President Donald Trump arrived to deliver his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 24, 2026. The address lasted approximately one hour and 48 minutes, making it the longest speech before a joint session of Congress in at least 60 years, according to the American Presidency Project. This surpassed Trump’s previous record of an hour and 39 minutes from last year. Former President Bill Clinton held the record before that with an hour and 28-minute speech in 2000.
In contrast, the shortest speech of the past 60 years was former President Richard Nixon’s 1972 State of the Union, lasting only 28 minutes. The runtime of Trump’s speech included pauses for applause, disruptions, recognition of guests, and cheers for the U.S. men’s hockey team’s Olympic gold win.
The State of the Union address offers the president a platform to address and shape the national agenda. Trump’s speech occurs at a time when most Americans believe the country is worse off than it was a year ago, as per the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
