United States Oval Office Address
An Oval Office address is a type of speech made by the president of the United States, usually in the Oval Office at the White House. It is considered among the most solemn settings for an address made by a leader, and is most often delivered to announce a major new policy initiative, on the occasion of a leader's departure from office, or during times of national emergency.
On occasions of national interest, U.S. presidents may decide to speak to the American people directly. Often in addresses to the nation, the president speaks directly into the camera and begins with the phrase, "My fellow Americans...".
Use of the Oval Office
Presidents have used addresses in the Oval Office of the White House as a way to directly communicate with the American people. It is considered to be a major address and it functions as a way to move public opinion by having a direct connection with the president of the United States. Presidential historian Robert Dallek stated, “The Oval Office invokes the center of the presidential authority. That's the president's office, that's where he supposedly makes decisions, where he governs.” As the formal executive office of the president, the Oval Office sets the tone for any address to the American people. It is also where the president will communicate national news such as terrorist attacks, and each president usually gives their farewell speech in the Oval Office.The first Oval Office address was delivered to the nation by President Herbert Hoover, who spoke on peace efforts and arms reduction throughout the world. President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the format in 1957 to inform the United States of his decision to send troops to Little Rock to enforce school desegregation. Being only the second ever televised address directly from the president's office, Eisenhower had to explain as much to the audience, saying, "in speaking from the house of Lincoln, of Jackson, of Wilson, my words would better convey both the sadness I feel today in the actions I feel compelled to make, and the firmness with which I intend to pursue this course."
Some previous addresses include John F. Kennedy's 1962 news of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Jimmy Carter's 1979 "Malaise" speech, Ronald Reagan's speech following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, George W. Bush's Address to the Nation on the evening of the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks and Barack Obama's June 2010 speech addressing the issue of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Traditionally, the addresses are delivered with the president sitting at the Resolute desk speaking into the camera. Occasionally, however, the president will stand at a lectern on the opposite side of the Oval Office and give the address. Previously, it was also common for an artificial background to be placed behind the president, ordinarily consisting of plain blue fabric. Since the administration of Gerald Ford, the preference has instead been for the natural backdrop of the Office's windows.
Modern format
There have been suggestions that the traditional Oval Office address is falling out of favor in the Information Age, with White House aide Daniel Pfeiffer describing it as "an argument from the '80s", when President Ronald Reagan would draw tens of millions of viewers per address. Television networks are increasingly reluctant to sacrifice airtime for a political purpose.In recent years, presidents have addressed the country in other White House settings. Barack Obama made several major speeches from the East Room, including an address on the Syrian civil war in 2010 an announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden, and an announcement of the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from Afghanistan.
Donald Trump used the Diplomatic Reception Room for several major announcements, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, and addressing the government shutdown in 2019.
During his presidency, Joe Biden used the White House Cross Hall or Roosevelt Room for major addresses. He delivered an announcement of a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Gaza war from the Cross Hall. From the Roosevelt Room, he addressed pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and raising the debt ceiling during budget negotiations in 2023.
However, the tradition of the prime-time Oval Office address has continued into the Trump and Biden presidencies. The address of January 8, 2019, during the government shutdown was the first time that Trump requested airtime. The address of June 2, 2023, during the debt-ceiling crisis was the first time that Biden requested airtime.
