Trump’s State of the Union address likely Feb. 24, Speaker Johnson says

President Trump is expected to deliver his first second-term State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, on Wednesday sent a formal letter inviting the president to address a joint session of Congress on that date.

He had told reporters earlier in the day that the White House wanted to schedule the address for mid-late February, and the date worked best with the congressional schedule.

In the letter, Mr. Johnson praised Mr. Trump for working with Congress last year to deliver “one of the most consequential agendas in history” and said he was looking forward to further “serving the American people, defending liberty and preserving this grand experiment in self-governance” in 2026.

“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,” the speaker said.  

Mr. Trump delivered a joint address to Congress last year on March 4, but it was not considered a State of the Union speech because he had not yet served a full year back in office.

Last year’s speech, lasting an hour and 40 minutes, broke a record for the longest address to a joint session of Congress, according to data from the past six decades compiled by the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

President Clinton held the previous record. He spoke for an hour and 28 minutes in his final State of the Union address in 2000.