On March 7, President Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address. The State of a Union is a constitutionally mandated speech that the president gives at the start of each year. It’s been around since the founding of the nation.
In recent years, the State of the Union has become more of a public event. It’s especially true this year, as Biden aims to prove that he is capable of serving while making the political case for his future policies.
“Over the past century it has become a bigger spectacle where the president will actually give a speech to Congress in the House chamber. Historically, it used to just be a letter sent from the president down to Congress,” said Social Science Teacher Samuel Weaver.
The State of the Union is a vital part in the operation of the nation. It allows Americans to see the important issues the nation is facing and how their government will tackle those problems.
“I think it’s a good thing to hear the president’s agenda. He may not carry through on all the ideas, but he at least talks about them. I really like that about the State of the Union. Biden talked about basically every single issue. As a voter and a citizen, you can generally see what to expect in the next year from the federal government,” said Dylan Weeks (‘24).
A key difference in this year’s State of the Union is that it also falls on an election year. To maximize his chances for reelection, Biden must portray himself as a better candidate than the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Biden referenced him thirteen times in his speech, labeling Trump as his predecessor.
“Personally, I think every State of the Union carries the same level of importance. In an election year, people will take more from it because they will see a State of the Union speech as a campaign speech. That was something that President Biden did this time,” said Weaver.
In another key difference from past addresses, Biden interacted with the audience. He even took selfies with his cabinet members before the speech.
“I think the most notable thing was how much energy President Biden had and his ability to play off the crowd. Historically, the audience wouldn’t shout out or respond. The decorum of the reactions changed back in 2010. I think that’s played a large role in how presidents act during the State of the Union,” said Weaver.
Political commentators across the spectrum have alluded to how the State of the Union has reassured certain Democrats of Biden’s ability to lead and alleviated their concerns about his age.
“He did talk about financial issues, and then immigration policies. I think topics like those really were important to me because it really softened my heart. I don’t think it changed the way I am going to vote because watching the State of the Union just confirmed my previous thoughts,” said Shambhavi Singh (‘24).
