State of the Union address in person with a speech is common in modern history, that wasn't always the case.
Read on for a look at how the address has evolved, becoming the political tradition it is today.
Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states, in part: 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.”
Traditionally, the president will address the joint session of the House and Senate annually.
However, Thomas Jefferson sent written statements during his presidency instead of appearing before Congress in person – a practice presidents followed for more than a century until Woodrow Wilson began to appear in person again. While Jefferson decried the practice as being too similar to the British monarchs, historians have also speculated that he chose this path to avoid appearing in person because he had stage fright.
Other presidents after Wilson only gave written addresses. And still, others submitted both a written and oral State of the Union address.
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Aside from how it was delivered, the formal name of the address has also changed over time. From George Washington’s first address speech in 1790 to 1946, the practice was called the “Annual Message,” according to the U.S. House archives. The phrase “state of the union” began to informally be used in 1942 before it was officially adopted in 1947.
Additionally, the focus of the State of the Union has changed over time as well – with at least some credit going toward the invention of technology enabling the speech to be broadcast throughout the country. While these addresses initially focused on the economy and budget request, it’s since grown to include a push for the president’s agenda.
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The State of the Union is traditionally given at the beginning of a year (January), but it has been delivered toward the end of a year before. Some presidents, including Jimmy Carter, gave a written State of the Union to Congress at the end of their term.
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Trump’s inaugural State of the Union address was the 95th to be given before Congress, according to the U.S. House archives. At just a little more than 5,100 words, it took Trump 1 hour and 20 minutes to give the address – making it the third-longest in history.
Trump drew in about 45.6 million viewers for his address, according to Nielsen ratings. In comparison, Bush drew in more than 62 million in 2003, Clinton garnered more than 53 million in 1998 and Barack Obama amassed about 48 million in 2010.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was named the designated survivor during Trump’s first State of the Union.
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You can read Trump’s first State of the Union address here.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-of-the-union-history-records-and-other-fun-facts