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The silver display in front of House Speaker Mike Johnson during Trump’s speech is considered “the oldest surviving artifact of the House.”
WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union of his second term, some may have noticed a small, shiny display in front of House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Any idea what the deal is with the silver glass set Mike Johnson is using? Seems a bit much,” one user on X asked.
What is the silver display in front of Mike Johnson during Trump’s State of the Union?
According to the House of Representatives website, it’s a coin-silver inkstand that is placed in the rostrum before the speaker calls each session of the House to order. It was created sometime around 1815 by Jacob Leonard.
“The inkstand is considered the oldest surviving artifact of the House and was made between 1810 and 1820,” the House website said. “Although its origins are mysterious, it most likely came into the House around 1819. The inkstand is stamped with the mark of J. Leonard, a Washington silversmith and watchmaker.”
The inkstand, which is over 200 years old, contains three replacement crystal inkwells and is adorned on both sides by swags and eagles, according to the website.
“The feet of the tray take the form of fasces with snakes winding around them, classical symbols of unity and wisdom, respectively,” the House website’s description reads.
Why does a president need to address Congress?
The U.S. Constitution requires the president to update Congress and recommend policies, though it doesn’t specify when that address should occur.
Usually, presidents will deliver those remarks in January or February, reflecting on events of the previous year and outlining their policy priorities for the coming one. The message used to be known as “the President’s Annual Message to Congress.” In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began referring to it as the “Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union.”
Shortly after he was sworn in for his first term in 1981, Reagan addressed a joint session of Congress, remarks that were called “Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery,” according to The American Presidency Project, at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton followed suit in their own first years in office, with 1989 and 1993 messages both entitled “Administration Goals.” In 2001, President George W. Bush’s speech was his “Budget Message.”
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