Biden to address Congress at State of the Union 2021: Speech time, how to watch online
President Biden will make his first joint address to Congress Wednesday night… here is all you need to know to tune in and watch the speech live.
Biden addresses Congress live updates
As a Senator and Vice-President, Joseph R. Biden has watched eight presidents deliver the annual State of the Union address, and tomorrow night he will deliver his first joint address to Congress.
Elected to the Senate in 1973, the first President he saw deliver a State of the Union address was Richard Nixon. The nation finds itself in a very different place than it did all those decades ago, and tomorrow we will hear from President Biden on where he plans to lead the country in the coming year.
The event is an opportunity for President Biden to outline his economic and legislative agenda for the coming year. Officials from Biden’s administration have stated that much of the speech will focus on his next signature piece of legislation, the American Families Plan.
Other topics that Biden may touch on in his speech could include a summary of where the country stands in fighting the covid-19 pandemic, an overview of the recent climate change commitments made by the President during a virtual summit hosted by the White House, and remarks on the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd early last summer.
WH Press Secretary Psaki says President Biden will speak on his American families plan, police reform, immigration, gun safety and the pandemic during his joint address to Congress on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/QshuByjcSY
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 27, 2021
When does the event begin?
President Biden’s first joint address to Congress will begin at 8 PM EDT.
The address, which will occur in the House of Representatives chambers, will be carried live by most major US news channels, including ABC News, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.
Additionally, the White House will be streaming the event on their YouTube channel.
How many people usually tune in to watch the State of the Union?
The audience for the event varies year to year and has dropped significantly since the early 2000s. President Trump’s addresses garnered an audience between 22 and 28 million depending on the year, while President Obama’s numbered hovered around 20 million throughout his tenure. The largest audience recorded, 38 million viewers, was in 2003 under George Bush. The event may have drawn such wide viewership as the country was on the precipice of war with Iraq.