Why Joe Biden’s speech today isn’t a State of the Union but a look at the year ahead

Joe Biden is giving his first address to a joint session of Congress but it’s not a State of the Union speech.

It’s accepted that presidents in their first year of office haven’t been in the job long enough to understand what the state of the union is in, so they don’t call it that.

The annual speech before the members of the US Senate and House of Representatives is a chance for the president to lay out an agenda for the year ahead.

Mr Biden’s speech today, which is broadcast nationwide, should tell us what he hopes to achieve during his presidency.

Here’s a look back at what former presidents have said in their first joint address to Congress.

Donald Trump