President Joe Biden turned his State of the Union address into a muscular campaign kickoff, never once uttering Donald Trump’s name but repeatedly invoking the threat posed by his likely general election foe.
The overtly political tone underscored the stakes of the night for the president. And it was set from the beginning, as a fiery Biden laid out three challenges — the war in Ukraine, the Jan. 6 insurrection and reproductive rights — that would be further imperiled if his predecessor returned to office.
It was a president recognizing the campaign crunch he faces. His speech was not an act of reconciliation or an effort to forge political unity. It was the opening salvo in what seemed certain to be a historically long and unprecedentedly ugly rematch between him and Trump.
“As I’ve done ever since being elected to office, I ask you all, without regard to party, to join together and defend our democracy,” Biden told the assembled lawmakers, plainly laying out the stakes of November’s contest. “Remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic.”
The speech was well received by Democrats, who have spent months fretting whether Biden has the vigor for the campaign ahead.
“Nobody is going to talk about cognitive impairment now,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) told the president shortly after he was done.
