President Biden is delivering his State of the Union address on Thursday night, a speech where he will make his case for a second term in office to one of the biggest television audiences he will have all year.
The speech comes at the end of a week where former President Donald Trump became the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination for November's election. Polls currently show the race between Biden and Trump will be tight. This speech gives Biden a chance to draw a contrast with Trump on issues where he thinks he can energize Democratic supporters and persuade independents.
In the delivery of his address, Biden will be working to show voters concerned about his age that at 81, he is still up for the rigors of the job.
The address begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Watch Biden's speech as well as live, in-studio video stream of NPR's special coverage:
Biden is expected to urge Congress to restore protections for reproductive rights, and to pass a Senate compromise on border security that would give him authority to turn back more migrants seeking asylum. Both of those measures are exceedingly unlikely to pass a divided Congress in an election year.
He is expected to talk about kitchen-table issues like the cost of living, where voters give him poor marks – and his popular fight against junk fees.
Biden also will reiterate his push for more funding for Ukraine – aid that has been blocked by House Republican leadership. One thing to watch is how he speaks about Israel's war against in Hamas in Gaza. Many Democrats have been critical of Biden for not doing more to try to prevent the civilian death toll in Gaza from climbing – a sentiment they've expressed in recent primary contests.
Following Biden's address, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama will deliver the Republican response. Trump endorsed Britt when she ran in 2022 after rescinding his endorsement of one of her primary opponents who had made comments about moving past the 2020 election.
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