Donald Trump’s Address To Joint Session of Congress Proposition Betting Odds
–Donald Trump’s first major speech is set for Tuesday.
–Trump is expected to lay out his agenda for the next few months.
–SPORTS BETTING EXPERTS is your source for the best Donald Trump prop bet odds!
Donald Trump will give the most significant speech of his presidency to date on Tuesday night when he addresses a joint session of Congress in what is essentially his first ‘State of the Union’ address. Technically, the first speech to a joint session of Congress hasn’t been a ‘State of the Union Address’ since 1989. The verbiage was changed to recognize the fact that the responsibility of reporting the ‘State of the Union’ is ‘officially’ that of the outgoing President. The outgoing President may choose to deliver a ‘State of the Union’ address but none have done it since Jimmy Carter provided a ‘written assessment’ in 1981. In 1953 and 1961, it was a ‘two-fer Tuesday’ as Congress received a written State of the Union message from the outgoing president *and* a State of the Union speech by the incoming president.
The term ‘State of the Union’ itself is a fairly new addition. Franklin D. Roosevelt used the term in his 1934 speech to Congress and it caught on. Since 1947, the address has been referred to as the ‘State of the Union Address’. Prior to FDR’s clever turn of phrase it was known simply as the “President’s Annual Message to Congress”. George Washington delivered the first ‘Annual Message to Congress’ on January 8, 1790 in New York City but the practice of delivering the speech in person ended in 1801. Thomas Jefferson thought the whole display of pomp and ceremony reeked too much of monarchy and instead sent a written address to be read to Congress by a clerk. This became the standard operating procedure until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson revived the process. The process resonated with the power mad politicians of the 20th and 21st Century and the reading of the speech in person by the President became the standard practice. Jimmy Carter’s aforementioned 1981 assessment was the last time a written address has been provided.
POMP AND TRADITION SET THE STAGE
The timing of the speech changed with the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution on January 23, 1933. The amendment changed the opening of the annual Congressional session to early January from early March. Historically, the State of the Union message had been delivered at the end of the calendar year but starting in 1934 it has been delivered annually in January or February. The pomp and ceremony that accompanies the annual address is not mandated in the Constitution. In fact, the 20th Amendment only deals with the start of the President’s term and the Congressional session and says nothing about what would become the State of the Union Address.
Much like the Presidential Inauguration, the process as we know it today is a mishmash of precedent combined with a healthy dose of political self importance. Several weeks before the address, the Speaker of the House formally ‘invites’ the President to speak to the joint Congress. Like a hot Hollywood party, the number of people who can attend and how many guests they can bring is strictly limited. Every member of Congress gets a ‘plus one’ and can invite one guest. The Speaker of the House can invite 24 guests who sit with him in his box. Even the President is limited in the number of guests he can invite–the First Lady gets in by virtue of her position but 24 guests are allowed to join her. The Cabinet, Supreme Court justices, assorted members of the Diplomatic Corps, and Joint Chiefs of Staff are also in attendance and are the only attendees with the exception of the President and Speaker of the House that get ‘reserved seating’. Congress has ‘first come first serve’ seating.
At approximately 8:30, the action begins. The Deputy Sergeant at Arms gives a booming introduction to the Vice President and members of the Senate who enter and take their seats. The Vice President and Speaker of the House indicate the members of Congress that will escort the President into the venue and the Deputy Sergeant at Arms makes this announcement. At this point, the Deputy Sergeant at Arms introduces the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Supreme Court Justices, and the President’s Cabinet. They enter the House chambers and take their assigned seats to await the arrival of the Chief Executive. At just after 9 PM the President shows up and is announced by the Sergeant at Arms with Michael Buffer-esque gravity: “”Mister Speaker, the President of the United States!” The President enters the chambers and slowly makes his way to the front stopping to glad hand with his advisors and members of Congress. Once he gets to the front he hands a manila envelope containing a copy of his speech to the Speaker and Vice President. The speaker makes the final pre-speech announcement which is also dictated by tradition: “Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States.”
THE SPEECH AND THE REACTIONS
The President then delivers his speech (usually ranging from 40 minutes to an hour in length) to the contrived reactions of the audience. The President’s political allies cheer everything as if Frank Sinatra has risen from the dead and is performing exclusively for them. The President’s political enemies react with eye rolling, looks of disgust and occasionally hoots of derision. And this time we’ve got the ‘Trump factor’–no one knows exactly how his political enemies will show their displeasure with his policies and (more specifically) him personally. The big fun could come with Trump’s reaction to this displeasure–he’s not one to ‘maintain decorum’ when challenged.
Here are the SPORTS BETTING EXPERTS proposition betting odds for President Donald Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress on February 28, 2017:
DONALD TRUMP ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS PROPOSITION ODDS
Will Trump mention ‘fake news’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: -110
No: -110
Will Trump mention ‘Russia’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: +130
No: -150
Will Trump mention ‘Neil Gorsuch’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: -300
No: +250
Will Trump mention ‘Chuck Schumer’ in in his address to Congress?
Yes: -300
No: +250
Will Trump mention ‘9th Circuit’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: +450
No: -600
Will Trump mention ‘Twitter’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: +250
No: -400
Will Trump mention ‘Vladimir Putin’ in his address to Congress?
Yes: +175
No: -200
Will Trump mention the Academy Awards or any award winner in his address to Congress?
Yes: +450
No: -600
Trump’s first topic in his address to Congress will be?
Foreign: +150
Domestic: -170
Will Trump’s address to Congress be disrupted by a protester?
Yes: +210
No: -250
What color tie will Trump wear for his address to Congress?
Red: -200
Blue: +350
Yellow: +600
Other: +350
LENGTH OF SPEECH PROPOSITION ODDS
Trump’s address to Congress will be?
Over 50 minutes and 30 seconds in length: +130
Under 50 minutes and 30 seconds in length: -150
Which will be longer?
George H.W. Bush’s address to Congress on 2/9/89 (48:14): +110
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: -130
Which will be longer?
Bill Clinton’s address to Congress on 2/17/93 (1:05:31): -250
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: +210
Which will be longer?
George W. Bush’s address to Congress on 2/27/01 (49:10): +100
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: -120
Which will be longer?
Barack Obama’s address to Congress on 2/24/09 (51:44): -130
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: +110
Which will be longer?
Richard Nixon’s State of the Union Address on 1/22/70 (36:40): +300
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: -350
Which will be longer?
Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union Address on 1/26/82 (40:14): +170
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17: -210
Which will be longer?
Running time of ‘La La Land’ (2:08:00): +110
Donald Trump’s address to Congress on 2/28/17 + 1:20:00 (1 hour and 20 minutes): -130