Image source, Getty Images

We have less than an hour until Joe Biden gives his address, and Donald Trump is already weighing in, writing on his social media platform Truth Social that "Crooked Joe Biden" should announce he is calling off "the Witch Hunt" against him.

Trump, who is facing 91 charges across four separate cases, has dismissed his legal challenges as politically motived "witch hunts" several times before.

We'll likely be hearing more from Trump tonight, who is hosting Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Mar-A-Lago, his residence in Florida.

He said yesterday he would be doing a "LIVE, Play by Play" of Biden's speech.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Tennessee congressman Tim Burchett does not plan to interrupt tonight’s State of the Union speech.

“Gotta remember where we’re at,” he tells me.

But Burchett says he thinks President Biden should “take some responsibility” for the situation at the southern border and make a proposal to shut it down.

Burchett did not, it should be noted, support the bipartisan border deal recently crafted by the Senate, which House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to take up in his chamber.

The agreement contained provisions to shut down the border once a daily or weekly threshold of migrant crossings had been exceeded, which Burchett and others believe does not go far enough.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Tonight's customary Spanish-language response will be delivered by Representative Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican whose district stretches from San Antonio's suburbs to the Mexican border.

The 49-year-old De La Cruz is a granddaughter of a Mexican farm worker and was a successful entrepreneur before taking office in 2022. She is the first Latina and first Republican to represent her district.

In her remarks tonight, De La Cruz is expected to focus heavily on the economy and the US-Mexico border.

In an interview today with Voz, a conservative news outlet aimed at Latinos, De La Cruz said she believed that Latinos are disproportionately impacted by what she termed a "crisis" at the border.

“Democrats think that just because we are Hispanic, we don't care about the laws of this country and we don't care about having secure borders," she said. "This is not only false, it is deeply ignorant."

“Hispanics are harmed by open border policies just like any other American," De La Cruz added.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is wearing a pin on her red jacket that says the name Laken Riley, the teenage girl allegedly murdered in her state by an undocumented immigrant.

Greene’s t-shirt reads: "Say Her Name." I ask her if she has a message for Joe Biden, to which she says it is to “say Laken Riley’s name”.

She claims he should “apologise to the nation” for border policies that have left him with “blood on his hands”.

The struggle to sell voters on economic accomplishmentspublished at 00:56 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March

00:56 GMT 8 March

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Biden has struggled to sell voters on the economy, despite solid accomplishments including laws directing government spending to improve roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

The standard explanation is inflation - that his problems are rooted in the 18% jump in prices during his time in office.

As of last July, the typical American household was paying more than $700 more per month for the same goods and services than they were in 2021, according to an analysis by Moody’s Analytics.

The inflation rate has slowed down, falling from more than 9% in June 2022 to 3.1% in January. And wages appear poised to catch up.

But though consumer sentiment surveys suggest the mood may be brightening, the improvement has done little to lift his popularity.

It hasn’t helped that Biden has presided over a period of big economic shifts – from the post-pandemic boom to a slowdown caused by a sharp rise in interest rates that many feared would become a recession.

Consensus is growing that we’re out of the woods, though, which might help in the months ahead.

Image source, .

President Joe Biden’s speech last year was 9,216 words - lasting about an hour and five minutes. The year before was slightly shorter (7,705 words).

Both were less than a third of the longest address ever - which was Jimmy Carter’s in 1981 at a whopping 33,667.

If we estimate Carter delivered his at the same speed as Biden, that would make it more than four hours.

Fortunately (for our writers) we’re not expecting tonight’s to be that long.

Image source, .

Tens of millions will watch tonight - but there are risks for Bidenpublished at 00:45 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March

00:45 GMT 8 March

Gary O'Donoghue
Washington correspondent

Tens of millions of Americans will see at least part of Joe Biden's speech tonight - making it a crucial opportunity for him to reach the voters as the general election campaign gets into full swing.

It will be a tricky balancing act between highlighting past achievements and future promises.

It's a speech normally dominated by policy ideas and proposals but make no mistake, this one has to set out in stark terms the choice between him and Donald Trump come November.

He'll try to point out the significant improvements in the economy, which many Americans aren't feeling; he'll target corporations and the rich for not paying enough taxes, a big play for votes among working people who Donald Trump has courted successfully in the past; and he'll try to address concerns over immigration by pointing out that Republicans walked away from a plan to secure the border after Trump told them to.

But there are also big risks.

All eyes will be on his performance as he struggles against the idea that, at 81, he's too old to run again.

