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Trump's SOTU speech: How long did POTUS speak? Is it the longest address?
Donald Trump’s 2026 SOTU address is expected to be lengthy. Bill Clinton and Trump have delivered longer SOTU addresses than other presidents, on average.
President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address to the 119th Congress on Tuesday, February 24, lasted 1 hour and 47 minutes. He went on to beat his own record for the longest annual address to Congress on record since at least 1964, which he set last year. Trump's 2026 speech also topped Bill Clinton’s record for longest State of the Union Address.
Ahead of his speech, Trump offered some insight into it, saying viewers could expect it to be a “a long speech.” “So we have a country that’s now doing well. We have the greatest economy we’ve ever had. We have the most activity we’ve ever had. I’m making a speech tomorrow night, and you’ll be hearing me say that,” he said during a White House event.
“It’s going to be a long speech, because we have so much to talk about,” Trump added.
Top 5 longest State of the Union addresses
Former president Clinton and Trump have delivered longer SOTU addresses than other presidents, on average. Trump's speeches averaged more than an hour and 20 minutes in length. On the other hand, Clinton averaged an hour and 14 minutes, according to UC Santa Barbara's The American Presidency Project.
Former presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, averaged no longer than 45 minutes.
Here’s a look at the top 5 longest SOTU addresses, as listed by NBC Philadelphia:
| President | Date | Length (in minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| William J. Clinton | January 27, 2000 | 1:28:49 |
| William J. Clinton | January 24, 1995 | 1:24:58 |
| Donald J. Trump | February 5, 2019 | 1:22:25 |
| Donald J. Trump | January 30, 2018 | 1:20:32 |
| William J. Clinton | January 19, 1999 | 1:18:40 |
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital ahead of the speech that Trump’s address will “celebrate 250 glorious years of our nation's independence and excellence, highlighting incredible stories of American heroes throughout the speech.”
"In one year, President Trump has turned our country around from the brink of disaster, and he will rightly declare the State of Our Union is strong, prosperous and respected," she added. “The president will proudly tout his administration's many record-breaking accomplishments, and also layout an ambitious agenda to continue bringing the American Dream back for working people.”
