Joe Biden will address Congress eight months before the election, laying out his policy priorities.
Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address in his term, an opportunity for him to highlight his successes and chart a path forward.
But the State of the Union address will also be his first since announcing his re-election bid last year. This is a pivotal moment for Biden as the Democrat faces fierce criticism from both the party and the Republican opposition.
Biden is expected to face his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, in November. Recent polls show that the two are evenly matched in the battle for the White House.
Against this backdrop, Biden will explain to the American people in his State of the Union address why he should be re-elected.
Speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night, Biden is expected to make the future of American democracy a central theme. Biden has repeatedly warned that Trump and his supporters pose a threat to the country and referred to their efforts to overturn 2020**.
Support for foreign allies such as Ukraine and Israel, immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the push to bridge the political partisanship in Washington, D.C., could also be Biden's theme.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 State of the Union address:
The State of the Union address is the annual speech of the United States, which, as its name suggests, outlines the state of the country and its priorities for the future.
This satisfies the requirement of the U.S. Constitution that "State of the Union information shall be provided to Congress from time to time."
Donna Hoffman, a professor of political science at the University of Northern Iowa, said the State of the Union address ultimately provided the U.S. with a "big stage" to address Congress and the American public.
Hoffman told Al Jazeera that Biden would want to earn credit for his achievement, saying, "This is what I want to accomplish".
This year's State of the Union address is scheduled for Thursday at 9 p.m. local time (Friday 02:00 GMT).
The State of the Union address is presented to the Joint Session of Congress. This means that both members of the Senate and the House of Representatives will be in attendance.
As is customary, Deputy Kamala Harris and House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican, will sit behind Biden.
* of the Cabinet and any Supreme Court justices who choose to attend will also be present.
The White House also usually invites special guests to attend. Last year, Biden invited the parents of Tyle Nichols, a black man who was *** killed in Tennessee, and Brandon Tsai, who was disarmed in California on a massive **case**.
Two key figures have reportedly declined the White House's invitation to attend this year's meeting. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, both withdrew from the offer.
Yes, although the format has changed over the years.
George Washington, the first first American emperor, delivered his inaugural address in 1790. According to a report by the US Congressional Service, "this ritual originated in the British practice of giving a 'throne speech' every time a new parliament meets".
Washington and the country's second **John Adams also personally conveyed their message.
But that changed in 1801, and Thomas Jefferson filed a written request. "This precedent was maintained until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson decided to deliver his message in person, and the tradition continues to this day," the Senate fact sheet explains.
No. For many years, it was referred to as the "** Annual Message to Congress" or simply the "Annual Message."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, was the first to call it the State of the Union address. But the title didn't take effect until 1945, when Harry Truman* took office, after Roosevelt's death.
The format of the State of the Union address has also changed over the years. The Senate fact sheet stated: "The message was first broadcast nationwide in 1923. ”
Truman's 1947 speech was televised for the first time, and Lyndon B. Johnson** started the tradition of speaking at **time in 1965. ”
This speech provides an important platform for Biden to address a serious Congress in the months leading up to the election.
The 81-year-old continues to face questions about whether he is fit enough to seek re-election, as well as key swing states sparked by his unwavering support for Israel, despite Israel's deadly military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Axios reported in mid-February that Biden's team hopes the State of the Union address will be a "significant, public reset moment" for his re-election campaign.
An unnamed source close to ** told U.S. News **: Everyone around him is well aware of the need to strengthen this campaign. ”
Biden has sought to portray himself as a bulwark of protecting American democracy from Trump and his "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) foundation.
In January 2021, a group of former supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from recognizing Biden's victory in the 2020 election. Trump also faces two criminal cases related to his reversal of the election results.
Biden said in September: "Their extreme agenda, if executed, will fundamentally change American democracy as we know it." He articulated the message he might also convey to the State of the Union address.
Hoffman said Biden is likely to "make a lot of credit claims about the state of the economy." She noted that "the economic situation is much better than when he took office." ”
She also said reproductive rights — an issue that resonates with Democratic voters — are also expected to arise.
The U.S. usually sets out what they want Congress to do in their State of the Union address. In this regard, Biden is likely to urge Republican lawmakers to pass a bipartisan immigration bill.
One proposal had previously been vetoed by Trump's allies in Congress, who said it didn't do enough to stop immigration. Critics say they rallied against the bill to make the border issue an electoral issue.
Biden is also expected to push Congress through supplemental funding to Ukraine, Israel, the two main U.S. allies.
"This year, especially because of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and the nature of things in Congress that have to do with funding in those two areas, I expect that international issues will receive some attention," Hoffman said. ”
Every year, the opposition party rebuttals to **'s State of the Union address.
The Republican rebuttal will be delivered by Senator Katie Britt of Alabama after Biden's speech.
We're going to have a candid conversation about the future of our nation, and I'm going to outline the GOP's vision to secure the American Dream for generations to come," she wrote on social ** last week.