Joe Biden killed it tonight with his SOTU. He owned the room and he knew it. He was aggressive and confident, even fiery. More important that the substance of the speech was his delivery, because it belied the widely held perception that he is old, weak and barely able to function. Instead, the lion roared.
The president launched into his speech without waiting to be introduced. Instead of beginning with the traditional assessment of the economy, he broke precedent by comparing the existential crisis of democracy today at home and abroad with the one FDR faced in 1941. Biden was very clear about what is at stake in the coming election. He mentioned “my predecessor” 13 times, drawing a sharp contrast between his own performance and accomplishments and Trump’s.
He taunted Republicans with the immigration bill they rejected though it was written by a conservative and had everything they wanted. Biden knew that Trump had instructed them not to pass it so that he could use the chaos on the border in his campaign as an example of Biden’s ineptitude that only he could fix.
Biden was in his element. He joked and ad libbed more than any president had before him. He reminded his adversaries that the projects in their districts which they were claiming credit for were actually made possible by his infrastructure bill. He teased them, asking if anyone wanted to turn down the funds for their district. I was amused by Speaker Mike Johnson, who wasn’t able to disguise his approval when he barely nodded his head and even applauded surreptitiously when Biden’s comments appealed to patriotism or common sense.
Biden’s SOTU performance has recast the 2024 presidential contest.
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