January 8, 2019 (Tuesday)
The U.S. Constitution states that 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.” President George Washington’s first “State of the Union Message” was delivered to Congress on this date in 1790, one year after becoming President.
Here is a copy of his speech:
Click here to read the speech.
George Washington was very much aware that he would be setting precedents for all those who would follow him in the office of Chieft Executive Officer, and was careful to bring balance to the branches of government, using terminology that would not be like that of a king. The early days of his administration were peaceful, compared with each following year. By the time he had served two terms, the government found itself learning how to promote cooperation without too much rancor.
(from CNN):President Trump has been invited by Speaker of House Pelosi to deliver a State of the Union Address on January 29, 2019. “In the spirit of our Constitution, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 in the House Chamber,” Pelosi wrote in her letter to the president on Thursday evening. The speech will be the President’s third to a Joint Session of Congress — his initial appearance, on Feb. 28, 2017, was weeks after his inauguration and not considered a formal State of the Union — and his first time in a newly divided Washington where Democrats control the House. In a not-so-subtle nod at the new power dynamics, Pelosi added in her note: “The Constitution established the legislative, executive and judicial branches as co-equal branches of government, to be a check and balance on each other.”