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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) set a new milestone for the longest State of the Union address, speaking for about one hour and 48 minutes. He broke the previous record held by Bill Clinton, who spoke for one hour and 20 minutes, in 2000.
Trump, who delivered his first State of the Union address in his second term, also smashed his own record of speaking for one hour and 40 minutes in an address to the US Congress in March 2025, which was technically not a State of the Union. This was because Trump had taken office on January 20, 2025 and had completed two months in office prior to his speech.
Trump’s Tuesday address was the longest speech delivered before a joint session of Congress in at least 60 years, according to the American Presidency Project, which has been tracking the length of such speeches since 1964.
The shortest State of the Union address in modern history was delivered by President Richard Nixon in 1972, when his speech lasted approximately 28 minutes and 55 seconds.
WHAT TRUMP SPOKE IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH?
Trump’s marathon speech covered a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues, with the US President repeatedly claiming that the United States has entered what he described as a new “golden age.” A recurring theme was the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which Trump referenced while calling for national unity and renewed patriotism.
On the economy front, Trump said inflation had eased under his administration, claimed record stock market highs, and argued that his policies had attracted trillions of dollars in investment.
He also reiterated his hardline stance on immigration, asserting that border crossings are at record lows and that the flow of fentanyl into the US has dropped by a record 56 per cent.
The President used the address to defend tariffs, suggesting they could eventually reduce the need for income tax. He called the recent Supreme Court's ruling to strike down his global tariffs "unfortunate", but remained defiant that they would continue to be legal. Interestingly, he made the remarks in the presence of Supreme Court judges who attended his State of the Union address.
Trump also praised security operations against drug cartels, citing the example of Mexico's military operation that took down drug lord El Mencho this week and the recent American operation to capture and arrest longtime Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on charges of narco-terrorism.
He maintained a hardened stance on Iran, saying he preferred diplomacy but warned he wouldn't allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. He called Iran a "World No 1" sponsor of terrorism and claimed that Tehran was developing missiles that could reach the US.
Trump bragged his diplomatic efforts, claiming he brokered eight ceasefires, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had told him to intervene during India's Operation Sindoor, saying that 35 million people would be killed.
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Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Feb 25, 2026
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