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President Donald Trump will deliver his first official State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, as viewers watch for viral moments and engaging exchanges similar to those that have defined past speeches.
Here are the top five times for past State of the Union addresses.
1. Reagan surprised the crowd by recognizing a guest in the audience for the first time
It has become common in recent years for presidents to introduce guests to the audience during SoTU speeches, but President This is Ronald Reagan’s place The 1982 speech was the first time this practice was done.
Reagan’s speech came just weeks after Air Florida Flight 90 crashed Washington 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River shortly after the crash that killed 78 people.
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President Trump will deliver the State of the Union this week after decades of awkward moments in previous speeches. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Three people survived the accident thanks to the citizens who rushed to help them, including the assistant of the Congressional Budget Office, Lenny Skutnik, who took off his shoes and clothes and dove into the cold water.
Reagan honored Skutnik in his speech, which made honoring people in the crowd a common theme in the years to come.
“Just two weeks ago, in the midst of the worst disaster in the Potomac, we saw again the spirit of American heroism – the heroism of lifeguards who volunteered to save victims from the cold water,” Reagan said. “And we saw the heroism of one of our young civil servants, Lenny Skutnik, who when he saw a woman losing her grip on the helicopter line, dived into the water and dragged her to safety.”
2. Speaker Pelosi breaks down Trump’s 2020 speech
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi caused a storm on social media and got himself into trouble at the State of the Union in February 2020 when he stood up and tore Trump’s speech to pieces after he had finished.
When Fox News asked Pelosi afterward why she did it, she replied, “Because it was the honorable thing to do considering the alternatives.” He added, “I tore it up. I was trying to find one page of truth in it. I couldn’t.”
Pelosi’s outburst came after Trump’s first impeachment trial, which ended in a Senate impeachment the day after the speech.
“Speaker Pelosi just ripped: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a baby born at 21 weeks. The grieving families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. The reunion of a service member with his family. That is his legacy,” the White House tweeted after Pelosi tore through her speech, referring to her speech.
3. Attorney Joe Wilson ‘You lie!’ anger at President Obama
One of the most memorable moments from the State of the Union address came in 2009 when South Carolina Republican representative Joe Wilson interrupted. President Barack Obama an address, which was then more unusual than it was later.
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First lady Nancy Reagan applauds Leonard Skutnit, as his wife looks on, during President Reagan’s State of the Union address. Skutnik rescues people from the frozen Potomac River following the crash of Air Florida 90. (Getty)
“There are those who say that our reform efforts will legitimize illegal immigration,” Obama said, referring to his controversial Obamacare plan. “This is also a lie. The changes I am proposing will not work for those who are here illegally.”
“You lie!” Wilson shouted from his seat on the Republican side, prompting widespread cheers from other members of the audience.
Wilson later apologized to Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.
“This evening, I let my emotions get the best of me as I listened to the president’s words about reporting illegal immigrants in the health care bill,” Wilson said in a written statement. “Although I disagree with the president’s statement, my comment was inappropriate and sad. I apologize to the president for this lack of character.”
4. Rep. Boebert criticizes Biden over Afghanistan withdrawal during 2022 speech
“You put them in, 13 of them,” GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert shouted at Biden as she talked about the Afghanistan veterans who ended up in coffins from exposure to toxic burn pits. Boebert was talking about the 13 members of the US who were killed when Biden withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
Boebert was wearing clothes that said “Drill Baby Drill” against Biden’s energy policies and his outburst captivated the audience.
At one point, Boebert and Greene started chanting “build the wall” when Biden talked about immigration.
5. President Biden blasts GOP lawmakers in 2023 speech, prompting boos from Republicans in the crowd.
“Some of my Republican friends want to hijack the economy — I get it — unless I agree with their economic plans,” Biden said in a speech to Congress, prompting a shake of the head from former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the background and shouts from the crowd and a shot of other Republicans shaking their heads.
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President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., listen on February 7, 2023. (Photos by Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty)
“Instead of making the rich pay their fair share, some Republicans, some Republicans, want Medicare and Social Security to die,” Biden continued, prompting a shake of the head from McCarthy, who said “no” while Republicans continued to jeer.
“I’m not saying it’s a majority,” Biden continued, which led to a big boom from the loud crowd.
“Let me give you — anybody who’s in doubt, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy — I’ll give you a copy of the proposal,” Biden continued to say over loud cheers from the crowd.
“That means Congress doesn’t vote — I’m glad to see — no, I’m telling you, I’m glad to be reformed,” Biden said, apparently meaning “discussion.”
Biden’s speech continued to appear there as Republican anger repeatedly interrupted him.
