The last time Joe Biden stood before Congress, he was just months into his presidency and brimming with optimism for the future.
Since then, new variants have added unexpected twists to the coronavirus pandemic, record inflation has hit America's economy and Russia has invaded Ukraine in what is shaping up to be the biggest war in Europe in decades.
It wasn't the speech Biden had planned to give.
And with Russian troops advancing on Kyiv, it was no surprise the war in Ukraine was his headline issue.
Here are the big moments from Biden's first State of the Union address.
A fuller house, no masks and a sea of blue and yellow outfits
The visuals of the speech were markedly different to a year ago, when Biden first addressed a joint session of Congress on the eve of his first 100 days in office.
Then, capacity in the chamber was capped at about 20 per cent of the usual attendance rate and all of those present wore masks.
This year, the masks were largely gone and many members of Congress carried small Ukrainian flags or came dressed in blue and yellow in solidarity with the country.
The first lady also wore a deep blue dress and her husband wore a blue tie.
In a further sign of support, Jill Biden had an embroidered sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, sewn to the sleeve of her dress.
The first lady's guest of honour was Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, who was moved to tears as she received a standing ovation from the crowd after Biden paid tribute to the Ukrainian people.
"Their fearlessness, their courage, their determination inspires the world," the President said.
Ukraine front and centre in hastily rewritten speech
You can be sure that this would have been a very different State of the Union if the President had delivered it a month ago.
The start of war in Ukraine saw Biden rewrite his address to put the conflict front and centre.
No-one in Washington wanted this war, but the invasion of Ukraine allowed the President to make his vision of forging a global alliance of democracies against autocracy a reality.
NATO is reinvigorated and the European Union, the UK and the US have rolled out a series of unprecedented co-ordinated sanctions against Moscow.
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin sought to shake the foundations of the free world, thinking he could it bend it to his menacing ways, but he badly miscalculated," Biden said.
"He thought he could divide us at home in this chamber and this nation. He thought he could divide us in Europe too.
"But Putin was wrong."
Biden goes off-script in warning to Putin
Biden's speech included some concrete measures to rein in Russia. Although he has always drawn the line at military intervention.
He announced that the US Department of Justice was assembling a task force to go after the "Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime".
He also closed American airspace to all Russian flights, joining Europe, which has also imposed a near-total ban on Russian aircraft flying overhead.
As he vowed to squeeze Russia's economy, the President briefly went off-script, promising more financial pain for Putin.
"He has no idea what's coming," he said, in remarks not included in his prepared speech.
Made in America: The President's plan for curbing inflation
After his tough words on the war and Putin, Biden moved on to domestic issues and what was his main priority before the invasion: Kickstarting America's economy.
Inflation is at its highest level in decades and the President had to acknowledge that despite better employment figures and wages growth, many Americans were doing it tough.
But Biden said he had a plan to fight inflation — and one that didn't involve slashing wages.
"One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer," he said.
"I have a better plan to fight inflation: Lower your costs, not your wages.
"Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America … And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let's make it in America."
A crowd of Democrats began chanting "USA! USA! USA!" as Biden spoke of the power of American manufacturing.
The number of standing ovations a president receives during their State of Union address is always counted.
Senator Chuck Schumer jumped to his feet a little early as Biden discussed taxes, but he quickly recovered when his Democrat colleagues joined in.
For the first time in a long time, Biden is optimistic about COVID
When Biden came to power in early 2021, many believed the coronavirus pandemic could be nearing its end.
Vaccines had arrived and case rates were plunging, and the new President was happy to take the credit.
On July 4, he proclaimed that America had gained the upper hand against the virus — words he soon came to regret as the Delta variant arrived, with Omicron hot on its heels.
After a punishing few months, the President's message on the pandemic was again hopeful, but markedly more nuanced.
COVID-19, he said, "need no longer control our lives", but Biden said America must prepare to face new variants.
However, he said the country now had the requisite tools: Anti-viral pills, testing programs and new vaccines.
For the vulnerable, he had a message of reassurance.
"We're leaving no-one behind or ignoring anyone's needs as we move forward," he said.
Next time Biden gives a SOTU, he might have lost control of Congress
A State of the Union address is prime-time viewing in the US, typically attracting tens of millions of viewers.
It's one of the biggest audiences presidents can expect in any given year.
And this year is crucial for Biden, with midterm elections looming in November.
Biden's approval ratings have plummeted to around 40 per cent and Democrats could easily lose control of both houses.
This was an important chance for Biden to change the minds of some of the millions of Americans who say they are disappointed in his management of the economy and the pandemic.
It was also an opportunity to try and reassert the US President's claim to be the leader of the free world.
Biden ended with some stirring rhetoric on the war in Ukraine, which will likely dominate his priorities for weeks, if not months, to come.
"Now is the hour, our moment of responsibility, our test of resolve and conscience, of history itself," he said.
