Trump's 2026 State of the Union address date announced. Here's when.

On Jan. 7, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) formally invited President Donald Trump to deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 24.

Johnson posted a copy of the invitation sent to the president on X. In it, the Speaker praised Trump for his “bold action” and leadership and said the United States “stands stronger, freer, and more prosperous.”

“Since his return to office, @POTUS has not stopped working for the American people and delivering on his promises. The best is yet to come,” Johnson said on X.

The speech on Feb. 24 will mark Trump’s first State of the Union of his second term. 

Although he did speak to a joint session of Congress in March last year, technically, it was not considered a formal State of the Union address. Typically, presidents address a joint session of Congress early on during their first year before delivering State of the Union addresses to Congress in subsequent years.

What is the State of the Union?

According to Congress’ website, the State of the Union address is a speech where the president reports on the “current condition of the United States” as well as a place to give policy proposals ahead of the legislative year.

The idea of a State of the Union is written into the United States Constitution.

"He [the President] shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient," the Constitution says.

Historically, State of the Union addresses have been delivered between Jan. 3 and Feb. 2.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.