President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 30. If you’re not near a TV, or you don’t have cable, you won’t have to miss the speech that will be given before a joint session of Congress. There are several viewing options listed below if you want to watch the 2018 SOTU online, including Twitter, Facebook Live, YouTube, mobile apps, and live streams hosted by several cable and local TV networks.
The State of the Union address begins at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. Many television networks have blocked off a two-hour time slot, but there is no set length for the SOTU address. According to Politico , President Bill Clinton holds the record (89 minutes) for the longest speech, and President Ronald Reagan’s 31-minute speech is said to be the shortest.
President Trump is expected to read his speech off a teleprompter, something that may help him stay on message. And while White House officials told Politico the speech will be “one of unity,” Washington Post writer Jennifer Rubin has predetermined that Trump’s State of the Union address is “fake news.”
Rubin points out that when Trump delivers his SOTU speech on Tuesday night, it is ‘misleading” to believe his words will be ‘authentic’ because, after reading the prepared speech, it may not be long before he turns to Twitter to “create another juvenile slur.”
“There are two Trumps. The first one can get through a speech in the House chamber or at Davos by sticking to a script written by mainstream conservatives. The second has no interest in policy, no idea how to achieve it, no comprehension of American institutions, and no ability to lead the free world.”
Politico notes that that Trump has “demonstrated considerable unpredictability” and has strayed from speeches in the past, so it’s a wait-and-see situation as to whether or not he will stick with the script or add in his own commentary during tonight’s State of the Union address.
If you want to watch the SOTU live streaming online, here are several options.
- YouTube: Watch the live stream on the official White House website or via the live YouTube player (below).
- Facebook Live: Head over to the Washington Post’s live stream on Facebook to watch the speech live starting at 9 p.m. ET.
- Twitter will broadcast the State of the Union live so you can interact with other users during the speech. Use hashtag #SOTU when you tweet, or to find related tweets about Trump’s speech.
Most major television and cable networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC will pre-empt programming to air the 2018 State of the Union address. If you’re not near a TV, most networks have free mobile apps and online access. Keep in mind, many networks do not offer free access and require viewers to log in with their TV provider username and password.
