Joe Biden

2023 - 2 - 8

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Associated Press"

Biden aims to deliver reassurance in State of Union address (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation's condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he ...

The GOP leader also said “defaulting on our debt is not an option.” He would also push Congress to quadruple the one percent tax on corporate share buybacks that was enacted in Democrats’ climate and health care bill passed last year known as the Inflation Reduction Act. and other allies have sent tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. Biden is shifting his sights after spending his first two years pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package, a bill to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate legislations. Congress to join us in doing that work,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Biden has insisted that he won’t negotiate on meeting the country’s debt obligations; Republicans have been equally adamant that Biden must make spending concessions. Biden, he said, has an opportunity to be a “calming presence” for the country. And so I think right now, sentiment and tone, and helping Americans feel better about their circumstances, I think are going to go a long way.” The parents of adults say things in the country are headed in the right direction, according to “Usually we’re looking for an agenda: ‘Here’s what he plans to do.’ I don’t know that that’s really realistic,” Nichter said. [a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research](/article/ap-norc-poll-biden-2024-presidential-prospects-c843c5af6775b4c8a0cff8e2b1db03f6).

Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address as ... (The White House)

The United States Capitol Mr. Speaker. Madam Vice President. Our First Lady and Second Gentleman. Members of Congress and the Cabinet. Leaders of our.

A nation that stands as a beacon to the world. We are facing the test of our time and the time for choosing is at hand. As I stand here tonight, I have never been more optimistic about the future of America. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We are a good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea. It is within our power, of We the People. I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Tonight, we are once again joined by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States. I’m proud of how America is at last stepping up to the challenge. To build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. And a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "ScrippsNews"

President Joe Biden delivers the 2023 State of the Union address (ScrippsNews)

President Joe Biden's annual address focused on bipartisanship while touting the administration's economic accomplishments.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders told her audience that Biden and the Democratic Party “failed you. Republicans have wanted to negotiate to raise the U.S. We need the president to negotiate with Republicans." "Let’s finish the job. Although the U.S. He has called on Congress to implement a minimum tax on billionaires of 15%. "Republicans say if we don't cut Social Security and Medicare, they'll let America default on its debt for the first time in our history," Biden said to jeers from Republicans. "There are millions of other Americans who are not on Medicare, including 200,000 young people with Type I diabetes who need insulin to save their lives," Biden said. Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months while take home pay has gone up." Biden will now take his message to the road as he hopes he can form agreements with a split Congress. President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address and heard directly from House Republicans during his speech who jeered several of his proposals. The consumer price index is at 6.1%, down from a June 2022 high of 9.1%.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "KCRA Sacramento"

Here's why Bono was at Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union (KCRA Sacramento)

Rock star Bono was among the featured guests sitting alongside First Lady Jill Biden at President Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union address.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Politico"

Biden urges GOP lawmakers to 'finish the job' and takes a few ... (Politico)

President Joe Biden used Tuesday night's State of the Union to urge a newly divided Congress to “finish the job” to help the nation through a series of ...

A year ago, in the wake of a surge of violent crime, Biden emphatically declared, “We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police. But that brought another uproar from Republicans, including a shout at Biden of “it’s your fault” about the fentanyl death. Biden vowed to veto any efforts to raise the price of prescription drugs, which his Inflation Reduction Act lowered for Medicare beneficiaries. The new Speaker has already delivered his objections on both, setting up standoffs on issues that Biden has declared essential to the future of democracy at home and abroad. Any State of the Union is of the moment, reflecting a nation’s internal strife. Though some of his criticisms of the GOP were implicit, Biden made direct calls in his speech for partisan politics to be set aside for two important priorities: lifting the federal debt ceiling and continuing to fund Ukraine in its defense against Russia. It was, they noted, a “unity agenda” similar to the approach that Biden took during his 2020 campaign, where he tried to avoid the daily political firestorms engulfing Trump, pledged to make politics less omnipresent in everyday life, all while allowing his Republican opponent to self-immolate. He made a renewed push on pieces of legislation — including an assault weapons ban, police reform and protections for abortion rights — that polling suggestions are broadly popular with the American people, including the independent and swing voters who usually decide elections. At times, Biden seemed to take delight in ribbing lawmakers on the other side of the aisle — wearing a Cheshire cat grin when he did so. As he spoke, a symbol of the new fault lines in Washington appeared just over Biden’s left shoulder. “We’ve been sent here to finish the job.” He received applause on occasion but also jeers from some of the newly emboldened Republicans, who accused him at times of lying about their desire to cut entitlement programs.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Deadline"

