US President Joe Biden will deliver one of the most important speeches of his political career Thursday, attempting to persuade hesitant voters that the 81-year-old is capable of defeating Donald Trump in the November election.
Most years, the yearly speech to Congress is primarily ceremonial, but in 2024, the stakes are high as Democrat Joe Biden strives to overcome mounting concerns about his age, the US economy, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Millions of Americans will watch the primetime spectacle to observe not only what the oldest president in US history says, but how he says it, with Republican Donald Trump, 77, constantly ridiculing Biden’s health and mental acuity.
The speech, scheduled for 9:00 p.m. (0100 GMT Friday), is anticipated to highlight successes in infrastructure, medication costs, and student debt, with Biden claiming on Wednesday that he had done “more over three years than most presidents have in eight.”
“You hired me to get the job done, build an economy that works for working people, and make life better for families,” Biden said in a statement on X. “I’ll update you on our progress and lay out the path ahead.”
in their landslide victories in this week’s “Super Tuesday” primaries, Trump and Biden secured a rematch in the 2020 election – yet polls show that many US voters do not want it.
Biden plans to portray the election as an existential conflict, warning that if Trump makes a dramatic return to the White House, US democracy and world standing will be jeopardized.
Scandal-plagued and facing numerous criminal indictments, including one for attempting to overturn a four-year-old loss, Trump has once again looked to defy political gravity thanks to his base of working-class, white voters.
‘Stumbling’
While Biden behind Trump in recent polls, he thinks his State of the Union address will remind Americans why they supported him four years ago and why they should give him another term.
Biden worked with aides at the Camp David retreat for three days over the weekend to draft the address, which he wants to “continue to fine-tune” on Thursday, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Biden was already well prepared for a reprise of last year’s heckling by extreme Trump allies during his State of the Union address, according to the White House, but that is not the only concern.
Observers will also be looking for signs of infirmity, as Biden has suffered a number of trips and verbal blunders in recent years.
“For every president, whether or not Biden, stumbling in some way, not necessarily physically, but over their words, that can often have an impact overshadowing what the president is saying,” Sarada Peri, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, told AFP.
Biden stated that his speech’s core subjects included reproductive rights, which Democrats see as a huge vote winner against Republicans.
The entire world will be watching, with hostilities in Gaza and Ukraine raising the stakes of the November 5 election to unprecedented heights.
Biden is likely to encourage Republicans to break the political gridlock in Washington that is impeding crucial aid for Ukraine’s struggle against Russia’s horrific invasion.
The US president asked Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska and the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to join him at the US Capitol for the speech, but both were unable to attend, the White House announced.
Trump has also urged congressional allies to oppose funding for the migrant crisis at the Mexican border and military aid for Israel’s struggle against Hamas, claiming that they should not hand Biden a victory in an election year.