Latest news with #20thAmendment
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives: FDR inaugurated on this day in 1936, the last president to do so. Blame it on lame ducks
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. One hundred thirty-two years later, on March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his first term as president; he was the last U.S. president to be inaugurated on this date. In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' So why the change? According to historians, to minimize the transition period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, and curtail 'lame duck' Congresses in which members defeated in November served until March, legislators introduced the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Ratified in 1933, Roosevelt was sworn in on Jan. 20, 1937. Per most historians, the 'lame duck' phrase was first used in its metaphorical sense in the 18th century; it was used at the London Stock Exchange to refer to a stockbroker who defaulted on his debts. The first known use of the term to refer to politicians is in the Jan. 14, 1863, issue of the Congressional Globe (which was at the time the official record of the proceedings of the United States Congress): 'In no event ... could (the Court of Claims) be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of 'lame ducks' or broken down politicians.' Here are some interesting articles from Deseret News archives about presidential inaugurations: 'Scrapbook of the 20th century: Franklin Delano Roosevelt' 'Presidents try to make words go down in history' 'Change: An inaugural tradition' ''I do solemnly swear': Memorable moments from 230 years of presidential inaugurations' 'FDR didn't want a memorial, but history insisted' 'A look at FDR's short but very meaningful visit to Utah' 'Deseret News archives: Expanding the Supreme Court was a hot topic ... in 1937″ 'Deseret News archives: FDR sets Social Security program in motion 89 years ago'
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Express Tribune
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump's Congressional address not officially a State of the Union
Listen to article US President Donald Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, but the speech is not officially considered a State of the Union address due to long-standing tradition. While Article II of the Constitution mandates that presidents provide Congress with 'Information of the State of the Union' from time to time, the format and timing of these reports have evolved over centuries. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), early presidents, from Thomas Jefferson to William Howard Taft, fulfilled this duty through written reports rather than speeches. It was Woodrow Wilson in 1913 who revived George Washington's precedent of delivering an in-person address, a practice that has since become standard. Initially referred to as the Annual Message, the term 'State of the Union' was first used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who applied the constitutional language to both the message and the event. The title was officially adopted in 1947 during President Harry Truman's administration, coinciding with the first televised address of its kind. The timing of the address has also shifted over time. Before the 20th Amendment was ratified in 1933, Congress convened in March, and presidents typically delivered their reports in December. After the amendment moved the start of congressional and presidential terms to January, the State of the Union shifted to the beginning of the year. However, in a president's first year after inauguration, the tradition of delivering an official State of the Union address has not been followed. Outgoing presidents sometimes opt not to deliver a final address before leaving office. In 1981, President Jimmy Carter submitted a written report to Congress instead of giving a speech. Newly inaugurated President Ronald Reagan then addressed Congress in February of that year, but his speech was explicitly not labeled a State of the Union address. Subsequent presidents, including George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump, and Joe Biden, have all followed this precedent, delivering speeches that outline their administration's goals without officially designating them as State of the Union addresses. Despite the technical distinction, these speeches often carry the same weight and significance as an official State of the Union. The American Presidency Project notes that such addresses shape public perception of presidential leadership and set the administration's agenda in much the same way. For Trump, Tuesday's address presents an opportunity to discuss the first six weeks of his second term, which have seen major policy shifts and global ramifications. The president teased the speech on Truth Social, writing, 'TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!' While the speech may not be officially classified as a State of the Union, it will nonetheless serve as a crucial moment for Trump to outline his priorities and rally support for his administration's policies.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Trump's Speech Technically Isn't a State of the Union Address
