clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Help keep Vox free Reader support helps keep our explainers free for all. Support our mission by making a gift today.

Filed under:

  • Stream
An American flag waves with the Capitol Building in the background.

State of the Union 2020: President Trump gives annual address to Congress

Trump’s speech arrives amid a Senate impeachment trial and the 2020 presidential election primaries.

Contributors: Vox Staff

On Tuesday, February 4, at 9 pm, President Donald Trump will give the annual State of the Union address, the final one of his current presidential term.

His address is taking place the day before a planned vote to acquit or convict him in impeachment trial proceedings, but Trump seemed unconcerned by the timing, telling the Associated Press that his address is “very important to what I am doing.”

This year, the State of the Union is sandwiched between the first two Democratic presidential contests, with the Iowa caucuses on February 3 and the New Hampshire primary on February 11. The Democratic response to Trump’s address will be Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democratic leader in a key voting battleground state that went for Trump in 2016.

29 Total Updates Since
Feb 4, 2020, 9:30am EST
  • February 5, 2020

    Trump’s State of the Union suggests he’s worried about Bernie Sanders

    By Zeeshan Aleem

    Responses to the State of the Union showed the Democratic Party is divided. Trump is targeting the left wing.

  • February 5, 2020

    3 Democrats walked out of Trump’s State of the Union in protest

    By Cameron Peters

    Another 10, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, stayed home.

  • February 5, 2020

    Trump’s criminal justice record is more complicated than he claims

    By Catherine Kim

    Although the First Step Act has its achievements, the Department of Justice has been slowing down the process.

  • February 5, 2020

    Why Nancy Pelosi ripping up some papers has set the internet on fire

    By Emily Stewart

    The "civility" debate is about more than niceties.

  • February 5, 2020

    Trump undercut his message to black voters with celebrations of racism and white history

    By Dylan Scott

    The president talked out of both sides of his mouth on race at the State of the Union.

  • February 5, 2020

    Trump vilified socialism in his State of the Union, using Venezuela as his foil

    By Jen Kirby

    Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s opposition leader, attended the speech as Trump’s guest.

  • February 5, 2020

    Read the full text of Trump’s State of the Union speech

    By Nicole Narea and Catherine Kim

    President Donald Trump addressed Congress Tuesday night for his State of the Union address.

  • February 5, 2020

    Trump called on Congress to pass a drug prices bill. Democrats reminded him they already did.

    By Dylan Scott

    The impromptu Democratic protest at Trump’s State of the Union, briefly explained.

  • February 5, 2020

    Trump gave Americans a lesson in white history

    By Jessica Machado

    In his State of the Union, Trump erased Native Americans, the enslaved, and non-white immigrants in the founding of America.

  • February 5, 2020

    One of America’s most prominent racists just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom

    By Laura McGann

    During the State of the Union, Donald Trump bestowed the highest civilian honor on Rush Limbaugh.

  • February 4, 2020

    Democrats’ response to the State of the Union laid out their 2020 Latino outreach strategy

    By Nicole Narea

    Rep. Veronica Escobar delivered the Spanish-language response.

  • February 4, 2020

    Pelosi’s State of the Union response: Rip up Trump’s speech

    By Anna North

    It was the latest public skirmish between the House speaker and the president.

  • February 4, 2020

    Tree planting is Trump’s politically safe new climate plan

    By Umair Irfan

    His State of the Union speech didn’t mention climate change. Instead, he bragged about planting trees.

  • February 4, 2020

    4 winners and 2 losers from Trump’s 2020 State of the Union

    By Zack Beauchamp, Dylan Matthews, and Matthew Yglesias

    Trump’s reelection campaign was a winner, immigrants came away as losers, and other assessments of Trump’s big speech.

  • February 4, 2020

    Gretchen Whitmer’s smart, boring speech highlighted Democrats’ biggest 2020 dilemma

    By Matthew Yglesias

    How do you tune out the Trump Show and talk about real issues?

  • February 4, 2020

    Donald Trump didn’t need the wall

    By Nicole Narea

    His State of the Union address was a showcase of how he has reshaped the immigration system.

  • February 4, 2020

    The father of a Parkland shooting victim was escorted out of the State of the Union address

    By German Lopez

    Fred Guttenberg reportedly protested Trump’s opposition to stricter gun laws.

  • February 4, 2020

    The biggest lie in Trump’s State of the Union speech

    By Ian Millhiser

    Trump wants people who depend on Obamacare to relax. They do so at great peril.

  • February 4, 2020

    Trump called for an end to AIDS in the US by 2030. That’s totally realistic.

    By Julia Belluz

    We asked seven experts to weigh in on his State of the Union pledge.

  • February 4, 2020

    Drug overdose deaths have fallen. But Trump can’t take credit.

    By German Lopez

    Despite his boasting, Trump’s response to the opioid epidemic has been weak.

  • February 4, 2020

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 9 other Democrats are skipping the State of the Union

    By Cameron Peters

    Several representatives cited the president’s recent impeachment as a reason not to attend.

  • February 4, 2020

    A brief guide to the State of the Union guests

    By Li Zhou

    Trump’s State of the Union guests underscore his focus on border security and the economy.

  • February 4, 2020

    Early excerpts from President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech

    By Ian Millhiser

    "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!"

  • February 4, 2020

    Democratic women are once again wearing all white to the State of the Union

    By Terry Nguyen

    Democrats are continuing their three-year tradition of wearing color-coordinated outfits during the speech.

  • February 4, 2020

    Trump’s State of the Union address: How to watch and what to expect

    By Sigal Samuel

    The annual address comes in the midst of the president’s impeachment trial.