Washington – In his run for reelection, President Joe Biden gave a boisterous third State of the Union address, which may rank among his most significant remarks to date.
His list of goals was lengthy and included touting his achievements while in office, planning for a second term, easing worries about his age and health, and drawing attention to himself and his competitor, Donald Trump, in contrast to Republicans.
What emerged was a ferocious address that had little in common with his previous States of the Union speech. With a clear intention of showcasing his enthusiasm and willingness to interact with Republicans, Biden gave a sharply political address that his advisors believe would allay Democratic concerns about his chances in politics.
Following are five key points from Thursday’s State of the Union address
Biden confronts Trump
The State of the Union address on Thursday was especially politically charged because, even though Biden did not mention his predecessor by name, it was clear that Trump was the focal point of the speech.
It spoke to Biden’s unique political situation, in which the political conventions of previous decades—which he has publicly yearned for—have essentially been overturned.
As Biden exploited the bully pulpit—one of the benefits of being in office—the president made many jabs at Trump. In his prepared comments, he mentioned “my predecessor” thirteen times.
He criticized the former president for his remarks about pushing Russia to attack NATO nations who don’t fulfill defense budget objectives, calling the former president “my predecessor” in the introduction of his address.
After the 2020 election, he attacked election fraud shortly after, calling it the “gravest threat to democracy” since the American Civil War.
By then, a trend had become apparent: Democrats in the crowd cheered Biden on as he continued to draw comparisons between Trump and himself on issues like abortion, immigration, taxation, and more.
With nothing less than the future of American democracy on the ballot, it was as obvious as it gets as to how Biden sees the impending general election campaign.
Biden delivers a rambling, unpredictable speech.
Promising lists of ideas and recommendations are a common feature of formal State of the Union speeches. However, on Thursday, Biden repeatedly deviated from the plan in order to play to Republicans and ad-lib remarks.
Election-year frission filled the House chamber, making it the most boisterous State of the Union in recent memory.
Throughout his address, the president was obviously energized by his lighthearted sparring with Republicans about immigration, Social Security, and tax policies. Following the speech of the previous year, when his back-and-forth with Republicans in the audience stood out, Biden appeared to have incorporated those moments into his speech.
In his opinion, the exchanges gave Biden the opportunity to refute some of the Republican positions while still demonstrating his willingness to interact with them.
Despite worries about his age, Biden comes out as powerful and enthusiastic.
Concerns about Biden’s age and suitability for government have by this point established themselves as one of the main themes of the presidential campaign. It’s a major factor in the claims made by several Democrats that they would have chosen a different candidate.
Therefore, whether he wanted to or not, Biden would have to address the matter at his State of the Union speech. In addition to the content of his speech, the way he talked and carried himself during it had a significant impact on how his message was understood by the American people.
The president surprised fans by coming out with a fiery address that was very different from some of his more reserved ones.
Both in the White House and at the presidential retreat Camp David, Biden has been honing and carefully practicing his speech for the most of the past week. His powerful speech on Thursday night seemed to be the result of that.
Aides admitted in advance of the speech that the president was ready to discuss, if not linger on, this issue in his speech because it was a matter that was on voters’ minds.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation and pin the blame on his rival, he made the claim that Trump is around the same age as him but has a bitter and archaic mindset.
During his remarks, Biden made the comment, “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,” which made several people giggle.
A compelling argument for US leadership overseas is made by the president.
Speaking to Congress and the American people, whose interests are mostly domestic, foreign policy normally takes a backseat during State of the Union addresses.
However, Biden is the president of foreign policy at a time when there are significant tensions across the world for reasons that are not wholly their own. With American support for the Russia-Ukraine war uncertain, it continues to rage. Furthermore, the humanitarian catastrophe that has resulted from Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the October 7 terrorist assaults, is causing division within Biden’s political alliance.
Foreign policy would therefore unavoidably take up more of Biden’s speech than in prior speeches, even if his advisors admit that people aren’t often very interested in it. It guided a significant chunk of his speech’s opening.
Demonstrations along his motorcade route made it clear that the public was unhappy with his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict even before he entered the Capitol.
The current president attempts to reset and reshape the story for 2024.
If Biden had one goal going into his address on Thursday, it would have been to reaffirm to American voters—many of whom might have lost interest in him during the previous three years—what precisely he has been doing.
Despite the fact that the economy is, by most accounts, roaring back from the Covid-19 years, polls indicate that many people remain dissatisfied with the direction the nation is on. Many Americans, when questioned in surveys, are unaware of the achievements Biden has been working on to help revive the economy.
Partly as a response to what he sees as consistently unfavorable media coverage, Biden acknowledges in his address that he should do more to make his program more understandable to regular Americans. This is why he refers to it as “the greatest comeback story never told.”
Biden’s staff, however, recognizes that a balance must be found and that people who have legitimate worries about the state of the economy don’t always want to hear platitudes about improving economic statistics when they aren’t feeling well.
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