Speech will measure state of a president
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden was preparing for perhaps the most crucial speech of his political career as the unpopular 81-year-old tries to convince doubters he is fit for a bruising rematch with Donald Trump in November.
With dominant performances in the “Super Tuesday” primaries and Mr Trump’s last Republican rival Nikki Haley finally dropping out, the two men have nailed down a clash that many American voters say they don’t want.
But Democrat Mr Biden will barely have time to breathe before the State of the Union speech to Congress on Thursday (local time), when he will seek to quell persistent voter concerns about his age and the economy.
The world will also be watching, with wars in Gaza and Ukraine meaning the stakes of the November 5 election could hardly be higher for an increasingly volatile global order.
“You hired me to get the job done, build an economy that works for working people, and make life better for families,” Mr Biden wrote on X. “Tomorrow, I’ll update you on our progress and lay out the path ahead.”
Mr Biden said the key issues would range from abortion rights, which Democrats view as a major vote winner against Republicans, to lowering healthcare costs and investing in infrastructure.
The week of high American political theatre will set the scene for eight months of brutal campaigning as Mr Biden tries to win a second term – and prevent Mr Trump, 77, from making a historic White House comeback.
In an unprecedented scenario, Mr Trump, a former reality TV star who faces multiple criminal indictments, will face off against the oldest president in US history.
Within seconds of former UN ambassador Ms Haley’s withdrawal from the race on Wednesday, Mr Trump and Mr Biden were already scrambling to win over her moderate supporters. Mr Trump invited them to “join the greatest movement in the history of our nation” – while Mr Biden hailed Ms Haley’s courage for telling the “truth about Trump” and said her fans had a place in his campaign.
Declining to endorse Mr Trump, Ms Haley said he would have to “earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him”.
Right-wing populist Mr Trump then leaned into the rematch with the man who beat him in 2020, saying on social media that he was ready to hold a presidential debate with Mr Biden “ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!”
Trailing Mr Trump in a series of recent polls, Mr Biden was also expected to use the State of the Union speech to try to convince voters that the election is a stark choice between stability and an existential threat to democracy.
But Mr Biden must also convince voters that, physically, he’s the man for the job, as he’ll be in the public glare for at least an hour at a time when Mr Trump has mocked his health and mental acuity.
For three days over the weekend, Mr Biden huddled with close aides at the Camp David presidential retreat crafting the speech.
Mr Biden, however, has an uphill battle with voters despite posting clear wins on “Super Tuesday”. Recent polls give Mr Trump a narrow lead, with voters particularly concerned by Mr Biden’s age and rating Mr Trump better on the economy and immigration.
There are also warning signs from a protest vote over Mr Biden’s support for the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
Despite Trump’s scandals, his continuing appeal among working-class, rural and white voters remained on display on “Super Tuesday”.
Seeking the first comeback by a defeated US president since Grover Cleveland in 1893, Mr Trump swept 14 out of 15 states up for grabs.