In a speech before Congress, Biden defended his economic program and ran as a candidate

In prime time on American television, in front of hundreds of newly inaugurated congressmen and senators, President Joe Biden looked for this Tuesday in his dState of the Union address convince citizens that his two years in the White House have been beneficial for the country and that he himself continues to be the best bet for next year’s presidential elections.

The tradition, inaugurated by George Washington in 1790, indicates that all presidents must give an annual account of their management before the two combined houses of Congress and raise the challenges that will come. The Capitol was surrounded by concrete fences and with maximum security, given the still fresh memory of the assault of January 6, 2021.

Last night’s speech had an extra flavor because it also served to play the democrat lance the general guidelines of his possible re-election campaign. Biden has not yet formalized his 2024 presidential bid, but has said he will finalize it early this year.

Despite being the Democrats’ best-positioned candidate, he doesn’t have it easy. At 80, he is the oldest president in the country’s history and many question his aptitude and energy for a new administration.

And the polls look complicated. According to a poll by the Washington Post and ABC, e62% of Americans believe Biden “has done little” or “almost nothing” since taking office two years agoSt.

Additionally, the poll revealed that although 78% of Democrats and independents approve of the president’s handling, 58% would prefer another candidate next year.

In a blue suit and matching tie, Biden was flanked by vice Kamala Harris and the new incumbent in the House of Representatives, the Republican Kevin McCarthy, which occasionally elicited warm applause. During his speech, Biden defended several policies in his first years in government and his tone was campaigning. Several times she repeated “let’s finish the job” how to ask for another 4 years.

“We are the only country that has come out of every crisis stronger than when we entered it. This is what we are doing again. Two years ago our economy was reeling. While I’m here tonight we created a record 12 million new jobsmore jobs created in two years than any president has created in four years,” Biden said.

In addition to job creation, the president highlighted other milestones of his government, such as the largest injection of federal infrastructure funds in more than a decade and the Inflation Reduction Act, which fostered a historic investment in the clean energy. Externally, Biden has built a strong Western coalition to support Ukraine in the face of a Russian invasion and completed a controversial troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

While it took longer than expected, he also managed to gradually lower inflation – unprecedented in more than 40 years – from 9% to 6.3% and controlled the increase in fuel. Against all odds, he managed to halt a Republican barrage of general elections and reduce the influence of dozens of Donald Trump-endorsed candidates.

However, he is also criticized for many of those acts. Many citizens believe that their government is spending too much, that the transition to clean energy will harm American industry and continues to bill them for the cost of living that has distorted family economies. Immigration is another problem he has not been able to solve.

In a campaign tone, Biden spoke directly to Americans about the future: “My economic plan is to invest in places and people that have been forgotten. In the midst of the economic turmoil of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated as if they were invisible,” he said.

“Maybe that’s what you see at home. You remember the jobs that disappeared. And you wonder if there’s already a way for you and your kids to get by without walking away. I understand that. That’s why we’re building an economy where no one knows .” “I’ve fallen behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the decisions we’ve made in the last couple of years. This is a blueprint for working people to rebuild America and make a real difference in their lives” , he said.

He also warned that it will oppose any republican initiative that involves cutting social or health care spending.

With his speech, Biden is trying to reverse image polls. He worked for several weeks in the editorial office. She read it aloud several times and took strategic breaks to avoid the stutter he has had since he was a child and which he often shows up. He is not a great speaker, nor does he have enormous charisma. I just had to avoid mistakes.

His speech also grew a “program of unity” for this year he has focused on issues that serve “the progress of the people”. Basically he focuses on allocating more resources to the fight against cancer; promote extra help for veterans; fight the crisis caused by mental health problems and fight the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths.

“There’s no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress. People have sent us a clear message. Fighting to fight, power to power, conflict for its own sake, gets us nowhere.

While he’d like to focus on domestic issues that serve him well for a possible campaign, he couldn’t avoid international events. Shortly after a year of war in Ukraine, Biden has sought to demonstrate that his leadership has served to prevent an escalation, even if the war is far from over.

But attention was focused on the demolition of the Chinese balloon, an event that raised the tension between the powers to the maximum because the United States reported spying on strategic security installations. Although National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said bilateral dialogue was continuing, tensions had not abated.

Republicans accuse Biden of being too condescending by flying the balloon across the country before shooting it down. The government responded, revealing that two other spy balloons had transited the United States during the Trump administration without anyone knowing.

Biden had special guests in the enclosure, all very symbolic. There was the Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova; the father of Tire Nichols, a black man killed by police officers and Paul Pelosi, the husband of the former head of the lower house attacked by an ultra-right. The president quoted them when talking about the war in Ukraine and racial and political violence. Also there was singer Bono, an HIV fighter.