It might be too early to assess how Americans see the State of the Union address that President Biden delivered last Thursday evening. However, many had the first question after his speech was over: "Did he just give a speech on the State of the Union, or was it a campaign speech he hopes can help him add another four years to his time in the White House?" In the coming days, it will become clear whether Americans’ opinions of the president have changed or not.
Once again, he had a slip of the tongue. He said that medicine prices in Russia are lower than they are in America. That might actually be true, despite Biden's intentions to suggest otherwise.
On the eve of the speech, polls indicated that 6 out of every 10 Americans, more than half, were not confident in Biden's mental capabilities, rising from January, when it was 5 in 10. The question here, after this speech, during which the Republicans (both the representatives and senators) disregarded political tact, everyone is asking: "Did Biden evade a Republican trap, or did he fall into it?"
One thing is for sure, this speech was personal. He confronted his rivals and, astonishingly, almost equated Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin. He mentioned Trump twelve times, referring to him as "my predecessor" without ever naming him. He compared Trump and his position with those of former Republican President Ronald Reagan and his stance on Gorbachev’s Soviet Union.
Traditionally, the State of the Union address is a national occasion during which the president goes over the conditions of the American empire. The president is expected to rise above partisanship for this speech, prioritizing the overall interest of the Republic and the common good of all its citizens.
Here, we can say conclusively that Biden failed to present an image of a president who stands at an equal distance from all Americans, exhibiting clear Democratic favoritism. This critique was perhaps best expressed by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who said the president was not at his best and was excessively emotional.
Biden's shouting will not boost his popularity. Indeed, several psychologists believe that he was trying to conceal deep-seated fears, and his advisors insisted he stick to the script.
Was the speech conciliatory and forgiving towards the rest of the world, in the segment in which he was supposed to outline his country's foreign policy? Affirming that the US still feels superior to the rest of the world, he began with Russia. He made his intentions clear to Tsar Putin: "We will not walk away from Ukraine... We will not bow."
Biden almost gave Putin, who is about to begin a new term, a guarantee of victory by reiterating the intentions that the US harbors for the Russian Federation, especially with his appeal to Congress to facilitate aid to Zelensky's government, which amounts to nearly sixty billion dollars, pouring more fuel on the fire that has been burning for two years.
From the perspective of China, the US president spoke like an arrogant imperialist. The president underscored Washington’s opposition to China's "unfair" economic practices and that it would defend peace and stability on the Taiwan Strait. He also asserted that Washington is now in a stronger position to win in any competition against China or any other country. This suggests that the logic of the "American Century," laid by the neoconservatives in the 1990s, lives on and remains deeply rooted. All presidents, whether Democratic or Republican, believe in it.
One very intriguing segment of his speech addressed the idea of a temporary port being set up by the American army on the coast of Gaza, through which large ships carrying food, water, and medicine could deliver goods into the Strip.
This plan is vague. Despite its humanitarian dimension, it gives Washington a military foothold on the coast of Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea. In one way or another, it is an American logistical deployment station that could support Israel, and indeed it does so in both the present and future.
With the escalation against Hamas seemingly imminent, the role that US forces will play remains vague - regardless of Biden's assurances that they will not make their way on the ground in Gaza, especially since Netanyahu got his way and there has been no ceasefire.
Domestic issues were not addressed as extensively as expected. Despite Biden trying to argue that the US economy was reaching new heights, we see discord between the federal government he leads and the state governments. This discord is particularly apparent in Texas, where a civil war is almost about to erupt for a second time in American history.
Many were disgruntled by Biden's attempts to intimidate the American people, warning that "Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today."
Biden's words were a clear allusion to his archrival Trump, who is slowly winning his party’s nomination, and whom some polls show would beat Biden by two points in the upcoming presidential election in November. He also did not forget to remind us of the scenes in front of Congress on January 6, 2021, in a clear attempt to pit Americans against the former president.
It is clear that Biden failed to deliver a charismatic speech like the speeches of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan. That justifies the decline in his administration’s domestic approval ratings, especially after Washington lost much of its regional and international influence, becoming a less reliable ally to friends and a less feared enemy to foes.
Biden did not present a clear message about what he would do in his second term. As the Tsar takes more from Ukraine by the day, Europe is losing its confidence in Uncle Sam, and many are losing their confidence in Washington.
In conclusion, the American dream was nowhere to be seen in Biden’s State of the Union address, which was excessively partisan and bitterly acrimonious.