Joe Biden State of the Union Preview - Super Bowl Media Blitz (Deadline)

POTUS' 2nd SOTU faces a GOP house & challenges breaking though in a fractured country.

At the Capitol, security fencing has returned to the grounds, a legacy of the January 6, 2021, attack on the complex. Biden’s speech will be his first as president before a divided Congress, something that will be very much in evidence with the presence of McCarthy sitting behind him, next to VP Harris. As they did for last month’s marathon speaker vote, viewers will get a more candid view of the House chamber and individual members. According to prepared remarks, Sanders plans to tell viewers: “While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict gets us nowhere.” “This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.” “Because of those record deficits, no president added more to the national debt in any four years than my predecessor,” he said. He tried to create a sense of momentum around the economy — “jobs are coming back, pride is coming back” — while acknowledging that more needed to be done. Democrats don’t want conditions attached to raising the debt limit as a way to pay back spending that has already been incurred. “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. He was referring to the military’s strike on the balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Republicans heckled when Biden attacked his predecessor for driving up the deficit, and some did even when the president mentioned a proposal to restrict non-compete agreements.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "BBC News"

State of the Union 2023: Five takeaways from Biden's speech (BBC News)

The US president called for unity but also provoked Republican heckles. Here's what you need to know.

"All of us in the chamber, we need to rise to this moment," he said. On that topic, Mr Biden and House Republicans are engaging in a high-stakes game of chicken with the US economy at stake. Earlier in the day, the House speaker had reportedly cautioned his fellow Republicans to hold their tongues and observe congressional decorum. It was an effort to cast eyes toward the future and offer a vision he can offer to Americans wondering what an 80-year-old president has left in the tank. And he served as a fairly accurate barometer of Mr Biden's attempts to convince Republicans that they could be his partners in job-finishing. Those naysayers are predicting that not much will get done of substance in the coming year, as Republicans and Democrats clash over policy priorities. The president noted co-operation on infrastructure spending, high-tech investment in microchip manufacturing, military aid to Ukraine, federal protections for gay marriage and electoral reform, among other topics. The president welcomed Ukraine's ambassador to the US, seated in the gallery, and heralded allied support for the nation. It came as he is poised to launch a re-election campaign and is dealing with Republicans controlling one chamber of Congress for the first time. He said that inflation and high energy prices, which have been a lead weight on his approval ratings for the past 18 months, are now declining. But he did not use the opportunity to call for new aid to the war-torn nation. And they, by and large, believe the nation is still struggling.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NPR"

5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address (NPR)

The president drew a clear distinction with House Republicans, baiting them into several moments of hectoring, while seemingly getting them to agree to not ...

"It's up to all of us," Biden continued. "I'm glad to see it," Biden said of the apparent agreement not to cut the programs. It's precisely the look Biden and Democrats wanted to put on display for what will likely be the largest TV audience the president will speak to this year ahead of his expected 2024 reelection announcement. "I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong," Biden said. Marjorie Taylor Greene accusing Biden of being a "liar" and others yelling out, "It's your fault!" Democrats have run with it, even though McCarthy has said cuts to Medicare and Social Security are "off the table." Both Biden and former President Donald Trump have populism at their core — the little guy vs. It showed he's gearing up for campaign mode — to "finish the job," as he said some 12 times in the speech — and that he's likely going to campaign on what he's already done by drawing a big-picture distinction between his vision for America and Republicans'. Biden is 80 years old and would be the oldest president to run for reelection. The best example of this was on Medicare and Social Security. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the former National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, opened the door to with his "Rescue America Plan." He was careful in that section to note that "some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years."

