Biden will attack Trump and acknowledge criticism of his age in his State of the Union address
President Joe Biden holds a campaign rally ahead of the state's Democratic presidential primary in Las Vegas on February 4. (Kevin LaMarque/Reuters/File)
President Joe Biden plans to attack his presumptive general election opponent on Thursday, while also making a tacit admission of his age during his State of the Union address, offering a glimpse into how he will handle the thorny issue that has become the backdrop to his campaign. .
“My life has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity and equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair chance. We don’t give hate a refuge,” Biden will say, according to excerpts shared with CNN ahead of the speech. Safe.’ “Now, other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, vengeance, and vengeance. That's not me”:
Pointing out his age, which critics have raised as a weakness for Biden ahead of the 2024 general election, reflects a more offensive tactic for the president; Last month, in an interview with comedian Seth Meyers, Biden told voters that it was not just the age of the candidate that should be taken into account, but “the age of their ideas.”
Biden, 81, will be the oldest person to be elected president if he wins re-election in November, while Trump will turn 78 in June.
The promise to restore Rue
Biden also plans to promise to “bring back Roe v. “Wid back as the law of the land” if Congress passes such a law, according to the excerpts.
“In its decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote: ‘Women are not without electoral or political power.’ ‘This is not a joke,’” Biden will say, according to prepared remarks.
“Those who brag about overturning Roe v. Wade clearly have no idea about the power of women in America.
The president intends to focus on the political potential of the reproductive rights issue, adding: “But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022 and 2023, and they'll find out again in 2024.”
Taking credit for the “Greatest Comeback Story Ever”
Biden will seek to take credit for the post-pandemic economic boom in his speech, even as many Americans still say in polls that they feel apathetic about the state of the country and its economy.
“I came into office determined to help us get through one of the most difficult periods in our nation's history. And we did. This is not news, but in thousands of cities and towns, Americans are writing the greatest comeback story ever told,” Biden will say in his speech, according to preview excerpts. .
The lines reflect the continuing frustration of Biden and his team as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic: Despite low inflation and rising wages, few Americans say they feel better and don't give Biden credit.
In Thursday's speech, Biden will say: “Let's tell this story here and now. America's return is to build a future full of American potential, to build an economy from the middle out and from the bottom up (not from the top down), and to invest in all of America (in all Americans) to ensure that everyone has a fair chance. And we don't leave anyone behind.”
