President Trump says voter ID will be required to vote in midterm elections
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump asserted that voter ID will be required in the midterm elections even if Congress does not approve it.
President Donald Trump is not the only one with a role to play in the State of the Union address.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican representing Louisiana, plans to welcome President Trump to the House of Representatives on February 24 for the State of the Union address. Addressing a joint session of Congress is required by the U.S. Constitution, which directs the president to keep lawmakers informed about the current state of the country and to propose legislative priorities.
Here’s what you need to know about Johnson and his role in the State of the Union address.
Mr. Johnson is a Republican and the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives. He will be the first person from Louisiana to hold this position.
Mr. Johnson represents the state’s 4th Congressional District. He was first elected in 2016 and is currently serving his sixth term. Before being elected to Congress in 2016, Johnson was a lawyer and served in the Louisiana State Assembly from 2015 to 2017, according to the House. Mr. Johnson was elected Chair on October 25, 2023.
Mr. Johnson is an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump. But the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives threatens to weaken it in the 2026 midterm elections, complicating her and Trump’s ability to pursue their legislative agenda.
What is the Speaker of the House?
The Speaker represents the majority party in the House, directs business on the House floor, and manages the legislative process between the House, Senate, and White House. He is also the second-in-line successor to the president and vice president should they become incapacitated.
Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to choose the speaker and the power to impeach the president.
What is the role of the Speaker of the House in SOTU?
The Speaker of the House plays an important role in delivering the executive branch’s annual address on national policy and setting out the administration’s policy agenda.
Under the Constitution, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are independent branches of government power. For this purpose, the speaker must invite the president to the parliament and give a speech.
Prime Minister Johnson invited President Trump to deliver this year’s address in a letter on January 7th. Mr. Johnson posted a copy of the invitation sent to the president on X. In the speech, Johnson praised Trump’s “bold actions” and leadership.
Historically, speakers helped coordinate messages from party members in the lead-up to their speeches and on the day of the event, according to Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Speakers are not necessarily from the same political party as the president. But this year, both are Republicans.
That means Mr. Johnson will serve as the Congressional representative for the purposes and goals that Mr. Trump articulates in his speech. Lawmakers and Americans watching from home can expect to see Mr. Johnson, sitting with Vice President J.D. Vance on a raised podium behind the president, standing, clapping and expressing support for the agenda outlined by Mr. Trump, according to Rock the Vote. He has expressed his desire to implement Trump’s policies in Congress.
Is this Johnson’s first SOTU?
Johnson’s first State of the Union address as House speaker was in March 2024, delivered by then-President Joe Biden, and was the last address of Johnson’s term.
Johnson also attended in March 2025, where Trump spoke about his accomplishments since taking office in January and the challenges for the next four years. But the event took place less than two months after President Trump was inaugurated for his second term, so it wasn’t technically a State of the Union address. In other words, the Feb. 24 speech will be the first official State of the Union address of President Trump’s second term, and the first official State of the Union address of the current administration that Johnson will attend.