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Daily Beast"

MTG Screams 'Liar' at Joe Biden as Republicans Derail SOTU (Daily Beast)

Some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's a majority,” Biden said, before loud boos forced him to pause.

Rick Scott (R-FL), who is also the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in his “11 Point Plan to Rescue America.” I’ll give you a copy,” Biden countered, to a renewed round of shouts—including someone who yelled “Bullshit!” I’m not saying it’s a majority,” Biden said, before loud boos forced him to pause.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

Feisty Joe Biden draws battle lines in State of the Union speech (Financial Times)

President locks horns with Republicans and sketches out appeal to voters with 2024 election looming.

For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. Compare Standard and Premium Digital For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital,

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

State of the Union takeaways: Blue-collar Joe, GOP boos and a ... (USA TODAY)

President Joe Biden's State of the Union address previewed a working-class economic message for a widely expected reelection bid.

Biden has said he followed the advice of the Pentagon to not have the balloon shot down while debris could have posed a danger to people on ground. He talked about the "places and people that have been forgotten" in a pitch to blue-collar pitch to Americans in cities like his hometown of Scranton, Pa. "I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said. A Chinese spy balloon that crossed the continental U.S. He promoted his administration's "made in America" policies and efforts to turn the Rust Belt into the new manufacturing center for microchips. You remember the jobs that went away." "Let's finish the job," he said of policing legislation that stalled in Congress last year. Biden has said the debt limit should be increased without conditions and demanded McCarthy reveal which programs he wants to axe. I'm not even saying it's a significant (number.) But it's being proposed by individuals," Biden said, alluding to a proposal from Sen. "We’ve been sent here to finish the job." "We're just getting started," he said of his infrastructure law that passed in 2021. Biden sought to ease concerns about an economy still plagued by high inflation and assured the country that a "bruised" democracy remains unbroken.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Vanity Fair"

George Santos “Shouldn't Be There”: Republican Infighting Spills ... (Vanity Fair)

Mitt Romney calls New York's Santos a “sick puppy.” Lauren Boebert appears to distance herself from Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy tries very ...

Grappling with a silver of a majority in the House, McCarthy will have a difficult time wrangling his own fractious caucus, let alone shepherd legislation that survives the House, the Democrat-controlled Senate and Biden’s veto. McCarthy and Republican leaders [reportedly](https://twitter.com/MZanona/status/1622974318576812032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1622974318576812032%7Ctwgr%5Eb44939071281c0919c852db1236f8e1a2dbb8d2e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fmccarthy-pelosi-ahead-of-bidens-state-of-the-union-2023-2) reminded the party that the “cameras are on” and “mics are hot.” “We’re members of Congress. Pelosi invited Sergeant Aquilino Gonnell who served as a Capitol Police officer during the January 6, 2021 insurrection and her husband Paul Pelosi, who had become the subject of right-wing conspiracies after being brutally attacked in his own home. “I have so much respect for the speaker as both a leader, and a friend. “Well, I won't be bringing a white helium balloon, if that's what you're asking,” Boebert [told The Hill](https://twitter.com/emilybrooksnews/status/1623060862322765824). We have a code of ethics of how we should portray ourselves,” McCarthy [added](https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1623012064963821568?s=20&t=N3O78jcQ923g9t63snGNiQ) in a CNN interview. At this point, other Republicans shouted, “Close the border.” And one Republican sunk even lower, heard saying, “It is your fault!” [childish games](https://news.yahoo.com/mccarthy-warns-republicans-not-misbehave-185600454.html)” Tuesday night. “He shouldn’t be there,” he said, noting his disappointment in how McCarthy has handled the New York Republican who has been caught in a When asked if he was disappointed that Speaker McCarthy had not called on Santos to resign, the Utah Senator bluntly responded, “Yes.” He even laughed at some of Biden’s jokes. For weeks, Biden toiled away with a number of his top aides—Mike Donilon, Bruce Reed, Steve Ricchetti, Anita Dunn, Vinay Reddy, being the most influential—crafting the president’s address.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Newsweek"

