President Biden gives his second State of the Union address Tuesday night before a House chamber packed to the rafters after two consecutive years of restricted attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden, 80, is expected to use the speech to lay the groundwork for a 2024 re-election campaign, with the White House promising that the president will dust off “unity” talking points — despite sending much of the past year lambasting Republicans, especially supporters of former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.
Unlike in 2022, Biden will face a divided Congress after Republicans took narrow control of the House of Representatives in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
The president and new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are expected to engage in protracted negotiations over the coming months to avoid a projected summer default that would send shockwaves through the US and global economy.