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2025. Credit - Roberto Schmidt—AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump may walk into the Capitol like it's a State of the Union. He may talk like it's a State of the Union. But technically, the big speech he gives on Tuesday before a joint session of Congress is not a State of the Union address. That's mostly due to tradition. While Article II of the Constitution mandates Presidents to 'from time to time' give Congress 'Information of the State of the Union,' early reports varied in frequency and form. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS): 'Between 1801 and 1913, Presidents fulfilled their constitutional duty by sending their yearly report as a formal written letter to Congress.' It was President Woodrow Wilson who in 1913 revived the practice—started by George Washington in 1790—of delivering an oral address to Congress, though some subsequent Presidents still delivered a written message in addition or instead. The report was referred to as an Annual Message until President Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to CRS, 'applied the constitutional language 'State of the Union,' both to the message and the event, which became the popular nomenclature from his presidency forward.' The 'State of the Union Address' title became official in 1947 during Harry Truman's administration, according to the House Office of the Historian. That was also the first televised State of the Union. Prior to the 20th Amendment, which in 1933 formalized the swearing in of new members of Congress to Jan. 3 and new Presidents from March 4 to Jan. 20, the Annual Message was typically delivered in December. Beginning in 1934, 10 months into Roosevelt's first term, the State of the Union began to be delivered at the beginning of the year (usually January or February but recently as late as March). But the new timing created a question of whose responsibility it was to deliver the report in an inauguration year: the outgoing or incoming President? According to another CRS report, some Presidents 'have chosen not to deliver a State of the Union address in the last January before they depart from office, or in the year they were inaugurated.' But not in 1981. That year, outgoing President Jimmy Carter delivered a written message to Congress on Jan. 16, and newly-inaugurated President Ronald Reagan delivered an oral address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 18. But Reagan started a new tradition: his inauguration-year speech to Congress explicitly was not a State of the Union address. Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump, and Joe Biden have all followed suit, delivering speeches that are not State of the Union addresses to a joint session of Congress in the weeks after their inauguration. (Reagan called his speech 'Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery,' while the Bushes and Clinton called theirs addresses 'on Administration Goals,' and Obama, Trump, and Biden simply called theirs 'Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress.') But the fact that these speeches are technically not State of the Union addresses makes little difference, according to the American Presidency Project, which says the 'impact of such a speech on public, media, and congressional perceptions of presidential leadership and power should be the same.' For Trump's part, the speech on Tuesday will be an opportunity for him to discuss the first six weeks of his second term that have upended Washington and the world and to outline his agenda for the weeks and years ahead. 'TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG,' Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. 'I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!' Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latest DHS hire called for "martial law" after Trump lost the 2020 election
The Trump administration has tapped a 29-year-old lawyer who called for "martial law" to keep Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election to act as its point-man to the Department of Homeland Security, acting as a liaison between the White House and DHS as well as oversee political appointments at the department. The man, Paul Ingrassia, held a similar post with the Justice Department before he was reportedly pushed out following clashes with the department's chief of staff. According to ABC News, while at DOJ Ingrassia had pushed for only hiring candidate who display "exceptional loyalty" to the president. Before working in the Trump administration, Ingrassia co-hosted a podcast called 'Right on Point," which also had an active Twitter (now X) account, using that platform to spread conspiracy theories and propose radical actions to support a right-wing political agenda. Following Trump's defeat to former President Joe Biden in 2020, the Twitter account urged "secession" if courts ruled against Trump's election fraud lawsuits and made numerous posts calling followers to "support martial law." The posts were first uncovered by CNN. 'Time for @realDonaldTrump to declare martial law and secure his re-election! It's the only way,' the podcast's account posted in December 2020 in a now-deleted post. Many of its tweets in the weeks prior to Biden's inauguration branded Republicans as traitors, likening former Vice President Mike Pence to Judas and Brutus and suggesting that he belongs in the "ninth circle of hell." When right-wing commentator Seb Gorka — a former aide in Trump's first term who now serves as a deputy assistant to the president — pushed back on a post that called for Pence to be shot by a firing squad, the account responded by calling him "soft." Four days after the Gorka tweet, Ingrassia shared a blog post from his podcast that urged Trump to use emergency powers to stay in the White House, claiming he had a "moral imperative" to uphold election security by ordering a re-vote in some states, all overseen by the military. The proposal is unconstitutional per the 20th Amendment. 'To that end, a martial law orchestrated revote in at least the four defendant-states in the quashed Texas lawsuit: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin is needed,' Ingrassia wrote. Trump showed favor to Ingrassia by reposting his articles; the newly-minted DHS liaison, in return, declared in his social media bio that he is 'President Trump's favorite writer.'
