State of the Union: Why we do it and the history of the speech

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Every year, the president of the United States treks up to Capitol Hill to address Congress — with all the pomp and circumstance possible — on how the country is doing (Spoiler alert: The state of the union is always strong). 

Presidents command the attention of Congress to lay out their accomplishments and agenda — all peppered with some oratorical flourish. 

But why does the president give this long speech, punctuated with applause (and sometimes boos) when he could just as easily write them a letter? Or even an email? There’s no legal requirement for presidents to offer the State of the Union speech in person, and for a long time, they did actually just send a letter.  

Here’s what we know about the State of the Union address: 

Why do we have a State of the Union?  

The U.S. Constitution requires we have a state of the Union. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states that the president of the United States “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.”  

Though the language of the Constitution does not define “time to time,” President George Washington established the precedent that it would be an annual report.  

Does the State of the Union always have to be a long speech? 

While today it’s traditionally a nationally televised address, the State of the Union has not always been a public speech.

On Jan. 8, 1790, Washington delivered the first “Annual Message” before a joint session of Congress in New York City, which was then the capital of the United States.  

In his speech, Washington urged legislators to promote science and literature and to be prepared for war, which he described as “one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”  

President John Adams continued the practice of delivering the speech in person.  

However, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, opted to send his address as a written document. In an 1801 letter, Jefferson explained it was “inconvenient” to give a speech and he wanted to give Congress “the relief from the embarrassment of immediate answers on subjects not yet fully before them.” 

Jefferson’s new method would endure for over a century until President Woodrow Wilson selected to reinstate delivering the address in person in 1913. 

Fun Fact: President Washington’s address remains the shortest one to date, clocking in at 1,089 words.  

When is the next State of the Union? 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) invited President Joe Biden to deliver his third State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on March 7.  

In a letter to the president, Johnson said he was extending the formal invitation “in this moment of great challenge for our country.”  

The upcoming address will not only provide Biden an opportunity to detail his perspective on the state of the nation, but it will be a chance to speak to the American people as he campaigns for a second term.  

What’s the protocol for the State of the Union? 

On State of the Union night, most of the 535 members of Congress – 100 senators and 435 representatives – will come together in the House chamber. 

There are two seats on the top of the dais – perched directly behind the president – reserved for the speaker of the House and the vice president, who is also the president of the Senate.  

Traditionally, the president will travel by motorcade from the White House to the U.S. Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue.  

Upon arrival, a bipartisan group of lawmakers will escort the president into the chamber. It is the ceremonial duty of the sergeant-at-arms to belt out the president’s arrival – “Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States!” – followed by the speaker of the House formally introducing the president. 

The president then delivers the speech, which can last for about an hour. 

What’s the designated survivor?  

One member of the president’s cabinet — known as the “designated survivor” — will not attend the State of the Union address and is moved to a secure location. They are in the direct line of presidential succession are chosen to continue to lead the government in the event of a disaster, attack or an unforeseen event.  

The procedure of a “designated survivor” originated in the late 1950s during the Cold War, the National Constitution Center states.

Like the president, the “designated survivor” must be at least 35 years of age and a natural-born U.S. citizen.  

Does the other party get to respond to the State of the Union? 

While the State of the Union address is a tough act to follow, the opposition party attempts to deliver a sharp rebuke shortly after the conclusion of the president’s speech.  

The opposition response began in 1966, when Sen. Everett Dirksen and Rep. Gerald Ford provided the Republican rebuttal to Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.  

According to the Senate’s Office, the practice sporadically continued over the next decade and was officially confirmed as a tradition in 1982.

Fun fact: Four presidents have given both a State of the Union address and an opposition response: Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.  

Viral moments from past State of the Union Addresses 

2015: Did wine prompt a Supreme Court justice to nap during a State of the Union? 

In 2015, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg admitted to not being “100 percent sober” during Obama’s address in which she dozed off and had to be nudged awake. 

“The audience, for the most part is awake, because they’re bobbing up and down, and we sit there, stone-faced, sober judges. But we’re not — at least I wasn’t — 100 percent sober,” she disclosed during an appearance hosted by the Smithsonian Associates in D.C., according to The Hill.  

Ginsburg went on to blame it on some “very fine California wine” provided by Justice Anthony Kennedy while at dinner prior to attending the speech.  

2020: Trump vs Pelosi: The rip in the union 

At the end of President Donald Trump’s third State of the Union address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood up, picked up a copy of the speech and dramatically tore it in half, again and again. 

When asked after the event why she ripped up the transcript, Pelosi told reporters it was “the courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech.”  

2021: Madam Vice President, Madam Speaker. 

In 2021, for the first time in history, President Joe Biden spoke to the House Chamber flanked by two women: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  

“Madam Vice President, Madam Speaker,” Biden said, adding “No president has ever said those two words from this podium — no president has ever said those words, and it’s about time.”