State of the Union 2020: How to stream online and watch on TV
President Trump will give the final State of the Union of his first term on Tuesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. ET. But the address may be running up against some counterprogramming: Mr. Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate.
The annual State of the Union address by the president is considered a Washington institution. The president has appeared before a joint session of Congress every year since 1913, providing a constitutionally-mandated debrief on the country's current political and economic status. Article II of the Constitution requires the president to "give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar will give the Democratic rebuttals to Mr. Trump's State of the Union address. Escobar will deliver the Spanish-language rebuttal, which will come after Whitmer's speech.
How to watch
- What: State of the Union
- Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2020
- Time: 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT
- Where to watch: The address will be carried live on CBS and CBSN.
- Analysis: Post-address coverage will be carried on CBSN and in the video player above.
- Live updates: Follow along with the CBSNews.com State of the Union live blog.
- Live stream: Online on CBSN (the 24/7 free news streaming service from CBS News), CBS All Access (start a free trial), and fuboTV (get a free one-week trial).
- Download the free CBS News app for complete coverage of President Trump's State of the Union address.
It will be only the second time a State of the Union address will be delivered while the Senate is holding an impeachment trial. In 1999, President Clinton made no mention of the impeachment trial during his second-to-last State of the Union on January 19. Mr. Clinton was ultimately acquitted on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury by the Senate.
The Senate is scheduled to hold the final verdict vote on the impeachment trial on Wednesday.
The State of the Union will be held a day after the Iowa caucuses this year. Mr. Trump has two Republican challengers, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld and former Congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois, but neither poses a substantial threat to the president in Iowa or nationally. The president won the Republican caucuses in Iowa Monday.
The race will be far more consequential for Democrats.