US President Donald Trump set a new record for the longest address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday (Tuesday in US), speaking for more than one hour and 40 minutes.
Trump’s speech surpassed the previous record held by former US President Bill Clinton, whose 2000 State of the Union address lasted one hour, 28 minutes, and 49 seconds.
According to USA Today, Trump’s address was officially timed at one hour, 39 minutes, and 32 seconds, based on data from the University of California-Santa Barbara’s American Presidency Project, which has tracked the length of presidential addresses since Lyndon B Johnson’s speech in 1964.
During Trump’s previous term, his speeches to Congress averaged around one hour and 20 minutes, with his 2019 State of the Union being the longest at one hour, 22 minutes, and 25 seconds.
Throughout his address, Trump defended his administration’s recent actions, including imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada, while also targeting his Democratic opponents in Congress.
The address quickly became a display of the nation’s political divide. At one point, Texas Democratic Representative Al Green interrupted by shouting, “You don’t have a mandate,” before House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered him removed. Green, who previously announced plans to file articles of impeachment against Trump over “injustice in Gaza,” was among the most vocal critics.
Many Democrats walked out during the speech, some showcasing black T-shirts with “RESIST” printed in white letters.
Others who remained until the latter half of the speech responded with shouts and chants of “January 6” as Trump defended law enforcement.
Trump’s record-breaking speech underscored the deep political divisions in Washington, with both his supporters and opponents making their voices heard.
