U.S. President Joe Biden called on Republicans in his state of the union address Tuesday night to call on Republicans to work with him to "finish the job" of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he seeks to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate political divisions in Washington.
The backdrop of the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting behind Biden and Republican lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies. He sought to reassure the nation that his stewardship of the country has delivered results both at home and abroad, as he also set out to prove his fitness for a likely re-election bid.
The challenges for Biden are many: economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China. And signs of the past trauma at the U.S. Capitol, most notably the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, were unavoidable, with a large fence encircling the complex as lawmakers and those in attendance faced tighter-than-usual security measures.
Rather than rolling out flashy policy proposals, the president set out to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation's condition, declaring that two years after the Capitol attack, America's democracy was "unbowed and unbroken."
Highlighting record job creation during his tenure as the country has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, "The story of America is a story of progress and resilience."
Biden aims to 'unite the country'
Biden also pointed to areas of bipartisan progress in his first two years in office, including on states' vital infrastructure and high-tech manufacturing.
"The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere," Biden said. "And that's always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America — the middle class — to unite the country.
"We've been sent here to finish the job!"
Biden was speaking at a time when just a quarter of U.S. adults say things in the country are headed in the right direction, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About three-quarters say the country is on the wrong track. And a majority of Democrats don't want Biden to seek another term.
He sought to confront those sentiments head on.
"You wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away, I get it," Biden said. "That's why we're building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years."
McCarthy vows to be 'respectful'
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was seated behind Biden, urged his conference to be "respectful" ahead of the address and in turn asked Biden to refrain from using the phrase "extreme MAGA Republicans," which the president deployed on the campaign trail in 2022.
"I won't tear up the speech, I won't play games," McCarthy told reporters, a reference to Pelosi's dramatic action after Donald Trump's final state of the union address.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who gained a national profile as Trump's press secretary, was to deliver the Republican response to Biden's speech.
With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties invited guests to the address designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber.
The parents of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, are among those expected to be seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests include Irish rock star and humanitarian Bono and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month's deadly shooting in Monterey Park, Calif.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus invited family members of those involved in police incidents, as they sought to press for action on police reform in the wake of Nichols' January death.
