Washington — President Biden is set to deliver his final State of the Union address of his first term on Thursday evening as he looks toward a likely November rematch with his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
This year’s speech will be the third State of the Union that Mr. Biden has delivered since he assumed the presidency in 2021, and his fourth to a joint session of Congress. The annual remarks serve as the vehicle for the president to lay out his policy accomplishments and priorities for the coming months, and provide him with what is likely to be his largest television audience between now and Election Day.
With the 2024 presidential contest eight months away, and Mr. Biden and Trump all but certain to face off again in the general election, the president is likely to use the speech to draw distinctions between his party and the GOP, and try to quiet concerns about his age.
The president’s speech brings together all three branches of government, as the vice president, Supreme Court justices and Mr. Biden’s Cabinet will attend, alongside members of the House and Senate.
What time will the State of the Union address start?
Mr. Biden’s State of the Union speech is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET.
How long has the State of the Union address lasted in past years?
Mr. Biden’s first two States of the Union were held in 2022 and 2023. His first speech as president, which came several months after his inauguration, was technically a State of the Union, but rather an “Address to a Joint Session of Congress.”
The 2023 State of the Union, which took place on Feb. 7, lasted 1 hour and 13 minutes, according to the American Presidency Project from University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Biden spoke for 1 hour, 1 minute and 50 seconds for his March 1, 2022, State of the Union. The president’s April, 28, 2021 address ran for 1 hour, 5 minutes and 8 seconds.
Trump’s remarks lasted a bit longer than his successor’s. For his 2020 State of the Union, held Feb. 4, Trump spoke for 1 hour, 18 minutes and 4 seconds, according to the American Presidency Project. That address was marked by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tearing up a copy of Trump’s remarks as he concluded.
His Feb. 5, 2019, speech lasted 1 hour, 22 minutes and 25 seconds, and Trump’s Jan. 30, 2018, State of the Union was 1 hour, 20 minutes and 32 seconds, according to the American Presidency Project.
What time will the Republican response to Biden’s address start?
Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, the first woman elected to represent the state in the Senate, will deliver the Republican response to Mr. Biden’s State of the Union. It is set to begin after the president ends his remarks, likely some time after 10 p.m. ET.
How long does the State of the Union response usually last?
The responses to the president’s State of the Union are much shorter than the speech before the joint session of Congress.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the GOP response in 2023 and spoke for about 14 minutes, 37 seconds.
In 2022, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds gave remarks on behalf of Republicans, and her speech lasted about 14 minutes, 20 seconds.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott provided the Republican response in 2021, talking for about 14 minutes, 31 minutes.