The State of the Union Address is given annually around the first three months of the year by the President. In this speech, the President addresses the issues the country is currently facing, and the strategies they are planning on taking to get those issues resolved in the following year. This year, President Joe Biden gave his speech on March 7, 2024. He discussed the primary issues we are facing, and how he is the best candidate to help get the country out of them.
It Comes Down to the Delivery
While the speech was meant to discuss various issues threatening the United States, President Biden kept the speech light-hearted with some casual jokes. He started off the speech by saying “Good evening. Good evening. If I were smart, I’d go home now.” From the first minute of the speech, President Biden made clear what direction the tone of his speech was making. For many, it seemed that President Biden had former President Trump as a main character who, while not specifically named, was a very strong figure throughout the speech. This gave the impression of a political campaign to advocate for a second term of Presidency. The contrast between the casual jokes and the seriousness of our threat to democracy made the delivery of the speech rather messy and did not flow as naturally as it should have.
The Main Issues
President Biden quoted former President Roosevelt and compared the current state of the country to that of during World War II. President Biden then went on to say that the country is facing a threat to democracy both at home and overseas. In layman’s terms, this statement gives the impression that the current state of our union is chaotic. President Biden addressed the war in Russia by expressing that Ukraine needs immediate help from the US. The President humorously addressed the issue many Americans see with his age and explained how he is well suited for the job. He later took jabs at the Republican Party, especially when discussing the overturn of Roe v. Wade. “Clearly those bragging about Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women,” said Biden, and immediately continued to diss any hate he had previously received from Republicans.
To Support or Not Support
Regardless of the political party you affiliate with, this year’s State of the Union Address was especially important and meant to give voters an idea on the direction the country is going in with the current president. The New York Times Daily Podcast stated that the timing of President Biden’s speech, being the day after the general election was announced to be Trump versus Biden, has made this speech extremely important to President Biden’s campaign. While it is still too early to make assumptions, the podcast also says that the polls do not have President Biden winning this election thus far, which could be why he focused the speech on how he essentially is the better candidate.
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