when was the last time a foreign leader addressed congress
Joint session of the United States Congress The most recent addresses by foreign dignitaries were given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 8, 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 29, 2015, and Pope Francis on September 24, 2015. The Pope did not address the joint session as a religious dignitary but as a head of state.[11]
State of the Union The address fulfills rules in Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, requiring the President to periodically "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."[1] During most of the country's first century, the President primarily only submitted a written report to Congress. After 1913, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, began the regular practice of delivering the address to Congress in person as a way to rally support for his agenda.[1] With the advent of radio and television, the address is now broadcast live across the country on many networks.[4]