Who sits where for the State of the Union? See the seating chart for the 2026 address

Washington — The saying about real estate — location, location, location — has some truth for the annual State of the Union address, too, in describing who sits where. The most coveted spots are those close to the president in the House chamber during the speech.

On Tuesday night, President Trump will deliver the first official State of the Union address of his second term, since last year’s was technically a joint address to Congress. Washington’s most important political officials will be there — with the exception of the designated survivor. Cabinet members, members of Congress and the Supreme Court justices, representing all three branches of government, are expected to attend. Generally, the most powerful officials sit closest to the president. The House gallery accommodates hundreds of seats beyond the member seats on the chamber floor. 

Here’s who sits where. 

Who sits behind the president? 

The vice president and speaker of the House, the two leaders next in line for the presidency, sit directly behind the president. In this case, that’s Vice President JD Vance and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. From the viewers’ perspective, the vice president sits to the left, while the speaker sits to the right.

When Washington has a divided government, that seating arrangement has occasionally led to awkward moments, such as when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up pages of the president’s speech after he concluded in 2020. 

In a divided Washington, it isn’t uncommon for a House speaker, if the speaker is from a different party than the president, to remain seated, while the vice president stands and applauds the president’s remarks. That is unlikely to happen Tuesday night, since both Vance and Johnson are Republicans and vocal defenders of the president. 

Where do the Supreme Court justices sit?

While not all of the Supreme Court justices are always present for the SOTU, many of them are. They are seated in a front row of the House chamber floor, signifying their significant and unique role in stewarding the Constitution. In 2025, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett attended Mr. Trump’s joint address. 

This year could be a little awkward for the jusitices, since the address is taking place four days after the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the president, ruling that he does not have the authority to impose sweeping tariffs under an emergency powers law. It’s been one of Mr. Trump’s signature policies in his second term, and after the ruling, he vowed to rely on other authorities to impose tariffs on imports. 

The Supreme Court is issuing opinions on both the morning of the State of the Union and the morning after, making it a late evening for justices who attend the speech. 

Where is the first lady’s box?

The first lady’s box, as the word box implies, is not on the chamber floor, but rather, in the gallery seating above. The box is on the right, from the viewers’ perspective. 

For decades, first ladies have been inviting Americans they want to both honor and draw attention to for the speech. The second lady typically sits in the first lady’s box as well. The first lady may invite up to about two dozen guests. 

Where do members of Congress sit?

Seating is more or less first-come, first-serve for members of Congress for the State of the Union, so many arrive early. Members typically sit with those in their own party, with Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other. 

Senators typically occupy rows closer to the front, and House members occupy rows closer to the back. 

Where do Cabinet members sit?

Cabinet members usually have front-row seats. 

What does the seating chart look like from above? 

Although neither the Trump administration nor Congress have released a seating chart for Tuesday’s State of the Union, here is what seating looked like for one of former President Joe Biden’s addresses.