Joe Biden's State of the Union Highlights—Three Surprising Moments (Newsweek)

Biden clashed with some Republicans after the president accused the GOP of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Last year, Republican Senator Rick Scott proposed a plan that would have made Medicare and Social Security vulnerable to cuts as it would have required Congress to reauthorize the programs every five years . "So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right?" and "Liar!" They say, 'We're afraid you're going to shut down all the oil wells, all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?'" "Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I'll give you a copy of the proposal." One moment that elicited some laughs from Republicans was when President Biden said that the U.S. They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production, and when I talked to a couple of them. "I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world. and she was joined by other Republicans who shouted "no" as Biden pushed back against their objections. That remark appears to have been a departure from his prepared speech. And we did," he said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

Joe Biden touts economic agenda after State of the Union; GOP ... (USA TODAY)

Biden hones in on working-class messaging as he prepares for a 2024 bid. The Biden administration hits the road: Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set ...

"Biden and the Democrats have failed you," Sanders said in the formal GOP response to Biden's State of the Union address. intelligence community is scheduled to brief him and other members of congressional leadership who comprise the Gang of Eight later this week on the balloon and efforts to gain any intelligence from the recovery of it. George Santos, R-N.Y., shouldn't be in Congress](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/07/mitt-romney-santos-biden-state-union/11208701002/). “If you take the path that this balloon did, and you put up an X every place where you have a missile defense site, actual nuclear weapons infrastructure, you're going to follow this path,” Turner said in a briefing with reporters. Speaking from the governor's mansion in Little Rock, Ark., Sanders cited domestic issues like inflation, immigration, and crime. James Comer, R-Ky., wants to talk to Yoel Roth, former head of trust and safety; Vijaya Gadde, former chief legal officer; and James Baker, former general counsel, about the incident. “Twitter, under the leadership of our witnesses today, was a private company the federal government used to accomplish what it constitutionally cannot: limit the free exercise of speech,” Comer is expected to say in opening remarks. And Democrats blasted the inquiry as “hyper-partisan” conspiracy theories that have been debunked. But Comer, R-Ky., said the result was to "suppress and delegitimize" information about alleged Biden family business schemes. Ahead of an expected re-election announcement in the coming weeks, Biden is making a concerted effort to bring working-class Americans back into the fold. Instead, “House Republicans are making it their top priority to stage a bizarre political stunt,” he said in a statement.] More defense and less offense by the White House.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Detroit Free Press"

What did Joe Biden say in his State of the Union speech? Here are ... (Detroit Free Press)

Didn't watch President Biden's speech Tuesday night? Here's a quick rundown of the top points in the address to Congress.

"Today, we’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world," he said. He called for a “surge to stop fentanyl production, sale and trafficking,” with more equipment to detect and stop drugs at the border. He said if Congress won’t pass his immigration reform bill, “at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border." As for an agenda headed into the new Congress, Biden said he will urge passage of a law to cap insulin prices for everyone at no more than $35 a month, look to increase taxes on big corporations and push for universal pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. He used the moment to note that he never had to have the “talk” with his children about police violence “that so many Black and brown families have had with their children.” He noted as well that much is asked of police and that most are “good, decent honorable people.” Law enforcement, he said, “risk their lives every time they put that shield on. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation,” Biden said early in his State of the Union address, “but I look forward to working together.” But he said he wouldn’t hold it against those Republicans, especially in the House, who voted against it and are still seeing projects built in their districts. And I’ll see you at the ground-breaking.” [ big infrastructure bill in 2021](https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/05/infrastructure-bill-biden-michigan/6300865001/), which he noted was aided greatly by some key Republican support – much of which was in the Senate. Biden said he’s going to put in place new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be American=made. And while he acknowledged inflation remains too high, he said it’s been coming down over the last six months while unemployment has fallen to 3.4%, a half-century low. Even though the two are certain to clash over any number of issues, not least the need to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, it appeared after a meeting at the White House last week, they are staying collegial for now.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The New Yorker"

