State of the Union: Biden in full campaign mode
| Washington
Let鈥檚 just say it: President Joe Biden鈥檚 State of the Union address Thursday night was a campaign rally.听
Amid cheers and chants from fellow Democrats in Congress, a fired-up President Biden took the 2024 race right into American living rooms as he went after his 鈥減redecessor鈥� and framed the future in existential terms.
鈥淔reedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and overseas,鈥� Mr. Biden said, referring both to Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine and to former President Donald Trump, though not by name. 鈥淗istory is watching.鈥澨�
Why We Wrote This
Sometimes a president strives for a unifying message at the annual State of the Union address. In this hard-fought election year, President Joe Biden sought to draw sharp contrasts 鈥� and to resolve concerns about his age.
The event was classic Biden. He arrived late 鈥� in part because pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the main route to the Capitol 鈥撎齛nd then worked the room before taking the podium nearly a half-hour late.听
Once onstage, the tableau suggested a coordinated effort by both parties to support and oppose the president. Democratic female members of Congress who were dressed in white 鈥� the color of old-time suffragists and now women鈥檚 rights 鈥� presented the most visible evidence. Democrats also chanted 鈥渇our more years鈥� on multiple occasions.听
On the Republican side, every heckle and jeer brought a 鈥渂ring it on鈥� expression to Mr. Biden鈥檚 face. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had听听to show 鈥渄ecorum鈥� during the speech, but to no avail 鈥� and Mr. Biden was clearly ready.听
On the fraught issue of immigration, the president didn鈥檛 flinch; he dove headfirst into perhaps his biggest political vulnerability, holding up a pin handed to him moments before by Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was wearing a 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� red hat. The pin bore the name of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student killed last month;听murder charges are now pending against a migrant who entered the country illegally.
Representative Greene had dared Mr. Biden to 鈥渟ay her name,鈥� which he did 鈥� though a bit incorrectly 鈥� and then pivoted to a 鈥渇eel your pain鈥� moment as he referenced his own experience with losing children. He also challenged Republicans to support bipartisan border legislation that failed after former President Trump objected.听
This year鈥檚 presidential speech before a joint session of Congress was Mr. Biden鈥檚 biggest and best opportunity to reach out directly to American voters before the November election. He trails Mr. Trump in opinion polls on a听likely 2024 rematch, and has struggled to convince Americans that the economy is doing better post-pandemic, though听economic optimism is on the rise.听
On Friday, the February jobs number was solid 鈥� an increase of 275,000 鈥� but whether Mr. Biden can benefit is unclear.听听showed the president doing well, with more than 60% of viewers reacting positively.听
The president鈥檚 address Thursday contained the usual recitation of proposals and perceived accomplishments. Aside from immigration, another major hot spot for Mr. Biden was the war in Gaza. The president, a decadeslong supporter of Israel, leaned on the Jewish state to allow humanitarian aid and affirmed his support for a two-state solution.听But the biggest issue on the table was age. The octogenarian needs above all else to convince enough Americans he鈥檚 up to the task of another four-year term. And he waited until the end of his speech to go there.听听
鈥淢y fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn鈥檛 how old we are; it鈥檚 how old our ideas are,鈥� Mr. Biden said. 鈥淗ate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas. But you can鈥檛 lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.鈥�
Democratic members of Congress praised the speech as evidence of the president鈥檚 vigor, and characterized him as the leader who can unite the country.听But Republicans heard a different message.
Speaker Johnson looked by turns bemused and beside himself during the speech. He would sigh, furrow his brow, and then periodically tilt his chin upward as if to try to reset with a dignified expression.
鈥淚 tried to keep a poker face, but it was very difficult,鈥� the Louisianian told reporters afterward. 鈥淚 disagreed so vehemently with so much of what he said.鈥�
鈥淚 mean, look, usually in a State of the Union, you have at least segments of it that are bipartisan, where we can unify and agree on things,鈥� he added. 鈥淧resident Biden gave none of that. ... It was a campaign speech and a pretty vitriolic one at that.鈥�
Indeed, long after Democrats had cleared out of the media zone set up in Statuary Hall, Republicans lingered to criticize the president for campaigning instead of taking the opportunity to unite the country as it faces challenges within and rising aggression from autocratic leaders in Russia, China, and Iran.听
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 try to find the best in people tonight,鈥� said GOP Rep. Jake Ellzey of Texas, a former Navy fighter pilot. 鈥淭here are enemies of ours outside. And Americans need to be uniting together in a very difficult and dangerous time.鈥�
Unlike last year, when he found reasons to stand and applaud things he agreed with, Representative Ellzey said he only found two opportunities to do so Thursday night 鈥撎齛nd he couldn鈥檛 remember what one of them was. The other was calling out Russian leader Vladimir Putin.听
As for questions about the president鈥檚 mental acuity, even Republicans had to admit he was fired up. House Freedom Caucus leader Bob Good called it 鈥渋mpassioned.鈥� Louisiana Rep. Garrett Graves conceded, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 his worst performance.鈥澨�
The GOP outbursts during the speech gave him a chance to demonstrate spontaneity, and some took his response as a positive sign.
鈥淗e handled the Republican heckling and nonsense very well,鈥� said Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland. 鈥淗e was very statesmanlike in dealing with that and got back onto the points he needed to make.鈥�
