Trump vows a lengthy SOTU speech. These are the records
· Axios
President Trump holds the crown for longest address to Congress on record at 100 minutes in 2025 — and he warned that he might be be primed break that record during his State of the Union Tuesday.
Visit sportfeeds.autos for more information.
The big picture: The annual speech has stretched to ever longer lengths in recent years, not just because of the address but frequent interruptions — applause, heckling — from spectators.
Driving the news: Trump said Monday that his speech will focus on the economy as Americans name affordability as a top concern.
- "We have a country that's now doing well with the greatest economy we've ever had, most activity we've ever had," Trump said Monday.
- "I'm making a speech tomorrow night, and you'll be hearing me say that. It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about," he said.
By the numbers: Trump spoke an estimated 9,906 words during his record-breaking 2025 address to Congress, beating out former President Biden's 2023 record by about 700 words.
- The previous record holder was President Clinton's 2000 speech, in which he spoke over 89 minutes.
Flashback: Some presidents chose to address Congress in writing rather than in a speech, with their letters frequently topping 10,000 words.
- During the Iran hostage crisis, former President Carter delivered the longest written address to Congress at 33,667 words in January 1981.
Zoom in: Trump's average speech during his first term was an hour and twenty minutes, beating out former President Clinton's then infamously long hour and 15 minute average.
- The median speech since 1964 has clocked in at about 45 minutes, but that number has been steadily ticking up since the famously verbose Clinton.
Worth noting: The first address a president gives to Congress after being sworn in is technically not considered a State of the Union address, but the speeches function in similar ways and are counted as the same by many historians.
Go deeper: Democratic response to Trump's SOTU becomes a crowded affair