President Donald Trump will deliver an address to a joint session of Congress in the coming days, his first major speech since taking office for a second term.
The address won't officially be called a State of the Union address -- though similar to one in many ways -- as Trump only took office months ago.
As the speech approaches, here's everything you need to know to be prepared, including how to watch live, what time the address is and more.
When will the speech take place?
The speech starts at 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 4.
House Speaker Mike Johnson invited Trump to deliver the joint address to Congress in a letter sent in late January.
"...Your administration and the 119th Congress working together have the chance to make these next four years some of the most consequential in our nation's history," he stated, in part. "To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, to share your America First vision for our legislative future..."
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How can you watch live?
Trump's speech will be shown live on all of the major network and cable television stations, including on NBC, MSNBC, NBC News Now, NBC’s online streaming network Peacock, and this website.
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It will also be available live on the NBC Chicago streaming channel.
The 24-7 streaming channel, NBC Chicago News, is now available at the top of this page, on NBCChicago.com and the NBC Chicago app, as well as on Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus and Xumo. (Details on how to watch here)
Why isn't Trump's address called the State of the Union?
The U.S. Constitution mandates the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union."
Recent presidents starting with Ronald Reagan addressed a joint session of Congress shortly after their inaugurations, according to the American Presidency Project. These messages delivered shortly after a president takes office are technically not State of the Union addresses.
Will there be a rebuttal?
As is also the case with the State of the Union, the opposing party will deliver a rebuttal. Michigan freshman U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin has been selected to give Democrats' response to the president's address.