Joe Biden, Once Again, Lucks Out with His Enemies (The New Yorker)

In his State of the Union address, the President offered a strong performance—with an assist from House Republicans.

[assured](https://www.axios.com/2023/02/07/biden-unity-agenda-state-of-the-union?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&stream=top) me that Biden would promote a “unity agenda.” Politico was already [certain](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2023/02/07/inside-bidens-high-road-sotu-00081506) that Biden would take the “high-road” and banish the “MAGA Republican” language that worked for him in the midterm campaigns. There is persistent high [inflation](https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/a-message-for-the-federal-reserve-in-the-new-inflation-data), and a global competition with China, and a Russian invasion of [Ukraine](https://www.newyorker.com/tag/ukraine) so dangerous that the United States has [committed nearly fifty billion dollars](https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts) in assistance to the Ukrainian cause over the last year. But I’d say that Tuesday night did tell us something about the state of our politics, if not about the state of our union. The evening’s slogan was, in fact, his campaign rallying cry for 2024: “Finish the job.” He repeated it, by my count, a dozen times. There were few new policy proposals, and the world outside America’s borders was hardly mentioned, except for the obligatory line bragging about Biden’s decision, last week, to order the shootdown of a Chinese spy balloon floating across the United States. Because there’s no way to know in advance how a President will fare when actually faced with a live audience of rowdy partisans and millions of voters watching at home, there was some real suspense to the event, though not over the prospect of Biden and McCarthy working together. His approval ratings have been stuck underwater since the U.S.’s [chaotic withdrawal](https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/bidens-chaotic-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-is-complete) from [Afghanistan](https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-casualties-of-the-forever-wars), in the summer of 2021. “It’s your fault!” a Republican shouted at Biden later in his speech, right after the President had paid emotional tribute to a dad who had lost his daughter to a fentanyl overdose. There is so much advance coverage of these addresses now that by the time the speech rolled around I wasn’t sure I needed to listen to Biden. Greene arrived for the State of the Union dressed for the TV cameras in an all-white fur-trimmed outfit that made her seem like a villain in a Disney movie. Unfazed, Biden challenged her and the others who were jeering him to prove that Republicans did not actually support such a thing. Would the far-right Republican extremists who had [held up their own party’s leadership](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/kevin-mccarthy-is-not-the-only-loser-in-the-house-gops-speaker-mess) through fifteen long ballots at the start of the year, rather than sign off on McCarthy as Speaker, once again act up?

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Wisconsin Public Radio News"

President Joe Biden to speak about job creation near Madison (Wisconsin Public Radio News)

Biden will give remarks at the Laborers' International Union of North America training center in DeForest. He is expected to speak about creating "good-paying, ...

A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research [poll, released earlier this week, found](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3845238-just-37-percent-of-democrats-want-biden-to-seek-second-term-survey/) that only 37 percent of Democrats want to see Biden run for a second term. "I expect we'll see a lot more of him in the months and years to come." "He has to turn around his political fortunes here.” He's also expected to focus on his economic, environmental and infrastructure record in the state so far. He is expected to speak about creating "good-paying, union jobs" and other aspects of his economic plan, according to a statement from the White House. The president's going to come to Wisconsin more for one reason: He has to"The president's going to come to Wisconsin more for one reason: He has to," Schimming said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Atlantic"

Joe Biden's Spirited State of the Union Speech (The Atlantic)

Leaning hard into his populist “Scranton Joe” persona, an energetic and feisty Biden sparred with congressional Republicans heckling him from the audience as he ...