And Donald Trump has promised to "fact check" the speech live from his beach-side club in Florida - in an attempt to spoil the president's moment in the limelight.

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Several roads have been closed down, security is tight and it has been quite a chore getting inside the Capitol building tonight.

But inside the Statuary Hall, the elaborate hallway that leads to the House chamber where President Biden will speak in an hour and a half, there is a distinct, once-in-a-year buzz in the air.

Lawmakers and their guests are milling about as they await the start of this special joint session of Congress.

The State of the Union used to be a sober and serious affair. But in line with the nasty partisan fights we have seen here in recent years, things have gotten a little bit more raucous in recent years.

Expect party-line applause, cheers and jeers, and a possible appearance - we’ve been told - by arguably the biggest fabulist to walk these halls: New York’s exiled ex-congressman George Santos.

Image source, Kate Cox

Democrats hope that abortion will serve as a wedge issue in this year’s election, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade two years ago which ushered in restrictions to the procedure across the US.

To make that point, one of tonight’s more high-profile guests invited by First Lady Jill Biden is Kate Cox, a mother-of-two who sued the state of Texas last year for the right to terminate her pregnancy.

Cox's unborn baby had been diagnosed with a chromosomal anomaly that almost always leads to miscarriage, stillbirth or death of the infant. The pregnancy could have threatened her life and future fertility, according to a lawsuit she filed.

Cox was initially granted an exemption to a state law broadly prohibiting abortions, but the state’s Supreme Court blocked the exemption and so she left Texas to terminate the pregnancy.

Also in the audience will be Kayla Smith, an Idaho mother who was denied an abortion after learning at 19 weeks that her foetus "had serious and fatal foetal anomalies".

She had to move to a neighbouring state for an abortion.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Traditionally these annual speeches to Congress are standard affairs, full of pageantry and laundry lists of legislative priorities.

But this year, questions about Biden's fitness for office and polls that suggest an extremely tight race for the presidency, mean the address is a critical moment for the president.

"This speech is particularly important to rally Democrats and calm their nerves," Michael Waldman, who served as speechwriting director for President Bill Clinton, told me.

“He needs to show that he's vigorous and in command and a happy warrior."

Biden's approval ratings are some of the lowest recorded for a president seeking re-election, and other surveys highlight the discomfort Americans across the political spectrum feel about giving him another four-years as the commander-in-chief.

• Read more here

On a mission to attract some younger, hipper views to this year's State of the Union, the White House briefed social media influencers today ahead of Biden's speech.

While the speech might be a must-watch for some Americans, it's struggled to attract a younger audience. So, in an attempt to turn that trend around, the White House hosted about 70 creators, digital publishers and influencers with around 100 million followers.

And for the first time, the State of the Union was livestreamed on Instagram, where the White House has 19 million followers.

We'll see if Biden can make the annual speech go viral.

Image source, Getty Images

As we’ve just reported, the White House and senators are allowed to invite guests of note along tonight.

One of the more unlikely names tonight is Fat Joe, who won fame in the early 2000s as a rapper and host of MTV's Pimp My Ride International.

He’ll be the guest of California congresswoman Nanette Barragán to highlight a push for price transparency in the healthcare system.

He met lawmakers last year as part of a drive to tackle the spiralling level of healthcare debt affecting US citizens.

A February analysis, external says that 8% of Americans carry some amount of medical debt.

Image source, Reuters

The White House has released a list of 20 notable guests, external who have been invited tonight.

House and Senate members are also allowed guests. The guests are carefully chosen by policy advisers to highlight key issues ahead of the November election.

Women who fled Republican-run states for abortions: First Lady Jill Biden has invited Kate Cox, who sued the state of Texas last year for the right to terminate her pregnancy.

First IVF baby: Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has invited Elizabeth Carr, the first person born via in-vitro fertilisation(IVF) in the US. Last month an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children and threw the future of IVF treatments into doubt.

Parents Evan Gershkovich: The Wall Street Journal reporter has been detained in Russia on espionage charges for almost a year, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has invited the parents to tonight’s speech.

Victims of Hamas: Speaker Johnson, Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of Congress have invited 17 relatives of Americans killed or taken hostage by Hamas during the 7 October attack.

Police and border patrol officers: Republican leaders have chosen a number of people associated with border security - a key priority for the party. For example, Speaker Johnson has invited two New York police officers - Zunxu Tian and Ben Kurian - who fought a group of men outside a migrant shelter in Times Square in January.

