thumb|right|upright=1.1|Woodrow Wilson giving his first State of the Union address on December 2, 1913. This was the first time since 1801 that such an address was made in person before a joint session of Congress, initiating the modern trend with regard to the State of the Union address. The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, progress, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.
thumb|right|upright=1.1|Woodrow Wilson giving his first State of the Union address on December 2, 1913. This was the first time since 1801 that such an address was made in person before a joint session of Congress, initiating the modern trend with regard to the State of the Union address. The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, progress, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.