The State of the Union address arrived this Thursday for United States President Joe Biden as a litmus test. With less than eight months until the November 5 election against Donald Trump, questions about the 81-year-old president’s physical and mental fitness have become a major vulnerability, shifting attention from the message to how it was delivered.
Debate surrounded not only the content but also the manner of presenting a formal address to Congress and the American people. It needed to outline the country’s state, review past achievements, lay out promises, and reach the largest audience ever gathered for his campaign in the months ahead.
The Democrat charged into two missions with determination and aggression. He presented a combative, even fierce stance, contrasting his position with that of the Republican opposition.
A list of key moments from the speech followed, offering a roadmap of the strategy and tone Biden chose for the evening.
Aiming at Trump
Biden did not name Trump directly, but he referenced his predecessor thirteen times. He invoked him to open and close the address, framing a contrast between the values of freedom and democracy on one side and ideas of hostility, anger, vengeance, and retribution on the other.
Throughout the address, Biden’s critique of the former president was forceful. Early on, he recalled Trump’s comments to Vladimir Putin encouraging him to do whatever he wanted in Europe, calling a leader who leans toward a Russian ally scandalous, dangerous, and unacceptable.
He tied this message to the assault on the Capitol, accusing both Trump and Republicans of trying to bury the truth about the insurrection and the spread of misinformation about electoral outcomes. He stressed that a nation cannot be loved only when it wins, urging respect for free and fair elections, the restoration of faith in institutions, and a clear stance that political violence has no place in the United States.
Biden also used the predecessor frame to condemn what he called the imperdonable actions during the Covid-19 pandemic, criticizing inaction on China, gun regulation, economic policy, and the ongoing fight over Obama’s healthcare reforms. The focus especially narrowed to immigration, as he pressed to block a bipartisan reform proposal and framed abortion and reproductive rights as central campaign issues.
“The Question Is the Age of Our Ideas”
The conversation about age was acknowledged directly and candidly. Over more than an hour of speaking, roughly 68 minutes, Biden sought to appear energetic, often raising his voice, even as his throat and a tendency toward throat clearing due to acid reflux posed challenges. He engaged directly with skeptical Republicans who interrupted with questions, something he did with less ease last year but managed to pull off again here.
From the outset he joked that if he were truly smart he would go home, and at the close he admitted that he did not seem animated but had simply been thinking aloud for a while. The closing stretch addressed the age issue head on, framing it as a test of ideas rather than a test of vitality.
Defining himself as an optimist, Biden laid out a future in which democracy is defended, the right to vote is protected, other freedoms are safeguarded, the middle class gets a fair chance, the wealthy pay their fair share, and urgent action is taken against climate change and gun violence. These themes resonate strongly with younger voters.
Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Although Biden, a Catholic, did not state the word abortion aloud, he reaffirmed that protecting reproductive rights remains a core pillar of his political agenda for a second term and the campaign. After last year’s brief treatment when abortion protections were overturned by the Supreme Court, this year’s speech was more expansive, acknowledging the electoral gains Democrats saw in 2022 and 2023 and suggesting the issue will again be pivotal in 2024.
He addressed the nine Supreme Court justices present, noting with due respect that women possess political and electoral power. The speech also touched on other restrictions following the Court’s decision, such as Alabama’s ruling defining embryos as persons, which could threaten in vitro fertilization. The moment raised questions about further erosions of liberties.
While Biden argued for reproductive rights and did not demonize immigrants, he was clear that the administration would not retreat on abortion rights and would exert political pressure to protect access, a topic that sat at the heart of his messaging to the audience and to voters nationwide.
“Illegals” and Immigration
On immigration, the defense of reproductive rights has mobilized Democratic voters, while concerns over immigration markets and border security mobilize Republicans. The speech centered on this issue, delivering some of the night’s most memorable lines and also a moment that could face his own base with scrutiny.
Like a few days earlier during a border visit, Biden blamed Trump and Republicans for blocking a bipartisan plan to strengthen border security and reform immigration. He pointed to his predecessor four times during this portion of the address, drawing sharp contrasts between the approaches to immigration policy.
Republicans shouted for a border wall, and at one point Biden accepted it. He highlighted the image of a grieving survivor responding to the shooting of a young woman named Laken Riley, a nursing student from Georgia who was killed by an immigrant from Venezuela. He used that moment to emphasize the human cost of immigration policy and to advocate for a more compassionate yet practical approach to border security.
Despite the rhetoric, Biden argued he would not demonize immigrants or separate families, nor veto or ban individuals based on faith. The term illegal provoked swift reaction from progressives, who argued for more inclusive language and policies that reflect the country’s immigrant heritage.
Gaza
The president announced the construction of a temporary port to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and devoted substantial time to the Israel-Hamas conflict in the wake of the attacks on October 7 and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
The move signaled not only concern for the humanitarian situation but also political sensitivity about how U.S. support for Israel is perceived by progressive supporters who want a different approach as the campaign unfolds. Biden reiterated that Israel has the right to pursue Hamas, but also bears a fundamental responsibility to protect civilians and allow greater aid access, ensuring humanitarian workers are not trapped in crossfire. He underscored that the two-state solution remains the only viable path forward.
As he walked through the humanitarian tragedy, he cited more than 30,000 Palestinian deaths, the orphaned children, the two million people living under bombardment or displacement, and the severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. The moment drew tears from lawmakers watching from the floor, including Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, and Ilhan Omar, who carried fans bearing messages for a durable ceasefire and to end the bombing.
Econ Populism
In a carefully calibrated shift, Biden moved away from the term Bidenomics, acknowledging a disconnect between economic indicators and ordinary people’s perceptions. He chose plainer language and proposals rooted in economic populism to bridge that gap, recognizing the frustration with rising prices and the sense that the economy is not delivering for many families.
The president reminded listeners that he inherited an economy on the brink and now claims to have steered it toward global admiration. He outlined plans to reduce prescription drug costs, expand housing assistance, and even tackle the shrinking size of everyday products while prices stay constant, a phenomenon sometimes called shrinkflation. He reaffirmed his advocacy for the middle class and workers, presenting tax plans aimed at higher earners and large corporations to ensure a fairer system. The message was clear: no billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a frontline worker or teacher.