Summary of Joe Biden’s State of the Union 2024 speech

President Joe Biden holds a campaign rally ahead of the state’s Democratic presidential primary in Las Vegas on February 4. (Kevin Lamarck/Reuters/File)

President Joe Biden plans to attack his general election opponent Thursday while also implicitly acknowledging his own age during his State of the Union address, giving a glimpse of how he will address the thorny issue that has become the backdrop of his campaign. .

“My life has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values ​​that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity and equality. Respect everyone. To give everyone a fair chance. Not giving safe harbor to hate,” Biden will say, according to excerpts shared with CNN before the speech. “Now, other people my age see a different story: the American story of rage, vengeance and retribution. That’s not me”:

The reference to his age, which critics have raised as a weakness for Biden ahead of the 2024 general election, represents a more aggressive tactic for the president; Last month, in an interview with comedian Seth Meyers, Biden told voters that it’s not just a candidate’s age that should be considered, but “how old (his) ideas are.”

At 81, Biden would be the oldest president-elect if he wins re-election in November, while Trump will turn 78 in June.

A promise to restore Rowe

Biden also plans to pledge to “reinstate Roe v. Wade again as the law of the land if Congress passes such legislation,” according to the quotes.

“In its decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote: ‘Women are not without suffrage or political power.’ This is not a joke,” Biden will say, according to prepared remarks.

“Obviously those in Roe v. Wade has no idea about the power of women in America.”

The president plans to lean into the political potential of the reproductive rights issue, adding: “But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they’ll find out again in 2024.”

Taking credit for “the biggest comeback story ever”.

And Biden will work to take credit for the post-pandemic economic boom in his speech, even as many Americans still say in polls that they feel pessimistic about the state of the country and its economy.

“I came into office to help navigate one of the most difficult times in our nation’s history. And we did it. It’s not news, but in thousands of cities and towns, Americans are writing the greatest comeback story ever,” Biden will say in his speech, according to Advance quotes.

The lines reflect what has been a continuing frustration for Biden and his team as the country has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic: Despite inflation and rising wages, few Americans say they see improvements and they don’t give Biden credit.

In Thursday’s speech, Biden will say: “Let’s tell that story here and now. America’s comeback is about building a future of American potential, building the economy from the middle out and from the bottom up (not the top down), investing in all of America (in all Americans) to ensure everyone has a fair chance. And we will leave no one behind.”