U.S. President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union-style address in modern history on Tuesday night, speaking for about one hour and 48 minutes before a joint session of Congress.
Data from the American Presidency Project, which has documented such speeches since 1964, shows that the address was the lengthiest presented to Congress in at least 60 years.
The speech exceeded the previous modern-era record, also set by Trump, when he spoke for one hour and 39 minutes last year. That earlier address, delivered during the opening year of his second nonconsecutive term, was not formally designated as a State of the Union.
Prior to Trump’s record, the longest State of the Union address had been delivered by Bill Clinton in 2000, lasting one hour and 28 minutes.
In contrast, the briefest speech to Congress in the past six decades came from Richard Nixon in 1972, clocking in at just 28 minutes, according to the same archive.
Tuesday’s extended address featured numerous pauses for applause, interruptions, and acknowledgments of invited guests, including recognition of the U.S. men’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team.
The annual speech traditionally allows presidents to outline their legislative agenda and national priorities. Trump’s remarks were delivered amid recent polls suggesting that a significant number of Americans feel the country’s situation has declined compared to a year ago.