The US president Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address with a message of optimism, declaring – as is customary – that “the state of the union is strong”. With newly elected Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democrat vice-president Kamala Harris sat behind him, Biden launched what commentators described as his bid to win the 2024 presidential election.
Biden used his 70-minute address to talk up the achievements of his first two years in office, hailing America’s falling inflation and rapidly growing job market – described by one report as “shockingly strong”. In front of a divided Congress, after the GOP won control of the House in last year’s midterms, he laid out his legislative and policy objectives. But the mantra for the evening was: “Let’s finish the job” – a phrase he used a dozen times in his speech.
It is the first time that Biden has had an opportunity to drive this message home to a national audience.
