Response to the State of the Union address - wikipedia Response to the State of the Union address The response to the State of the Union address is a rebuttal speech, often brief, delivered by a representative ( or representatives ) of the opposition party following a presidential State of the Union address. When the president is a Democrat, the rebuttal is given by a Republican, and vice versa. The practice began in 1966 when Republican U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen ( Illinois ) and U.S. Representative Gerald Ford ( Michigan ) appeared on TV to offer a response to the address by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson. The opposition party 's response has varied in format, ranging from a prerecorded 45 - minute TV program in 1970 to a call - in show in 1972 where a panel of congressmen answered unrehearsed questions from callers. Since the late 1980s, it usually has been a televised speech given soon after the State of the Union address. Three people have given both a response and a State of the Union address : Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. List of responses Date President Response given by January 12, 1966 Lyndon Johnson U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen ( Illinois ) U.S. Representative Gerald Ford ( Michigan ) January 10, 1967 U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen ( Illinois ) U.S. Representative Gerald Ford ( Michigan ) January 17, 1968 U.S. Senators Howard Baker ( Tennessee ), Peter Dominick ( Colorado ), Robert Griffin ( Michigan ), Thomas Kuchel ( California ), George Murphy ( California ), Chuck Percy ( Illinois ), Hugh Scott ( Pennsylvania ), and John Tower ( Texas ) U.S. Representatives George Bush ( Texas ), Gerald Ford ( Michigan ), Mel Laird ( Wisconsin ), Bob Mathias ( California ), Dick Poff ( Virginia ), Al Quie ( Minnesota ), Charlotte Reid ( Illinois ), and Bill Steiger ( Wisconsin ) January 22, 1970 Richard Nixon U.S. Senators Scoop Jackson ( Washington ), Mike Mansfield ( Montana ), Ed Muskie ( Maine ), and Bill Proxmire ( Wisconsin ) U.S. Representatives Donald Fraser ( Minnesota ), John McCormack ( Massachusetts ), and Patsy Mink ( Hawaii ) January 22, 1971 U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield ( Montana ) January 20, 1972 U.S. Senators Lloyd Bentsen ( Texas ), Frank Church ( Idaho ), Tom Eagleton ( Missouri ), and Bill Proxmire ( Wisconsin ) U.S. Representatives Carl Albert ( Oklahoma ), Hale Boggs ( Louisiana ), John Brademas ( Indiana ), Martha Griffiths ( Michigan ), John Melcher ( Montana ), Ralph Metcalfe ( Illinois ), and Leonor Sullivan ( Missouri ) January 20, 1974 U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield ( Montana ) January 15, 1975 Gerald Ford U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey ( Minnesota ) U.S. Representative Carl Albert ( Oklahoma ) January 19, 1976 U.S. Senator Ed Muskie ( Maine ) January 19, 1978 Jimmy Carter U.S. Senator Howard Baker ( Tennessee ) U.S. Representative John Rhodes ( Arizona ) January 23, 1979 U.S. Senator Howard Baker ( Tennessee ) U.S. Representative John Rhodes ( Arizona ) January 23, 1980 U.S. Senator Ted Stevens ( Alaska ) U.S. Representative John Rhodes ( Arizona ) January 26, 1982 Ronald Reagan U.S. Senators Robert Byrd ( West Virginia ), Alan Cranston ( California ), Gary Hart ( Colorado ), Bennett Johnston ( Louisiana ), Ted Kennedy ( Massachusetts ), Don Riegle ( Michigan ), Paul Sarbanes ( Maryland ), and Jim Sasser ( Tennessee ) U.S. Representatives Al Gore ( Tennessee ), Tip O'Neill ( Massachusetts ) January 25, 1983 U.S. Senators Joe Biden ( Delaware ), Bill Bradley ( New Jersey ), Robert Byrd ( West Virginia ), and Paul Tsongas ( Massachusetts ) U.S. Representatives Les AuCoin ( Oregon ), Tom Daschle ( South Dakota ), Bill Hefner ( North Carolina ), Barbara Kennelly ( Connecticut ), George Miller ( California ), Tip O'Neill ( Massachusetts ), Paul Simon ( Illinois ), and Tim Wirth ( Colorado ) January 25, 1984 U.S. Senators Max Baucus ( Montana ), Joe Biden ( Delaware ), David Boren ( Oklahoma ), Robert Byrd ( West Virginia ), Dee Huddleston ( Kentucky ), Carl Levin ( Michigan ), and Claiborne Pell ( Rhode Island ) U.S. Representatives Barbara Boxer ( California ), Dante Fascell ( Florida ), Bill Gray ( Pennsylvania ), Tom Harkin ( Iowa ), and Tip O'Neill ( Massachusetts ) February 6, 1985 Governor Bill Clinton ( Arkansas ), Governor Bob Graham ( Florida ) U.S. Representative Tip O'Neill ( Massachusetts ) February 4, 1986 U.S. Senator George Mitchell ( Maine ) Governor Chuck Robb ( Virginia ) U.S. Representatives Tom Daschle ( South Dakota ) and Bill Gray ( Pennsylvania ) Lieutenant Governor Harriett Woods ( Missouri ) January 27, 1987 U.S. Senator Robert Byrd ( West Virginia ) U.S. Representative Jim Wright ( Texas ) January 25, 1988 U.S. Senator Robert Byrd ( West Virginia ) U.S. Representative Jim Wright ( Texas ) January 31, 1990 George H.W. Bush U.S. Representative Tom Foley ( Washington ) January 29, 1991 U.S. Senator George Mitchell ( Maine ) January 28, 1992 U.S. Representative Tom