List of Oval Office addresses
| President | Date | Subject | Speech |
| Donald Trump | - | - | - |
| Donald Trump | September 10, 2025 | On the assassination of Charlie Kirk | ] |
| Donald Trump | September 9, 2025 | On law and order following the killing of Iryna Zarutska | ] |
| January 15, 2025 | Farewell address | ||
| July 24, 2024 | On his withdrawal from the presidential race | ||
| July 14, 2024 | On the attempted assassination of Donald Trump | ||
| October 19, 2023 | On the Gaza war and Russian invasion of Ukraine | ||
| June 2, 2023 | On congressional approval of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 | ||
| January 13, 2021 | On the January 6th Capitol attack | ||
| March 11, 2020 | On the coronavirus pandemic | ||
| January 8, 2019 | On the government shutdown and the proposed United States-Mexico border wall | ||
| December 6, 2015 | On the United States counterterrorism strategy | ||
| August 31, 2010 | On United States policy towards Iraq | ||
| June 15, 2010 | On the Deepwater Horizon oil spill | ||
| September 13, 2007 | On the War in Iraq | ||
| September 11, 2006 | On the five year anniversary of the September 11th attacks | ||
| May 15, 2006 | On immigration, border security, drug policy, and the drug war in Mexico | ||
| December 18, 2005 | On the elections in Iraq | ||
| March 19, 2003 | Start of war against Iraq | ||
| September 11, 2001 | On the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. | ||
| August 9, 2001 | On stem cell research | ||
| January 18, 2001 | Farewell address | ||
| July 8, 2000 | The President's Internet Address | ||
| June 10, 1999 | On the peace agreement in Kosovo | ||
| March 24, 1999 | On the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia | ||
| December 16, 1998 | Start of a U.S. and British bombing campaign against Iraq | ||
| August 20, 1998 | U.S. cruise missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan | ||
| November 27, 1995 | On the Dayton Agreement | ||
| June 13, 1995 | On the federal budget | ||
| December 15, 1994 | Announcing a middle class bill of rights initiative | ||
| October 10, 1994 | On Iraq | ||
| September 18, 1994 | On the peaceful capitulation of the Haitian government | ||
| September 15, 1994 | Ultimatum to the government of Haiti | ||
| October 7, 1993 | On the battle of Mogadishu | ||
| August 3, 1993 | On the balanced budget plan | ||
| June 26, 1993 | U.S. strike on Iraq | ||
| February 15, 1993 | On the national economic program | ||
| December 4, 1992 | On the crisis in Somalia | ||
| September 1, 1992 | On Hurricane Andrew disaster relief | ||
| May 1, 1992 | On the riots in Los Angeles | ||
| December 25, 1991 | On the collapse of the Soviet Union | ||
| September 27, 1991 | On reducing U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons | ||
| September 13, 1991 | Nomination of Robert Gates as CIA Director | - | |
| February 27, 1991 | End of war in the Persian Gulf | ||
| January 16, 1991 | Start of war in the Persian Gulf | ||
| October 2, 1990 | On the federal budget agreement | ||
| September 12, 1990 | Message to the people of Iraq | ||
| August 8, 1990 | On the crisis in the Persian Gulf | ||
| December 20, 1989 | On the United States invasion of Panama | ||
| September 5, 1989 | On drugs | ||
| January 11, 1989 | Farewell address | ||
| February 2, 1988 | On aid to the Nicaraguan democratic resistance | ||
| December 10, 1987 | On the Soviet-United States summit meeting | ||
| October 14, 1987 | Nomination of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court | ||
| August 12, 1987 | On the Iran-Contra affair and administration goals | ||
| June 15, 1987 | On the Venice economic summit, arms control, and the deficit | ||
| March 4, 1987 | On the Iran-Contra affair | ||
| December 2, 1986 | On the investigation into the Iran-Contra affair | ||
| November 13, 1986 | On the Iran-Contra affair | ||
| November 2, 1986 | On the congressional and gubernatorial midterm elections | ||
| October 13, 1986 | On meetings with Gorbachev in Iceland | ||
| June 24, 1986 | Aid to the Contras | ||
| April 14, 1986 | United States airstrike against Libya | ||
| March 16, 1986 | On the situation in Nicaragua | ||
| February 26, 1986 | On national security | ||
| January 28, 1986 | On the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster | ||
| November 14, 1985 | On the upcoming Soviet-United States meeting in Geneva | ||
| June 30, 1985 | On the hijacking of Trans World Airlines Flight 847 | ||