Last night, Biden gave voters a spirited preview of his 2024 message and strategy. He touted his commitment to a wide array of priorities, including expanded preschool and an assault-weapons ban, that he knows have no chance of passing a Republican-controlled House. All of that notably departed from the tone that his two Democratic predecessors struck in their first State of the Union immediately after losing unified control of Congress, as Biden also did this past fall. After those losses, both Clinton and Obama felt enormous pressure to signal to voters that they were making a course correction toward the center; Biden last night betrayed no hint that he felt any need to change direction. He began by congratulating the new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and stressed how during his first two years as president, “time and again, Democrats and Republicans came together” to pass big legislation, such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In the State of the Union, he offered a variation on that theme. After hosting a focus group of voters who watched last night’s speech, Bryan Bennett, the senior director of polling and analytics at the Hub Project, a Democratic polling consortium, told me in an email that although their reactions suggested that Biden “was successful in telling a positive story about how the economy has improved over the last two years … Echoing the “you lie” cry from a GOP representative during a 2009 Barack Obama speech, several Republicans apparently called out “liar” when Biden noted, correctly, that some Republicans (specifically Senator Rick Scott of Florida whom he did not name) have proposed to sunset all federal programs every five years, including Social Security and Medicare. The other thematic pillar of Biden’s presidency has been his promise to unify America and work across party lines. As he often has before, Biden called his agenda a “blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America” and Well into the speech, Biden delivered an unflinching pledge to veto any GOP effort to ban abortion nationwide (which has no chance of passing the Senate anyway). It’s easy to view those sharply contrasting messages as a preview of the 2024 election.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Newsweek"

Has Joe Biden Silenced His Critics? (Newsweek)

Biden has won praise for his handling of the heckling from Republicans during his State of the Union address but tough challenges still lie ahead.

Whoever he's up against, Biden put the criticism of his age to bed last night—at least for the short-term." But positive reviews may be enough for Biden to gain momentum as he heads into what's likely the most politically uncertain period of his time in office." Mark Shanahan told Newsweek that for now, the president appeared to be in a good position. "This felt very much like a rehearsal for a re-election bid," Shanahan said. It comes at an inflection point in Biden's presidency, with everyone asking: Will he or won't he jump into the fray for 2024?" "Florida Governor "In short, he hedged. As the heckles from Republican lawmakers showed, partisanship is alive and well. Thomas Gift, founding director of the Centre on U.S. "Still, it's possible the speech takes on more consequence precisely because of the timing. [his actions on the China spy balloon](https://www.newsweek.com/china-rejects-pentagon-call-spy-balloon-shot-down-biden-xi-jinping-1779708) to emphasize his power on the global scene," he added. [Joe Biden](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/joe-biden)'s second State of the Union address may be remembered for the unusual moment when he directly addressed [Republicans](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/republicans) who had heckled him after he accused some in the [GOP of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare](https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-gop-heckles-during-bidens-state-union-1779660).

Post cover
Image courtesy of "BBC News"

The clues in the State of the Union that suggest Joe Biden will run ... (BBC News)

Add to that the much better-than expected-results for Democrats in last year's midterm elections and you can see why Mr Biden feels he is a good position to win ...

Were there clues in his State of the Union speech about his re-election campaign? In Mr Biden's speech on Tuesday, he also sounded as though he was making the case for his 2024 run, and made it clear he has no plan to cool down his political ambitions, despite lukewarm polling. On Tuesday he enjoyed taunting his Republican opponents. They hope manufacturing industries will be seeing increased investment. They hope his infrastructure spending will not only have repaired the fabric of the nation but will create even more jobs. The clues in the State of the Union that suggest Joe Biden will run for president in 2024

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"

With an eye on a 2024 reelection bid, President Joe Biden takes his ... (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

President Joe Biden's first trip after his State of the Union speech was to a union training center in battleground Wisconsin.