Foley ( Washington ) January 25, 1994 Bill Clinton U.S. Senator Bob Dole ( Kansas ) January 24, 1995 Governor Christine Todd Whitman ( New Jersey ) January 23, 1996 U.S. Senator Bob Dole ( Kansas ) February 4, 1997 U.S. Representative J.C. Watts ( Oklahoma ) January 27, 1998 U.S. Senator Trent Lott ( Mississippi ) January 19, 1999 U.S. Representatives Jennifer Dunn ( Washington ) and Steve Largent ( Oklahoma ) January 27, 2000 U.S. Senators Susan Collins ( Maine ) and Bill Frist ( Tennessee ) January 29, 2002 George W. Bush U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt ( Missouri ) January 28, 2003 Governor Gary Locke ( Washington ) January 23, 2004 U.S. Senator Tom Daschle ( South Dakota ) U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi ( California ) February 2, 2005 U.S. Senator Harry Reid ( Nevada ) U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi ( California ) January 31, 2006 Governor Tim Kaine ( Virginia ) January 23, 2007 U.S. Senator Jim Webb ( Virginia ) January 28, 2008 Governor Kathleen Sebelius ( Kansas ) January 27, 2010 Barack Obama Governor Bob McDonnell ( Virginia ) January 25, 2011 English : U.S. Representative Paul Ryan ( Wisconsin ) Spanish : U.S. Representative Ileana Ros - Lehtinen ( Florida ) January 24, 2012 Governor Mitch Daniels ( Indiana ) February 12, 2013 U.S. Senator Marco Rubio ( Florida ) -- English and Spanish January 28, 2014 English : U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers ( Washington ) Spanish : U.S. Representative Ileana Ros - Lehtinen ( Florida ) January 20, 2015 English : U.S. Senator Joni Ernst ( Iowa ) Spanish : U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo ( Florida ) January 12, 2016 Governor Nikki Haley ( South Carolina ) January 30, 2018 Donald Trump English : U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III ( Massachusetts ) Spanish : State Delegate Elizabeth Guzmán ( Virginia ) First organized, televised response to a presidential State of the Union message Denotes prerecorded program Randomly selected Democratic voters participated in this televised discussion Non -- State of the Union responses In addition to responses to official State of the Union addresses, there have been five official responses to non -- State of the Union speeches which were delivered soon after presidential inaugurations. Date President Address type Response given by February 9, 1989 George H.W. Bush First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen ( Texas ) U.S. Representative Jim Wright ( Texas ) February 17, 1993 Bill Clinton First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Representative Bob Michel ( Illinois ) February 27, 2001 George W. Bush First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Senator Tom Daschle ( South Dakota ) U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt ( Missouri ) February 24, 2009 Barack Obama First address to joint session of Congress Governor Bobby Jindal ( Louisiana ) February 28, 2017 Donald Trump First address to joint session of Congress English : Former Governor Steve Beshear ( Kentucky ) Spanish : Activist Astrid Silva ( Nevada ) References ^ Jump up to : `` Opposition Responses to the State of the Union Messages '' ( PDF ). Senate.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2015. Jump up ^ Frum, David ( 2000 ). How We Got Here : The ' 70s. New York : Basic Books. p. 47. ISBN 0 - 465 - 04195 - 7. Jump up ^ `` The Democratic Response ''. PBS.org. February 27, 2001. Retrieved November 12, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Transcript of Gov. Jindal 's GOP response to Obama speech ''. CNN. February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Democrats Pick Ex-Kentucky Governor To Respond To Trump Speech To Congress ''. NPR. February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017. General reference `` Televised Opposition Responses to State of the Union Messages ( 1966 - Present ) ''. Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved January 25, 2011. State of the Union addresses Addresses Delivered as a speech 1790 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1976 1977 1982 1984 1985 1986 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 Delivered as a written message 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1946 1953 1961 1981 Delivered as both 1972 1978 1979 1980 Delivered as a written message to Congress, summary delivered to public 1945 1956 1973 Unofficial addresses 2009 2017 Related Opposition party 's response Designated survivor Notable invited guests United States presidential address Joint Session of Congress ( List ) Monroe Doctrine Regional speeches State of the State address State of the City address Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Response_to_the_State_of_the_Union_address&oldid=834366846 '' Categories : State of the Union addresses Reactions Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 5 April 2018, at 10 : 30. 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Question: who is giving the democratic response to the state of the union
Answer: Joe Kennedy III