| May 28, 1985 | On tax reform | ||
| April 24, 1985 | On federal budget and deficit reduction | ||
| November 5, 1984 | On the eve of the presidential election | ||
| May 9, 1984 | On United States policy in Central America | ||
| January 29, 1984 | Decision to seek re-election | ||
| October 27, 1983 | On recent events in Lebanon and Grenada | ||
| September 5, 1983 | On the Soviet attack on a Korean civilian airliner | ||
| March 23, 1983 | On defense and national security | ||
| November 22, 1982 | On strategic arms reduction and nuclear deterrence | ||
| October 13, 1982 | On the economy | ||
| September 20, 1982 | Announcing the formation of a Multinational Force in Lebanon | ||
| August 16, 1982 | On federal tax and budget reconciliation legislation | ||
| April 29, 1982 | On the 1983 fiscal budget | ||
| December 23, 1981 | Observance of Christmas and the situation in Poland | ||
| September 24, 1981 | On the program for economic recovery | ||
| July 27, 1981 | On federal tax reduction legislation | ||
| February 5, 1981 | On the economy | ||
| January 14, 1981 | Farewell address | ||
| April 25, 1980 | On the failed rescue attempt of American hostages in Iran | ||
| January 4, 1980 | On the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan | ||
| October 1, 1979 | On the Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement | ||
| July 15, 1979 | On consumerism and the crisis of confidence | ||
| April 5, 1979 | On energy | ||
| November 8, 1977 | Announcing a national energy policy | ||
| April 18, 1977 | On energy | ||
| October 6, 1975 | On federal tax and spending regulations | ||
| May 27, 1975 | On energy | ||
| May 15, 1975 | On the recovery of the SS Mayaguez | ||
| March 29, 1975 | On signing the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 | ||
| January 13, 1975 | On energy, inflation, and the economy | ||
| September 16, 1974 | Pardoning of Vietnam War draft evaders | ||
| September 8, 1974 | Pardoning of Richard Nixon | ||
| August 8, 1974 | Announcing the resignation of the presidency | ||
| July 25, 1974 | On inflation and the economy. | ||
| July 3, 1974 | On returning from the Soviet Union | ||
| July 2, 1974 | Message to the people of the Soviet Union | ||
| April 29, 1974 | Announcing answer to the House Judiciary Committee subpoena | ||
| November 25, 1973 | Announcing a national energy policy | ||
| November 7, 1973 | Announcing policies to deal with the energy shortages | ||
| October 12, 1973 | Nomination of Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States | ||
| August 15, 1973 | On the Watergate investigations | ||
| June 13, 1973 | Announcing price control measures | ||
| April 30, 1973 | On the Watergate investigations | ||
| April 19, 1973 | Announcing an end to the energy quota system | ||
| March 29, 1973 | On Vietnam and domestic problems | ||
| January 23, 1973 | Announcing the conclusion of a peace agreement in Vietnam | ||
| November 7, 1972 | Victory speech | ||
| November 6, 1972 | On the eve of the presidential election | ||
| November 2, 1972 | "Look to the Future" | ||
| July 4, 1972 | Announcing plans for America's bicentennial celebration | ||
| May 28, 1972 | Message to the people of the Soviet Union | ||
| May 8, 1972 | On the situation in Southeast Asia | ||
| April 26, 1972 | On Vietnam | ||
| March 16, 1972 | On equal educational opportunities and school busing | ||
| February 8, 1972 | On the environment | ||
| January 25, 1972 | Announcing a plan for peace in Vietnam | ||
| October 21, 1971 | Nomination of Powell and Rehnquist to the United States Supreme Court | ||
| October 7, 1971 | On the post-freeze economic stabilization program | ||
| September 6, 1971 | Observance of Labor Day | ||
| August 15, 1971 | Announcing a new economic policy: "The Challenge of Peace" | ||
| July 15, 1971 | Announcing acceptance of an invitation to visit China | ||
| May 20, 1971 | Announcing a Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement with the Soviet Union | ||
| April 7, 1971 | On the situation in Southeast Asia | ||
| February 25, 1971 | On the second annual foreign policy report to Congress | ||
| February 18, 1971 | On healthcare | ||
| October 7, 1970 | Announcing a new initiative for peace in Southeast Asia | ||
| June 17. 1970 | On economic policy and productivity | ||
| June 3, 1970 | On the Cambodian sanctuary operation | ||
| April 30, 1970 | On the situation in Southeast Asia | ||
| April 20, 1970 | On progress toward peace in Vietnam | ||
| March 23, 1970 | On the postal strike | ||
