President Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday
will highlight "historic" accomplishments — from infrastructure
spending to scrapping junk fees — and make the case for "protecting and
implementing" that agenda, a White House official tells Axios.
The big picture: "The president will talk about whose
side he is on and the work ahead to make life better for every American,"
the official said.
Why it matters: Based on this outline, Biden will focus on
selling his existing accomplishments — "protecting" rather than
pivoting — and betting voters will opt for stability over change in 2024.
Zoom in: The preview says the speech will cover "making
the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share," "saving our
democracy," and a "unity agenda" that includes curbing fentanyl,
helping veterans and ending cancer.
These agenda items are similar to Biden's past State of the
Union speeches.
Zoom out: The Biden team is focused on him delivering a
vigorous performance as polls show widespread concerns about his age.
Biden's team believes they have a winning message but are
hoping a high-profile, well-delivered speech can convince the country he is up
to the job for another term.
Last year's speech — in which he jousted with Republicans on
the fly — helped assuage Democratic concerns about his ability to run forre-election.
Go deeper: House Speaker Johnson invites Biden to deliver
State of the Union address on March 7
