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posted ago by axolotl_peyotl ago by axolotl_peyotl +11 / -1

Note: Speeches vs Addresses:

State of the Union Speeches by United States Presidents (includes all speeches)

State of the Union Addresses (excludes year 1 speech of "freshman" POTUS)

Also note the disclaimer at the top of the first unofficial SOTU of Trump from 2017:

Delivered on February 28, 2017, the speech was not officially deemed a "State of the Union address"; like the freshman addresses of President George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, President Trump treated this speech as simply an "Address to a Joint Session of Congress."

Hm ok, so this appears to have started with HW Bush. A similar clarification can be found on the freshman SOTU pages for Obama, W. Bush and Clinton...but it's absent from Bush Sr..

The modern annual SOTU tradition seems to have begun with Carter. Note that both Carter's and Reagan's freshman speeches aren't included on this list, so they don't appear to be "official" either, although wikipedia doesn't seem to make that clear (I don't think they even know...this is a weird one).

One thing seems clear: no *official" SOTU address is given by a new POTUS, rather they give a speech before Congress.

"Official" or not, Biden is expected to deliver this speech to a joint session of Congress, and it typically is planned WEEKS in advance:

Because the address is made to a joint session of Congress, the House and Senate must each pass a resolution setting a date and time for the joint session. Then, a formal invitation is made by the Speaker of the House to the President typically several weeks before the appointed date.

AFAIK, we DON'T have an official date yet.

90% of these speeches have historically been held in December or January.

Here are the latest SOTUs given (all freshman speeches), and the only ones in February:

HW Bush: February 9, 1989

Clinton: February 17, 1993

Obama: February 24, 2009

W Bush: February 27, 2001

Trump: February 28, 2017

So as of today (the 24th), Biden has the record for the 3rd latest SOTU ever after W and Trump...if it even gets scheduled!

Finally, from this Wikipedia page:

February 2021 Joe Biden speech to joint session of Congress

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic and the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, additional security and health measures are being coordinated by the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives and the Attending Physician of the United States Congress, with potentially a smaller number of members of Congress, government officials, and invited guests being present in the chamber of the House than at a typical State of the Union or Joint Session.

How many days are there left in February? Wait, what's that disclaimer at the top?

THIS ARTICLE IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR DELETION

Hmmmmmmmmm.....