| December 15, 1969 | On progress toward peace in Vietnam | ||
| November 3, 1969 | On the War in Vietnam | ||
| October 17, 1969 | On the rising cost of living | ||
| August 8. 1969 | On domestic programs | ||
| May 14, 1969 | On Vietnam | ||
| October 31, 1968 | Announcing his decision to halt the bombing of North Vietnam | ||
| June 6, 1968 | On the death of Robert Francis Kennedy | ||
| June 5, 1968 | On the assassination attempt on Robert Francis Kennedy | ||
| April 5, 1968 | On the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. | ||
| March 31, 1968 | On the war in Vietnam and the 1968 election | ||
| January 26, 1968 | On the capture of the USS Pueblo by North Korean forces | ||
| July 27, 1967 | On civil disorder in the United States | ||
| July 24, 1967 | On the riots in Detroit | ||
| July 12, 1966 | On United States foreign policy in Asia | ||
| January 31, 1966 | On the resumption of bombing of North Vietnam | ||
| August 6, 1965 | On the signing of the Voting Rights Act | ||
| July 28, 1965 | On Vietnam and the United States Supreme Court | ||
| May 2, 1965 | On the situation in the Dominican Republic | ||
| April 28, 1965 | On the decision to send troops to the Dominican Republic | ||
| March 26, 1965 | On the arrests of those involved in the murder of Viola Liuzzo | ||
| November 2, 1964 | On the eve of the presidential election | ||
| October 18, 1964 | On recent events in China, the USSR, and Great Britain | ||
| October 7, 1964 | On the upcoming presidential election | ||
| August 4, 1964 | On the Gulf of Tonkin incident | ||
| July 2, 1964 | On the signing of the Civil Rights Bill | ||
| April 22, 1964 | On the railroad strike | ||
| November 28, 1963 | Observance of Thanksgiving | ||
| November 23, 1963 | On the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy | ||
| September 18, 1963 | On the Test Ban Treaty and the tax reduction bill | ||
| July 26, 1963 | On the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty | ||
| July 10, 1963 | Announcing postponing of the railroad strike | ||
| July 5, 1963 | On returning from a trip to Europe | ||
| June 11, 1963 | On civil rights | ||
| May 16, 1963 | On the flight of astronaut L. Gordon Cooper | ||
| May 12, 1963 | On the race riots in Birmingham, Alabama | ||
| November 3, 1962 | Encouraging the American people to vote in the midterm elections | ||
| November 2, 1962 | Announcing an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis | ||
| October 22, 1962 | On the Cuban Missile Crisis | ||
| September 30, 1962 | On the situation at the University of Mississippi | ||
| August 13, 1962 | On the economy | ||
| July 2, 1962 | Announcing recognition of Algerian independence | ||
| March 3, 1962 | On nuclear testing and deterrent | ||
| July 25, 1961 | On the Berlin Crisis | ||
| June 6, 1961 | On returning from Europe | ||
| January 17, 1961 | Farewell address | ||
| June 27, 1960 | On the trip to the Far East | ||
| May 25, 1960 | On recent events in Paris | ||
| March 8, 1960 | On the trip to South America | ||
| February 21, 1960 | On leaving for a trip to South America | ||
| December 3, 1959 | On leaving for a trip to Europe, Asia, and South America | ||
| September 10, 1959 | On the trip to Europe | ||
| August 6, 1959 | On the need for an effective labor bill | ||
| March 16, 1959 | On security in the free world | ||
| September 11, 1958 | On the Formosan Straits crisis | ||
| July 15, 1958 | On the United States mission in Beirut | ||
| December 23, 1957 | On the NATO conference in Paris | ||
| November 13, 1957 | On future security | ||
| November 7, 1957 | On science and national security | ||
| September 24, 1957 | On the Little Rock school integration crisis | ||
| May 21, 1957 | On mutual security | ||
| May 14, 1957 | On the federal budget | ||
| February 20, 1957 | On the situation in the Middle East and the Eisenhower Doctrine | ||
| October 31, 1956 | On the uprising in Hungary and the Suez Crisis | ||
| September 19, 1956 | Start of the president's re-election campaign | ||
| April 16, 1956 | On the farm bill veto | ||
| February 29, 1956 | Decision to seek re-election | ||
| January 5, 1956 | On the State of the Union Address|State of the Union] | ||
| July 25, 1955 | On the Geneva Convention | ||
| July 15, 1955 | On the upcoming convention in Geneva | ||
| August 23, 1954 | On the achievements of the 83rd Congress | ||
| April 5, 1954 | On the State of the Union | ||
| March 15, 1954 | On the tax program | ||
