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President Joe Biden said Americans are “facing the test of our time” as he called for a bitterly divided Congress to come together to “finish the job” during a State of the Union address Tuesday that previewed themes for a reelection campaign.
Yet multiple clashes with Republican hecklers during the 72-minute speech – his first before a GOP-controlled House that has vowed to block his agenda – spoiled the bipartisan rhetoric.
Biden sought to ease concerns about an economy still plagued by high inflation and assured the country that a “bruised” democracy remains unbroken. “Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere,” Biden said in remarks directed at Republicans. “We’ve been sent here to finish the job.”
The evening, however, proved to be a stark reminder that sweeping legislative action is unlikely in a Congress where Republicans run the House and Democrats control the Senate.
Here are five takeaways from Biden’s second State of the Union speech:1. Setting the stage for ’24 reelection bid
Biden’s speech looked beyond the immediate battles in Congress, setting the stage for a likely reelection campaign in 2024.
He talked about priorities that are popular among progressives but unlikely to find support in a Republican-led House such as codifying abortion rights, banning assault weapons, raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations, passing comprehensive immigration reform and capping insulin prices at $35 for all Americans.
Biden spent less time articulating a vision for the next year ahead of gridlock in Congress.
“Because the soul of this nation is strong,” Biden said, turning to his 2020 campaign slogan, “because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong.”
Although Biden hasn’t formally entered the 2024 campaign, an announcement is widely expected this spring.
Biden touted economic gains as the nation recovers from the pandemic, trying to convince Americans with lingering concerns about high inflation that his plan is working. Economic anxieties remain one of Biden’s biggest political vulnerabilities.
Throughout his remarks, Biden made clear that the work isn’t over.
