U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union address on Thursday under the Capitol dome. This speech is particularly significant as it comes two days after "Super Tuesday," which indicates a likely showdown between him and former President Donald Trump. The address will provide Biden with the opportunity to showcase his achievements and outline his policies and vision for another four years if he secures reelection in November.
According to a report by the New York Times, Biden spent hours at Camp David last weekend with six aides and a historian preparing for the important speech ahead of the elections. The team accompanying Biden at Camp David included: Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, Biden's speechwriter Vinay Reddy, Senior Advisor Mike Donilon, White House Communications Strategy Chief Anita Dunn, Biden's Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients, and presidential advisor Steve Ricchetti, as well as historian Jon Meacham.
The newspaper noted that Biden had a copy of the book "Possible: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Chaos" by international negotiation expert William Ury. In response to reporters' questions about the speech on Tuesday, Biden said, "You will hear me on Thursday."
The "State of the Union Address" is mandated by the U.S. Constitution, which requires the president to "periodically give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union." The first American president to fulfill this mandate was George Washington, with the shortest speech to date consisting of just over a thousand words, compared to over nine thousand words in Biden's speech last year. Following Washington, U.S. presidents have typically opted for written messages. It wasn't until Woodrow Wilson became president in 1913 that a grand tradition of appearing before all legislators was established. The term "State of the Union Address" was coined after World War II.
The newspaper speculates that Biden will necessarily address international and domestic issues such as the war in Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, China, trade, abortion, and immigration, although it remains unclear if he will mention his main rival, Trump. Biden has been crafting the speech since December, and his aides indicate that it will be modified according to new developments. He aims to reassure voters that he is not too old for the position and is likely to face interruptions from Republicans during the speech, similar to the disruption caused by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene last year.
The newspaper emphasizes that the speech is crafted within a circle of aides who have been around the president for years and is treated as a state secret. Last year, Biden spoke for over 70 minutes. The record for the longest State of the Union address is held by former President Bill Clinton, who spoke for one hour and 28 minutes in 2000.