Ron Johnson's suggestion to make Medicare and Social Security should subjected to annual budget deliberations − similar comments to those that drew heckling from a number of Republicans during his Tuesday address when he accused members of the GOP of threatening Social Security and Medicare in the ongoing debate over the nation’s debt limit despite Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s claims that Republicans will not touch the entitlement programs. Scott Walker signed a right-to-work law, which banned labor contracts from requiring all workers in certain jobs to pay union fees, even when the staff members don't want to belong to a union. The president's message feels tailor-made for Wisconsin voters," Wikler said. Sarah Varga, a 21-year-old laborer who lives in Janesville, introduced Biden at the event. In his Wednesday remarks, Biden took aim at U.S. "A typical middle-class family for decades was the backbone of America. Now that we have more opportunity and availability to work even harder and get more training, it makes me unbelievably happy. But now we're going to turn that around and build an economy where no one's going to be left behind." Before that it was, we have to work to pay our bills. It's no coincidence that President Biden's first stop after the State of the Union is the Badger State. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Biden's tiny victory in 2020 over Trump sparked a two-year war in this evenly split battleground state over whether his presidency was legitimately won.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CNN"

Joe Biden goes full populist as he searches for common ground (CNN)

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress on February 7. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images. A version of ...

For Barack Obama, it was the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, [which Trump killed](https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/29/politics/tpp-trade-trump/index.html). Biden’s screed against hidden “junk fees” was particularly striking since it’s more an annoyance than a major policy issue. [according to a report](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/business/joe-biden-competition-council/index.html) from CNN’s Donald Judd: [her official response](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/republican-response-sarah-huckabee-sanders-biden-sotu/index.html) to the speech, try to convince voters that “Democrats want to rule us with more government control.” For Bill Clinton, it was NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was later [easier access to hearing aids](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/health/over-the-counter-hearing-aids-available/index.html) without a prescription and asked Republicans to help him cap the price of insulin for everyone, [not just people on Medicare](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/politics/inflation-reduction-act-medicare-insulin-cap/index.html). You remember them, don’t you? [rewritten by Donald Trump](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/usmca-nafta-replacement-trump/index.html). Not ever. Not tomorrow. Not today. [See that full annotation](https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/).

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

With an eye on a 2024 reelection bid, President Joe Biden takes his ... (USA TODAY)

President Joe Biden's first trip after his State of the Union speech was to a union training center in battleground Wisconsin.

is in a better position now than it was two years prior during a speech in which he at times drew fire from Republicans. The president's message feels tailor-made for Wisconsin voters," Wikler said. Sarah Varga, a 21-year-old laborer who lives in Janesville, introduced Biden at the event. Now that we have more opportunity and availability to work even harder and get more training, it makes me unbelievably happy. Before that it was, we have to work to pay our bills. "A typical middle-class family for decades was the backbone of America. But now we're going to turn that around and build an economy where no one's going to be left behind." [holding their 2024 national convention in Milwaukee](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/what-we-know-about-2024-republican-convention-in-milwaukee/69831774007/). It's no coincidence that President Biden's first stop after the State of the Union is the Badger State. ['Finish the job': 5 takeaways from the State of the Union address](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/08/5-takeaways-president-joe-bidens-state-union/11155156002/) [State of the Union address](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/08/biden-in-state-of-the-union-urges-gop-to-help-him-finish-the-job/69882739007/) and ahead of a potential 2024 announcement, Biden made his first stop in Dane County — a [voting powerhouse for Democrats](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/analysis/2021/04/30/dane-countys-voting-clout-keeps-growing-key-state-wisconsin/4888174001/) that also is one of the only areas of the state with consistent population growth — to promote his economic plan that he argues will address the challenges of an aging population and a stagnant workforce. [den zeroes in on working class message](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/08/biden-2024-reelection-blue-collar-voters/11179067002/)

PolitiFact - Lauren Boebert said Joe Biden closed schools. Here's ... (PolitiFact)

President Joe Biden said during his State of the Union address that two years ago, amid pandemic-related shutdowns, "Our.

