WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden sat through many State of the Union speeches as a senator and vice president. On Tuesday night, he’ll deliver the address himself.
But it comes at a challenging time for Biden, who is weighed down by public disapproval of his handling of the economy and the pandemic. The address also comes days after Russia opened war against Ukraine, despite U.S.-led efforts to prevent military conflict. And it follows Biden's announcement last week of his candidate for an opening on the Supreme Court.
WHERE DO I WATCH OR LISTEN?
The speech is set for 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by the major networks and cable news TV channels. The White House plans to stream it at WH.gov/live, as well as on its YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. Live coverage will also be provided by C-SPAN, C-SPAN Radio and C-SPAN.org. NPR is streaming the speech on its website, npr.org, and on its app, in addition to offering live coverage to its member radio stations.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will offer a livestream on this page and on ajc.com.
It’s one of the largest audiences Biden will command this year. An estimated 26.9 million people across 16 television networks watched his address to a joint session of Congress last year, which was not a State of the Union speech. That was the smallest audience for the yearly presidential speech since at least 1993.
WHAT WILL BIDEN TALK ABOUT?
Biden will “absolutely use the word inflation” and talk about his plans for reducing costs, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. He'll also call on Congress to act on his now-stalled proposals for lowering the cost of child care, elder care and prescription drugs, she said.
Biden will explain the U.S. role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, including rallying the West to support the Ukrainian people, who want to remain independent, Psaki said. Just 26% of those surveyed in a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll said the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict.
Biden can also be expected to discuss Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, his nominee for an upcoming opening on the Supreme Court.
HOW WILL REPUBLICANS RESPOND?
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has the assignment. Reynolds is the first woman elected governor of that state. She also was the first governor to require schools to reopen for full-time, in-person learning.
Republican leaders portray GOP-led states as doing a better job on the pandemic than the federal government, which is led by Democrats. Reynolds pushed back against mask and vaccine mandates, and spoke skeptically about the effectiveness of masks to slow the spread of the virus.
Separately, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., will deliver the Working Families Party response, the party announced. Tlaib will offer support for Biden's agenda, urge Democrats to pass policies that meet people's needs and rally progressives to build strong majorities in the midterm elections.
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Associated Press correspondent Kelly Daschle and AJC staff contributed to this report.
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