During the State of the Union address, the House speaker and vice president traditionally sit behind the president. However, there has been a notable turnover in the position of House speaker each year under President Joe Biden's administration.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi lost her position when Republicans secured a narrow lead in the chamber during the 2022 midterm elections. Subsequently, Kevin McCarthy assumed the role but was ousted the following year after supporting a deal to fund the government.
Currently, Mike Johnson occupies the seat of House speaker. He was elected to the position in October after a remarkable 21-day period without a leader. This marked the longest period of Congress being without a speaker since 1962, when it took 55 days to elect a new speaker.