Hot tea to soothe the throat and hours of rehearsals: Joe Biden prepares for the State of the Union speech and Republican boos

Powered by a throat-soothing teaguided by teleprompter and surrounded by six assistants and a historian, President Joe Biden spent hours at Camp David last weekend to grace a State of the Union address that will be seen by one of his largest audiences before the November election. .

So the pressure continues.

Of note, Biden had with him at Camp David a copy of “Possible: How We Survive (and Prosper) in an Era of Concept,” a book by William Ury expert in international negotiations.

“You’ll hear from me on Thursday,” Biden said when reporters asked him Tuesday about his preparations.

White House officials They have not said what topics he will address the president, nor whether he will mention by name Donald Trump, his likely rival in 2024. But it is almost certain that Biden We will talk about the war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, China, abortion, immigration, trade and other topics in a speech he and his assistants have been working on since December.

The final speech, which according to his assistants it will be modified until Biden delivers itit will be delivered by a president under pressure assure voters that he is not too old for the job and, more than at any other time during his tenure, he shields himself from politics. outbursts that have become common during these types of speeches.

Ready for the boos

Biden’s advisors say so He prepared to be booed by Republicansjust like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene did last year.

Shaping the speech, in true Biden style, within a circle of advisors who were close to the president during the years and treat such procedures as a state secret.

Including the Camp David weekend group Bruce Reed the White House deputy chief of staff, who helped lead the policy additions to the speech; Mike Donilon, the aide who best understands Biden’s voice; Anita Dunn, who oversees the White House communications strategy; and Jeffrey Zients, Biden’s chief of staff. Rounding out the group were Steve Ricchetti, the president’s adviser and longtime friend, and Vinay Reddy, Biden’s speechwriter.

was also present historian Jon Meachamto which he is called add historical weight.

Avoid stuttering

In speech preparation sessions, Biden goes through the material line by linemarking the words and creating pauses to remind you he has to overcome a stutter that he has had since childhood. If you come to a passage that you don’t think is something you would say, get over it. One former speechwriter described this phase as an exercise in trying to capture Biden’s extemporaneous thoughts and put them on the page.

President Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, said so “work hard and rigorously” every yearadding that he knows “it is his only chance in a year to present his agenda for progress directly to the American people.”

The participants say so clarity is more important for Biden than almost anything else. The president will rebuke those who include acronyms or technical terms in your drafts. During the preparatory sessions he reminded staff members that he is the one with a long career in politics, which means this learn more about Congress of his younger collaborators who describe relations with Congress and legislative dynamics.

When he reviews drafts, he often asks staff members what the title of the speech will be and, more specifically, what the radio news announcement would be. One official said this was Biden’s way of securing the speech it was digestible for most Americans and to have an idea of How would the media cover it.

The key to success in a high pressure environmentDunn said in a text message, it was simple: “Let Joe Biden be Joe Biden.”