U.S. President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol February 24, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
As President Donald Trump prepares for his presidential address to Congress, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern, many are looking back and want to compare his speech to then-President Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress. Obama’s speech took place on February 24, 2009, and lasted just shy of an hour. Like Trump’s, Obama’s first speech was not called a State of the Union, but rather a speech to a joint session of Congress.
He delivered the speech on the floor of the chamber of the United States House of Representatives, in the United States Capitol. Presiding over the join session was House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Vice President Joe Biden accompanied the Speaker of the House.
During Obama’s speech, Attorney General Eric Holder was named the “designated survivor.” He did not attend the speech, but stayed in a secret location.
After his speech, Republican Bobby Jindal delivered a response that was highly criticized.
You can watch Obama’s speech below.
How do you think it compares to the one that Trump delivered tonight? Let us know in the comments below.