The seventh year of an American president's tenure can be fraught, as headline-stealing events, familiar policy and shopworn rhetoric fuel anticipation of the next exciting campaign and a new White House occupant. So what the heck do presidents talk about during the last quarter of their tenures? These word clouds from previous seventh-year State of the Union addresses lend some insight:
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Mitch McConnell won't seek reelectionSpeed Read The longest-serving Senate party leader is retiring
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Trump reportedly wants to take over US Postal ServiceSpeed Read President Trump is making plans to disband the leadership of USPS and absorb the agency into his administration
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Trump seeks to end New York's congestion pricingSpeed Read The MTA quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the move
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Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firingsSpeed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
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Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talksSpeed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
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Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security filesSpeed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
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Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretarySpeed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
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Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffsSpeed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