DeSantis and education chief order schools to stay open through end of school year](https://floridaphoenix.com/2020/11/30/gov-desantis-and-education-chief-order-schools-to-stay-open-through-end-of-school-year/), Nov. But [we found](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/apr/27/joe-biden/why-its-hard-link-school-reopenings-bidens-efforts/) it was difficult to pinpoint which deciding factors governors or school officials used to reopen schools. (Colorado schools ended up closed for the remainder of the school year.) 10, 2021 In December 2020, he said he wanted to reopen the majority of K-12 schools during his first 100 days in office. 12, 2021 But in January 2021, he narrowed that goal to the majority of K-8 schools, excluding high schools. Mike DeWine, a Republican, was the first in the nation to shut down schools statewide. Both Democratic and Republican governors closed schools in their states in March 2020. "State leaders govern education in the U.S., and the federal government has very little say in what decisions governors or education chiefs make about schools," said Christine M. President Joe Biden called for school reopenings early in his presidency, but also pointed to reopening guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of his Republican critics said on that point, Biden deserved the blame.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Atlantic"

Republicans Keep Underestimating Joe Biden (The Atlantic)

On that day, President Barack Obama sent Biden to sell the recently struck Iran nuclear deal to the national conference of the American Israel Public Affairs ...

[flawed but formidable](https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/deep-shtetl/62d5f46b68f61f0021d7fe55/biden-israel-visit-gaffes-rnc-video/) politician that he is, Biden’s critics on the left and right have consistently presented him as a befuddled individual who is unable to finish his sentences. [pointedly pushed](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/03/were-about-to-walk-off-a-cliff-the-pro-bernie-media-makes-its-last-stand-against-biden) talking points arguing that the former vice president was mentally unfit for office. But Biden’s experience working a crowd, his [empathetic human touch](https://twitter.com/Yair_Rosenberg/status/1547249127750262786), and his sense of humor remain intact. By consistently lowering the bar for the president’s performance, they have repeatedly enabled him to easily vault over it. And of course, he has been prone to [comical verbal stumbles](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/09/why-joe-biden-s-gaffes-don-t-hurt-him-much.html) his entire career. Anyone who witnessed Biden at AIPAC, or in similar situations over his long career, would not have been surprised by his ability to roll with the rhetorical punches. by leaning into his retail political skills, 50 years of memorized blue-collar schtick, and the laughter and encouragement of the friendly half of the room.” Not known for the eloquence of his oratory, the president instead spoke conversationally to Congress and the cameras. [confronted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Di9TnO4MA) by a chorus of hecklers led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Folksy rather than formal, and straightforward rather than stentorian, the president exceeded expectations, as even some critics acknowledged. “Biden played a losing economic and electoral-polling hand with the public as deftly as possible … As 18,000 AIPAC delegates converged on Washington, Biden was dispatched to defend the administration to a crowd whose feelings ranged from skeptical to hostile.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Council on Foreign Relations"

In Last Night's SOTU, (Some) Republicans Gave Joe Biden Just ... (Council on Foreign Relations)

The spectacle highlighted not only the ongoing battle within the GOP, but also spoke to what may lie ahead on critical governance issues this year.

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) screaming “liar!” and reinforcing that normalcy gap. Thus, we’re left the next day with images not of a calm and collected Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnnell (R-KY) gently shaking his head in disagreement, but with that of Rep. The White House knew that when Biden made a questionable claim—and there were That’s not exactly the Superbowl, but in our current era of razor-thin electoral margins, it’s a lot of people who are probably going to be voting in the next election. So, as unpalatable as Democrats may be for many voters, the latter kind of Republican is worse. The annual address matters, if not for what’s proposed, for the sheer size of the television audience, and for the overall image that’s projected by the players in the House chamber into living rooms across the country.

Explore the last week