State of the Union 2020: Everything you need to know to watch Trump’s speech
Donald Trump will deliver his third State of the Union address Tuesday night, but his first since being impeached.
State of the Union speech
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 4
Start time: 9 p.m.
TV: All major broadcast and cable news networks
President Donald Trump will give his third State of the Union address Tuesday night, one day before he will likely be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate in his impeachment trial.
Trump is expected to avoid any mention of the Senate trial and instead use the annual speech to promote the “Great American comeback." According to administration officials, Americans can expect an optimistic speech, despite the fact that many of the Democratic foes he targets relentlessly on social media will be sitting in the U.S. Capitol listening to his speech.
Trump isn’t the first president to deliver the State of the Union amid impeachment proceedings. On Jan. 19, 1999, former President Bill Clinton delivered a lengthy speech in the middle of his Senate impeachment trial. Some Republicans, such as former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, refused to attend the speech, and thought it was inappropriate for the House to even offer Clinton an invitation to speak.
Trump’s speech also comes hours after a debacle in Iowa, where Democrats still don’t know who won the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus due to technical issues and what the party described as “inconsistencies” in the reporting data. It’s unclear if Trump will mention the caucus in his speech, but called them an “unmitigated disaster” on Twitter Tuesday morning.
The State of the Union will air on all major broadcast networks and cable news channels to an expected audience of 40 million to 45 million viewers. It will also be streamed live online. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the address:
What time does the State of the Union start and end?
Trump is expected to begin his address live from the Capitol shortly after 9 p.m. Trump’s first two State of the Union speeches took more than 1 hour and 20 minutes each, while his first address to Congress in February 2017 lasted a little more than an hour.
The average length of Trump’s speeches to Congress is 1 hour and 14 minutes. Using that measure, Trump’s address should end around 10:14 p.m.
» READ MORE: A Philadelphia student and her mom are among Trump’s State of the Union guests
Who is delivering the Democratic response?
Following Trump’s speech, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the Democratic response, a high-profile spot often reserved for up-and-coming politicians.
Whitmer, who once aspired to be an ESPN broadcaster before attending law school, has served as the battleground state’s governor for just a year. Prior to that, the 48-year-old mother of two served 14 years in the Michigan statehouse as a state senator and state representative.
During her rebuttal, which she’ll deliver from her daughters’ high school in East Lansing, Whitmer is expected to hardly mention Trump and instead focus on the “fundamentals” such as fixing deteriorating roads and helping train people for better-paying jobs.
Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, who famously said Trump was “not welcome” in El Paso following a shooting that killed 22 people, will deliver the Democrats’ Spanish-language response.
» READ MORE: Sister Mary Scullion, Philly homelessness expert, to be among lawmakers’ guests for State of the Union address
Who is Trump’s designated survivor?
The White House has not yet said who will be this year’s designated survivor — the sole member of the Cabinet who doesn’t attend the State of the Union at the Capitol in the unlikely event an attack or disaster wipes out the entire government during the speech.
We do know it won’t be acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf or acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, because Cabinet members serving in an acting capacity are ineligible to act as the designated survivor. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is also ineligible due to the fact she was born in Taiwan, and only individuals born in the United States may serve as president.
Last year, Trump’s designated survivor was former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who left the administration in December.
How are the networks covering the State of the Union?
ABC
Start time: 9 p.m.
Anchor: Chief anchor George Stephanopoulos
Analysis: World News Tonight anchor David Muir, chief global affairs correspondent and This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz, and contributors Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel and Yvette Simpson
Streaming: Live coverage on ABCNews.com at 8 p.m., anchored by World News Tonight weekend anchor and chief national affairs correspondent Tom Llamas
Local affiliate: 6ABC (Channel 6)
CBS
Start time: 9 p.m.
Anchor: CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell
Analysis: Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan and senior political correspondent John Dickerson
Streaming: Live coverage on CBSN starting at 6 p.m., anchored by CBS Weekend News anchor and Red & Blue co-host Elaine Quijano
Local affiliate: CBS3 (Channel 3)
FOX
Start time: 9 p.m.
Anchor: Fox News chief news anchor Bill Hemmer
Analysis: Fox News contributors Ari Fleischer and Marie Harf
Streaming: Live coverage on FoxNews.com at 9 p.m.
Local affiliate: FOX 29 (Channel 29)
NBC
Start time: 9 p.m.
Anchor: NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie
Analysis: Meet the Press moderator and political director Chuck Todd, senior Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell
Streaming: Live coverage on MSNBC.com at 8 p.m. and NBCNews.com at 9 p.m.
Local affiliate: NBC10 (Channel 10)
PBS
How are the cable networks covering the State of the Union?
C-SPAN
Start time: 8 p.m.
Analysis: Following the speech and the Democratic response, C-SPAN will take viewers’ phone calls and read opinions from Twitter and Facebook.
Streaming: Live coverage on C-SPAN.org
CNN
Start time: 7 p.m.
Anchors: The Situation Room’s Wolf Blitzer, The Lead’s Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper 360′s Anderson Cooper, and political correspondent Dana Bash
Streaming: Live coverage on CNN.com and across mobile devices through the CNN app
Fox Business
Start time: 8 p.m.
Anchor: Cavuto: Coast to Coast anchor Neil Cavuto
Analysis: Lou Dobbs Tonight host Lou Dobbs, Trish Regan Primetime host Trish Regan, Kennedy host Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery
Streaming: Live coverage on FoxBusiness.com at 8 p.m.
Fox News
Start time: 9 p.m.
Anchors: Special Report anchor Bret Baier and The Story anchor Martha MacCallum
Analysis: FOX News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, The Daily Briefing host Dana Perino, The Five co-host Juan Williams
Streaming: Live coverage on FoxNews.com at 9 p.m.
MSNBC
Start time: 8 p.m.
Anchor: The Rachel Maddow Show host Rachel Maddow and The 11th Hour anchor Brian Williams
Analysis: Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace
Streaming: Live coverage on MSNBC.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.