President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union (SOTU) address will take place before a joint session of Congress on the evening of Tuesday 7 February, presenting him with a fresh opportunity to lay out the key issues facing the nation and frame the 2024 presidential race in his own terms.
Mr Biden’s latest SOTU speech will be his first since the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after November’s midterms and it remains to be seen how receptive GOP members will be to what he has to say, with the prospect of performative boredom, hostility and booing distinctly likely.
An experienced speechmaker, the president is unlikely to be intimidated either way.
He will be flanked, as is customary, by the new House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, as he delivers his address to the assembled members of the House and Senate, with family, friends and specially invited guests looking down from the balcony of the lower chamber.
RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother and stepfather of the late Tyre Nichols, and Brandon Tsay, the hero of the Monterey Park mass shooting, will be among their number this year.
Mr Biden is expected to lead on key areas of public concern, from police reform and the economy to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and draw contrasts between his administration’s hopes of encouraging unity post-Trump and the behaviour of certain fringe Republicans still more interested in sowing division, judging by the chaotic (and ultimately unsuccessful) resistance mounted to stop Mr McCarthy securing the House speakership.
The address will also provide him with a platform from which to reassure Democrats that he is fighting fit and ready to embark on a second term, despite having turned 80 in November.
The police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis provides fresh cause for concern and the new special counsel probe into Mr Biden’s handling of classified documents has given Mr Biden a personal headache he could well have done without.
The speech will take place at 9pm EST (2am GMT) on Tuesday and will be carried live across the major US news networks while The Independent will bring you all the latest updates and breaking news lines via our dedicated liveblog and IndyTV.
