All the Constitution says is that he shall do so from "time to time". And it need not be a speech.
The U. S. Constitution (established in 1789) expressly states that the President is anually required to deliver to Congress news "...of the State of the Union..."
The State of The Union Address. He appears before a joint session of Congress (this means the Senate and the Representatives are there) to deliver this annual speech.
State of the Union Address
the president
state of the union =)) state of the union =))also pot is good
No, the president does not have to deliver the State of the Union address in person. However, it has been a longstanding tradition for presidents to do so, as it allows them to directly address the American public and outline their agenda for the coming year. In recent history, the State of the Union address has typically been delivered in person before a joint session of Congress.
The U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 3 states in part, "[The president] shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient..."
the president
The President of the United States, who is the head of the Executive Branch, delivers the State of the Union Address. The whole Executive Branch has too many people to deliver an Address; they would not all fit into any building on the planet.
Giving a State of the Union speech (more commonly called an 'address') is not optional. The president is expected to do it. In fact, the Constitution says a president must do it. Although the Constitution does not spell out when or even how (it can be written and sent over, or delivered in person as a speech to congress), it does say a president must provide the congress with a report, informing them of how the country is progressing under his leadership. So, this has become an annual event for every president. Some presidents have decided to deliver it as a formal speech, while others just sent it as a written report. In the past 70 years or so, delivering it in person as a formal speech (or address) has become the custom-- which is how George Washington did it at the very beginning of our country.
it is delivered annually
he deliverd it in 1860