• More on the guest list here

As we’ve reported, tonight’s Republican rebuttal will be delivered by Katie Britt - the youngest Republican woman ever in the Senate.

We don’t know what will be in her speech, but a source familiar with her speech told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that she’ll seek to land two main points:

1. That she believes Biden’s too old and out of touch with everyday Americans
2. Make kitchen table arguments on the economy vs “abstract” ones

The Alabama senator is also expected to touch on the border, crime, cost of living and foreign policy.

Matt Murphy
US reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Once Biden finishes up, Republicans get a chance to grab some of the spotlight and give their own, separate address to the nation.

The person chosen to deliver the rebuttal is often a young rising star in the party. This year it’s Alabama Senator Katie Britt.

The 42-year-old is the youngest Republican woman ever in the US Senate. She’s a staunch conservative, vocally anti-abortion and highly critical of Biden’s administration on the spiralling national debt.

She’s avoided being too closely associated with Donald Trump while staying in favour with those within the former president's orbit, a difficult feat.

Some commentators suggest she’s the type of conservative who could win back voters who feel alienated by Trump.

• Read more on Britt here

Biden has no room to slip up in tonight's addresspublished at 23:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 March

23:18 GMT 7 March

Helena Humphrey
reporting from Capitol Hill

Of all the State of the Union addresses a president could deliver, it’s the one that comes in an election year that counts as the ultimate high wire act.

On paper it’s a chance for Biden to set out his legislative agenda.

But in practice, it’s his first big campaign speech. Amid concerns over his age and mental sharpness, it’s not just what the president says, but how he says it.

Biden will have to convince voters that he has what it takes to finish the job; tackling concerns over immigration, reproductive rights and the economy.

On that final point, he’ll likely argue the State of the Union is sound; unemployment is at a record low, the stock market is rallying.

But many Americans don’t feel that. At home and abroad, allies and adversaries will scrutinise Biden's every word on crucial matters, such as aid to Ukraine and Israel.

In short, this could be President Biden’s final State of the Union – or it could be the start of the next four years. Tonight, there’s no room to slip up.

Image source, Getty Images

On one side of the upper balcony is the First Lady’s box.

Offering panoramic views of the chamber, the president is able to invite up to 24 people to attend his address and sit here.

Historically, this has been an opportunity for the president to invite special guests.

For example, in 2022, the State of the Union fell just after the Ukraine war broke out - and Biden used it as an opportunity to bring the ambassador to Ukraine, who received a standing ovation.

This year, from the guests chosen, external it appears Biden wants to highlight access to abortion and fertility treatments and the need to address US foreign policy concerns.

The invite list includes women who’ve fled Republican-run states for abortions, the first person born from IVF, the parents of the Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia Evan Gershkovich and more.

• Read about who is on the guest list this year

Image source, Reuters

The two people who sit behind the president during the SOTU are the vice-president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Three years ago, when Biden gave his first address to Congress as president, the US made a visible step forward for women in politics - as it marked the first time that two women (Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi) were seated behind a president at his yearly address to Congress.

But after Republicans regained control of the House at the midterm elections, they have got a new speaker.

Last year it was California congressman Kevin McCarthy. This year it’s Mike Johnson.

Biden’s speech starts at 21:00 EST in Washington DC - which is 02:00 GMT.

How can I watch it? You can watch along on this page, by pressing play at the top.

How long does it last? It varies. Biden’s first one he spoke for one hour and one minute. His second one was one hour and 13 minutes. Trump’s were a little longer by about 20 minutes.

What happens afterwards? The Republicans get a go and deliver a response, which is normally shorter and about 15 minutes. Senator Katie Britt of Alabama will speak today.

Where is it held? In the House of Representatives (the lower chamber of Congress) in the US Capitol.

Happens once a year: The State of the Union Address is the president’s annual message to Congress, generally given in January or February - although often presidents don’t give one in their first year of office.

It’s rooted in the Constitution: The president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”, the constitution says.

Key issues facing US: The president typically addresses the top issues, sets out his political agenda, makes a plea for new laws and policies, and also highlights some of what he considers major achievements.

This is the 99th: There have been a total of 99 in-person State of the Union addresses. Some presidents have delivered their messages in writing. Next year will be a big year - the 100th - but we don’t yet know who’ll be giving it.

Oh, and by the way: We're going to use shorthand to describe the State of the Union - which you'll see referred to as SOTU - largely to save our fingers and bring you updates even quicker.