President Donald Trump said Tuesday night's State of the Union address will be a "long speech," potentially adding another milestone to his tenure before Congress.
Hi speech will outline his administration's agenda before the November midterm elections.
Trump will speak at 9 p.m. EST in the House chamber, where he is expected to defend his economic record, promote his tariff agenda after a Supreme Court setback, press Congress on immigration funding, and highlight foreign policy efforts including ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and diplomatic efforts related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump holds the modern record for the longest spoken presidential address, delivering 9,880 words in his March 4, 2025 joint address to Congress, which ran 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 32 seconds.
During his first term, Trump averaged roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes per annual address, the longest average of any president in the modern televised era dating to the 1960s.
His longest formal State of the Union during his first term came on Feb. 5, 2019, lasting 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 25 seconds, while his shortest was his Feb. 28, 2017 joint address at 1 hour and 10 seconds.
Historical data from the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, show that speech length has fluctuated dramatically over time, with the 19th century dominated by lengthy written submissions averaging about 10,000 words.
By the late 20th century, spoken addresses averaged closer to 5,000 words as presidents increasingly relied on televised delivery rather than written reports submitted to Congress.
The longest written State of the Union address on record was delivered by President Jimmy Carter in 1981, totaling 33,667 words.
The longest spoken State of the Union address belongs to President Joe Biden, who delivered 9,216 words in 2023.
Trump's 9,880-word 2025 address stands as the longest spoken presidential address of any kind.
At the other end of the spectrum, the shortest presidential address overall was President George Washington's in 1790 at just 1,089 words.
The number of addresses delivered also varies widely in presidential history.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered 12 State of the Union messages, including 10 delivered in person before Congress, the most of any president.
President Zachary Taylor delivered just one message, while President William Henry Harrison and President James A. Garfield delivered none due to their deaths early in their terms.
Trump's address comes amid a challenging political environment, with national polling averages showing his approval rating hovering in the 40% range and a majority of voters expressing disapproval of his handling of the economy.
Recent federal data shows inflation easing to 2.4% in January from 2.7% in November 2024, while unemployment ticked up to 4.3%, underscoring the mixed economic picture likely to feature prominently in the president's remarks.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.