| January 4, 1954 | On the administration's purposes and accomplishments | ||
| August 6, 1953 | On the achievements of the 83rd Congress | ||
| July 26, 1953 | On the armistice on the Korean peninsula | ||
| May 19, 1953 | On national security | ||
| January 15, 1953 | Farewell address | ||
| November 3, 1952 | On the eve of the presidential election | ||
| April 8, 1952 | On the steel mills crisis | ||
| March 6, 1952 | On mutual security | ||
| November 7, 1951 | On international arms reduction | ||
| June 14, 1951 | On inflation | ||
| April 11, 1951 | On the war in Korea and the removal of General Douglas MacArthur | ||
| December 24, 1950 | Observance of Christmas | ||
| December 19, 1950 | On the War in Korea and national emergency | ||
| September 9, 1950 | On the signing of the Defense Production Act | ||
| September 1, 1950 | On the progress of the war | ||
| July 19, 1950 | On the war in Korea | ||
| September 27, 1949 | Observance of Democratic Women's Day | ||
| July 13, 1949 | On the economy | ||
| April 4, 1949 | On the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty | ||
| October 24, 1947 | On the special session of Congress | ||
| October 5, 1947 | Food conservation to aid post-war Europe | ||
| June 20, 1947 | On the veto of the Taft-Harley bill | ||
| October 14, 1946 | Ending of price controls | ||
| June 29, 1946 | On price controls | ||
| May 24, 1946 | On the railroad strike | ||
| January 3, 1946 | Status of reconversion program | ||
| October 30, 1945 | Reconversion of wartime economy to peacetime economy | ||
| October 2, 1945 | Announcing the start of the 1945 National War Fund campaign | ||
| September 1, 1945 | Cessation of hostilities with Japan | ||
| August 10, 1945 | On the Potsdam Conference | ||
| August 6, 1945 | On the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima | ||
| June 7, 1945 | Ultimatum to Japan | ||
| May 8, 1945 | End of the War in Europe | ||
| April 17, 1945 | On the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt | ||
| January 6, 1945 | On the State of the Union | ||
| December 24, 1944 | Observance of Christmas | ||
| November 2, 1944 | Report on the war | ||
| October 5, 1944 | On the upcoming presidential elections | ||
| June 12, 1944 | Opening of the fifth war loan drive | ||
| June 6, 1944 | On the D-Day landings | ||
| June 5, 1944 | On the fall of Rome | ||
| January 11, 1944 | On the State of the Union | ||
| December 24, 1943 | On the Tehran and Cairo conferences | ||
| September 8, 1943 | On the armistice with Italy and the third war loan drive | ||
| July 28, 1943 | On the fall of Mussolini | ||
| May 2, 1943 | On the coal crisis | ||
| October 12, 1942 | Report on the war | ||
| September 7, 1942 | On inflation and progress of the war | ||
| June 12, 1942 | On rubber | ||
| April 28, 1942 | On national economic policy and sacrifice | ||
| February 23, 1942 | On the progress of the war | ||
| December 9, 1941 | On the declaration of war with Japan | ||
| September 11, 1941 | On maintaining freedom of the seas and the Greer incident | ||
| September 1, 1941 | Observance of Labor Day | ||
| May 27, 1941 | Announcing unlimited national emergency | ||
| December 29, 1940 | On the "Arsenal of Democracy" | ||
| May 26, 1940 | On national defense | ||
| September 3, 1939 | On the European War | ||
| November 4, 1938 | On the eve of the midterm elections | ||
| June 24, 1938 | On the party primaries | ||
| April 14, 1938 | On the recession | ||
| November 14, 1937 | On the unemployment census | ||
| October 12, 1937 | On new legislation to be recommended to Congress | ||
| March 9, 1937 | On the reorganization of the judiciary | ||
| September 6, 1936 | On drought conditions, farmers, and laborers | ||
| April 28, 1935 | On the works relief program and the Social Security Act | ||
| September 30, 1934 | On government and capitalism | ||
| June 28, 1934 | On the achievements of the 73rd United States Congress and critics of the New Deal | ||
| October 22, 1933 | On economic progress | ||
| July 24, 1933 | On the National Recovery Administration | ||
| May 7, 1933 | On the New Deal program | ||
| March 12, 1933 | On the banking crisis | ||
| November 7, 1932 | Concession to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1932 election | ||
| October 16, 1932 | On the campaign for community funds relief | ||
| March 6, 1932 | On the hoarding of currency | ||
| October 18, 1931 | On unemployment relief | ||
| September 18, 1929 | On peace efforts and arms reduction |