Obama's final State of the Union will be 'non-traditional'

Barack Obama addresses the public from the White House.

(Image credit: Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)

last updated 18 December 2015

President Obama will try something new in his final State of the Union address. The White House has pledged that his televised speech in front of Congress on Jan. 12 will be "non-traditional," with a "big picture approach to some of the challenges and opportunities that we face," instead of the usual "laundry list of proposals for lawmakers to consider," The Hill reports.

Obama will begin with an admission that he likely isn't going to accomplish everything that he'd hoped to when elected. Then, after giving a push for legislation that already has bipartisan support, Obama will detail his remaining goals: implementing new climate change regulations, addressing gun control laws, finalizing the Iran nuclear deal, continuing to build a relationship with Cuba, and submitting a plan to Congress to close Guantanamo Bay.