Biden will soon take the stage to give the president’s annual address to a joint session of Congress and millions of Americans who are expected to be tuned in at home.
The high-stakes political moment serves as a chance for Biden to tout his accomplishments and lay out his plan for the nation as he seeks to convince voters to give him a second term — and to dispel concerns about his age and fitness for a second term.
The speech is expected to focus heavily on the rebounding economy post-pandemic, as well as reproductive rights, America’s role in international conflicts and the state of democracy at home.
With the 2024 election all but certain to be a Biden-Trump rematch, Biden is also expected to highlight the differences between his agenda and that of his Republican predecessor, who has promised to be making real-time rebuttals. That contrast was evident in an excerpt of his speech released by the White House in which Biden will say he was taught to “embrace freedom and democracy” while “some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge and retribution.”