WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress Tuesday, the first time he has done so during his second term in the White House.
But despite the pomp and circumstance of the address, it’s not technically a “State of the Union” speech.
That’s because a State of the Union address is intended as a look back on the prior year. Trump just took office — albeit for a second time — on Jan. 20, so he’s only been in office this go-round for just over a month.
Instead, newly inaugurated presidents typically use their first joint congressional addresses to look forward, setting a tone for their legislative agenda.
Has the first speech to Congress ever been called the State of the Union?
The idea of not calling the first address the State of the Union is a relatively new practice in American history.
One stated belief is because when the president addresses Congress the first time in the weeks after being sworn in, they haven’t been in charge long enough to announce what the “State of the Union” is. But that’s not the case, according to the Congressional Research Service.
“The past seven Presidents have chosen not to give an official State of the Union address the year they were first inaugurated, having just previously delivered an inaugural address,” the CRS said. “In each instance their first speech to a joint session of Congress closely followed their inauguration, but was not officially categorized as a ‘State of the Union Message.'”
Why does a president need to address Congress?
The U.S. Constitution requires that the president updates Congress and recommends policies, although the founding document doesn’t specify precisely when that address should take place.
Usually, presidents will deliver those remarks in January or February, reflecting on events of the previous year and outlining their policy priorities for the coming one. The message used to be known as “the President’s Annual Message to Congress.” In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began referring to it as the “Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union.”
Shortly after he was sworn in for his first term in 1981, Reagan addressed a joint session of Congress, remarks that were called “Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery,” according to The American Presidency Project, at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton followed suit in their own first years in office, with 1989 and 1993 messages both entitled “Administration Goals.” In 2001, President George W. Bush’s speech was his “Budget Message.”
What to expect from Trump’s address to Congress
Judging by his past speeches to Congress, Trump once felt the need to ask lawmakers to pass his agenda. Not so much anymore.
In his second term, Trump has asserted his authority to reshape the federal government without needing to consult the legislative branch. That’s a break from his previous remarks to Congress in which he specifically sought lawmakers’ backing on many of the actions he’s now taking unilaterally.
Despite it not being called the State of the Union, Trump is still expected to give his opinion about the current major situations around the world, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He will also likely outline priorities he’s hoping Republicans take up in the legislature.
Trump has demonstrated his desire to push the limits of presidential power during his second term in office, but there are some things that he still needs congressional help to accomplish.
The president wants spending cuts, border security funding and tax cuts — a politically sensitive combination at a time when Republicans have only slim majorities in the House and the Senate. The party will need almost complete unanimity to move forward.
So far, Trump has followed his typical approach of playing one side off against the other, sometimes endorsing the House plan for one massive piece of legislation and sometimes supporting the Senate strategy of breaking the proposals into multiple bills.
Don’t expect a lot of specific details from the president on Tuesday — that’s not something that usually happens in speeches like this, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office. But Trump could reveal more about his goals or prod lawmakers to work faster. Given the power that Trump has over the party, any remark could reshape the debate.
What time is President Trump’s address to Congress?
Trump’s remarks to Congress are scheduled to begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.