In State of the Union, Biden to sharpen contrast with Trump

© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden looks on before boarding Air Force One at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S. March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will use his fourth State of the Union address on Thursday night to sharpen distinctions between him and Republican opponent Donald Trump, tout the country’s strong economy, push the rich to pay more taxes and try to ease voters’ concerns about his advanced age.

Biden’s annual address, an event that stems from the U.S. Constitution’s requirement that a president report information to Congress “from time to time” on the state of the union, will be held at 9 p.m. (1400 GMT) before a rare joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and a nationally televised audience.

It may be Biden’s biggest opportunity this year to reach the millions of voters weighing whether to vote for him, choose former President Trump, who pushed out challenger Nikki Haley this week, or to sit home on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Polls show Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, closely tied in hotly contested battleground states where voting preferences can swing either to Republicans or Democrats. Most U.S. voters, however, are not enthusiastic about either or about rematch between the two.

Biden will go into the well of the House chamber looking to convince voters that he is fighting to protect democracy from Trump – who continues to lie about his 2020 election loss and proposed jailing political enemies. Biden will also vow to protect abortion rights from Republicans, and lower costs for Americans buffeted by high prices.

The president will renew his crusade Thursday to make wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes, unveiling new proposals including higher minimum taxes for companies and Americans with wealth over $100 million.

Any such tax reform is unlikely unless Democrats win both houses of Congress in November, which is not expected.

Biden will promote his support for unions and lay out his legislative successes, for example on infrastructure and computer chips production, to show what is possible if he is given another four years in office.

Biden will stress America’s leadership role in the world and cite U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel as examples, an aide said. He is expected to use the speech to push, again, for a $95 billion aid package for weapons to Ukraine and aid to Israel that has been blocked by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson, front-running Biden’s speech on Wednesday, said Biden had damaged the U.S. economy and reputation. “Our stature has been diminished to a point that is difficult to calculate,” Johnson said.

TRUMP COMPARISONS

The U.S. economy is performing better than most high-income countries, with strong job growth, wages and consumer spending. However, Republican voters tell pollsters they are deeply dissatisfied with the economy, polls show, and overall Americans give Trump better marks for economic issues.

Biden’s re-election campaign plans to dig into Trump on abortion, the economy and taxes and policies toward Black Americans and Latinos on Thursday, new strategy memos show.

“We intend to remind voters of the chaos and lasting damage Trump caused as president,” the campaign said.

The NAACP, U.S. civil rights group, released a “Black policy agenda” for Biden’s address that asks him to make more progress securing voting rights and criminal justice reform.

“Black voters refuse to remain tone deaf to the reality of actions, or lack thereof on behalf of any politician,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said.

Amid concerns about Biden’s fitness for a second term after a series of slipups, the president’s performance Thursday will be closely watched for signs of physical or mental weakness. Biden is expected to speak for at least an hour, reading from a TelePrompter.

If last year’s State of the Union is any guide, Republicans loyal to Trump who fought most of Biden’s legislative proposals for the past year could provide a raucous audience.

“This is a chance for him to really project and possibly allay some concerns about his age,” said Thomas Alan Schwartz, a presidential historian and professor at Vanderbilt University. “There’s a lot of people who need assurance that he is much more capable.”White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that Biden has been honest and joked about his age. But, she said, “this is also a president that has gotten more done in three years than most presidents have accomplished in two terms.”

Biden spent last weekend working on the speech, huddled with top advisers at the Camp David presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains, and is expected to hone the speech throughout the day Thursday until he delivers it.