Recently, US House Speaker Mike Johnson officially invited President Donald Trump to speak before both houses of Congress in March, and this will be Mr. Trump's first speech before Congress in his second term.
In the letter, House Speaker Johnson asked Trump to address both houses of Congress on March 4 to share his America First vision for the country's legislative future.
“A golden age of America has begun. Thanks to your strong leadership and bold action in the early days of your presidency, America has seen a resurgence of patriotism, unity, and hope for the future,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
In the letter, Mr. Johnson also expressed his expectation of receiving a response from President Trump regarding the invitation to attend.
Joint sessions of the US Congress are typically reserved for the US president or other heads of state or government to present their policy priorities. These joint sessions typically take place a few times a year. In 2024, the US Congress held three joint sessions. And then-US President Joe Biden, then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu all addressed the country's parliament.
Typically, US presidents deliver their State of the Union address in February or March before both houses of Congress. However, House Speaker Johnson’s letter did not mention this content. The White House has yet to respond to comments on the above information.
According to information kept in the Senate, Mr. Trump has spoken four times at joint sessions of the US Congress, of which the last three speeches were about the annual federal message. His first speech before both houses of Congress was in late February 2017, just over a month after he officially took office as US President. At that time, President Trump gave a speech of nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes focusing on many hot issues such as immigration, security - defense, health, and education.
Mr. Trump's most recent speech was at a joint session in February 2020, about a month before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out severely in the US, forcing much of the country to stop many activities and the death toll began to rise rapidly.
During the speech, Trump criticized his critics and awarded host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor a president can bestow, a move that broke with tradition at the annual State of the Union address. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of Trump’s speech shortly after the president finished speaking.