when it starts
President Joe Biden will deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, his third State of the Union address since taking office in 2021.
That same year, he gave a speech in April to the House, Senate, Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, and diplomats, but it was not considered a State of the Union address because he had been in office for less than a year.
How to watch
The speech will be broadcast live on stations including ABC, Bloomberg TV, CBS, CNN, Fox, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NBC, NewsNation, PBS and The CW.
This address will also be livestreamed on NYPost.com.
What Biden is expected to say
The speech is traditionally where the president touts his policy accomplishments and outlines his legislative priorities for the coming year. The election-year speech comes as the 81-year-old Biden is seeking re-election even though polls show a majority of U.S. voters think he is too old to serve a second term. It will have a special meaning.
Mr. Biden, who will likely be the biggest television audience by Election Day, has allayed concerns about his age and cognitive ability and why Biden is better than the Republican front-runner he has succeeded, Donald Trump. It appears that he is making a case to voters as to whether he should be elected. in the Oval Office after defeating him in 2020.
White House officials said in a preview of Thursday’s full speech that Biden would push for populist economic policies, calling for higher taxes on the wealthy and big corporations.
On foreign policy, Mr. Biden is expected to announce that the U.S. military will help establish a humanitarian port to bring aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip. He is also expected to urge Congress to quickly approve billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.
Things to be careful about
This year, another new face will sit behind Biden and next to Vice President Kamala Harris. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) replaced Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House last fall after McCarthy was ousted by a right-wing Republican-led revolt.
Fashion statements and protests in the form of riots are likely to be featured in live events. Biden, who is campaigning for a second term, has recently been targeted by demonstrators unhappy with his administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The president was also repeatedly heckled by Republican lawmakers during his last State of the Union address, a once shocking breach of decorum and decorum that has become commonplace on both sides of the aisle in recent years. Johnson reportedly urged House Republicans to resist such violent impulses this year.
Members of Congress and their guests will have special consideration for their nationally televised attire. In 2019, Democratic women wore white to show solidarity with the women’s suffrage moment. Three years later, some lawmakers wore blue and yellow ribbons to show support for Ukraine.
Famous people participate
Women who sought abortions in Republican-led states will appear as guests on First Lady Jill Biden’s box. Among them are Kate Cox, who sued the state of Texas last year to abort a fetus diagnosed with a chromosomal abnormality, and Idaho, who sued the state of Texas last year after the state refused to allow abortion of a fetus with a “fatal abnormality.” This includes Kayla Smith, who is no longer with us.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose country became NATO’s 32nd member earlier Thursday, will also be in the first lady’s box. He includes United Auto Workers President Sean Fein, a partner in the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, and independent president Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose campaign was condemned by the legendary Democratic family. Her cousin, former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, will also be joining her. .
Elizabeth Kerr, the first American born through IVF, says a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling temporarily puts the future of IVF treatment across the state in doubt before lawmakers enact legislation to protect providers. After raising questions, he became a guest of Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. This week it’s about legal liability.
“Each of these individuals is unique because they embody the issues and themes the president should address in his speech, or because they embody the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration that are working on behalf of the American people,” Jill Biden’s office said in a statement. Because of that, I was invited by the White House.” statement.
Freed Hamas hostage Mia Shem and at least 17 relatives of those still held captive in Gaza were also invited as Mr Johnson’s guests.
Two police officers attacked by an immigrant mob near Times Square in January are guests of New York Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nicole Malliotakis.
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska declined an invitation from the White House, citing scheduling conflicts.
How long will the speech be?
The average duration of Biden’s previous three speeches before a joint session of the House and Senate was just over 66 minutes. According to the American Presidents Project.
That’s longer than the average set by former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, but shorter than the average length of speeches given by Trump and Bill Clinton.
Republican reaction
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt is expected to deliver the traditional Republican response, which is expected to begin immediately after Biden finishes his remarks.
All three Republican responses to Biden’s past speeches were about 14 minutes long.
with post wire
