The longest State of the Union addresses in recent history, ranked

Some US presidents have more of the gift of the gab than others.

The American Presidency Project has tracked the length of every president's State of the Union address since 1964, with the timer beginning when the president opens with "Mr. Speaker" or "Madam Speaker."

In the State of the Union, which is mandated by the Constitution, presidents typically highlight their administration's accomplishments and lay out their legislative agenda in a speech before a joint session of Congress.

Presidents usually also introduce their legislative priorities in a joint address during their first year in office, a tradition started by President Ronald Reagan. Though this speech doesn't technically qualify as a State of the Union, it is widely regarded as such and is included in the American Presidency Project's dataset.

On average, State of the Union speeches from 1964 to 2025 have lasted 56 minutes and 24 seconds, according to the American Presidency Project. President Richard Nixon gave the shortest-ever State of the Union speech in 1972 at 28 minutes and 55 seconds.

President Donald Trump and President Bill Clinton have given nine of the top 10 longest State of the Union speeches in history. In 2026, Trump broke his own record when his joint address to Congress clocked in at 1 hour and 47 minutes.

Here's how the top 10 longest State of the Union addresses stack up.

10. President Joe Biden spoke for 1 hour and 13 minutes at his 2023 State of the Union address.

9. President Bill Clinton's 1998 State of the Union address spanned 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 43 seconds.

8. In 2020, Trump gave a 1-hour, 18-minute, and 4-second State of the Union address the night before the Senate voted in his impeachment trial.

7. Clinton's 1999 State of the Union speech clocked in at 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 40 seconds.

6. In 2018, Trump's first State of the Union address ran for 1 hour, 20 minutes, and 32 seconds.

5. Trump spoke for 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 25 seconds at the 2019 State of the Union.

4. Clinton's State of the Union address in 1995 lasted 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 58 seconds, making it the third-longest in history.

3. Clinton's final State of the Union address in 2000 was also the second-longest at 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 49 seconds.

2. Trump's address to a joint session of Congress in 2025 clocked in at 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 32 seconds.

1. Trump's 2026 address was the longest on record, at 1 hour and 47 minutes.