Clinton began the speech by saying, "We are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. Never before has our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis or so few external threats. Never before have we had such a blessed opportunity and, therefore, such a profound obligation to build the more perfect union of our founders' dreams." Clinton discussed many topics in the address, including education, health care, crime, the global economy, technology, and the environment.[1]
At the time, it was the longest State of the Union address in recorded history at 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 49 seconds until it was surpassed by the 2026 State of the Union Address by Donald Trump that lasted 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 40 seconds.
Written message with national radio address * Split into multiple parts
† Included a detailed written supplement
‡ Not officially a "State of the Union" Presidents William Henry Harrison (1841) and James Garfield (1881) died in office before delivering a State of the Union
