In light of polls showing him trailing former President Donald Trump in a fictitious one-on-one contest, President Joe Biden’s reelection team is hoping that his State of the Union speech would help refocus his 2024 presidential bid.
Axios reports that Biden administration insiders view the State of the Union speech on March 7 as a turning point that may help quiet concerns about the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent’s mental health.
According to a source close to Biden, “everyone around him is well aware of the need to jack this campaign up,” Axios reported. “The only way to deal with the negative aftershocks of the special counsel’s report [criticizing Biden’s age] is for the president to be out there, to be visible — to be strong of presence and strong of voice.”
Officials close to Biden are attempting to recreate the magic of his 2023 State of the Union speech, sources told Axios. According to the sources, Biden criticized Republicans and talked about Social Security in that speech, which the officials said demonstrated his awareness.
It is reported that Biden’s physical preparation and speech editing will be handled by officials in the next few days.
After the report from special counsel Robert Hur, Biden has been plagued by questions over his mental state.
Before the speech, Biden is considering using executive action to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the country, according to individuals who spoke to Axios. This move would help him gain political points against Republicans.
Following a stellar State of the Union address that saw Trump lead Biden by 4.3 percentage points on January 26—his biggest lead to date—the necessity to alter Biden’s campaign calculus has been discussed. Since September, the president has behind his most likely Republican opponent in the RealClearPolitics average.
Furthermore, Biden is losing to Trump—the most likely Republican nominee for president—in a number of crucial battleground states.
According to an NBC survey conducted on February 6, at least 76% of American voters are concerned about Joe Biden’s age and health, and 54% of Democrats are unsure if he is qualified for a second term.
According to a Wisconsin-based female Democratic poll respondent who spoke to NBC, Biden’s age and health “kind of get in the way of his ability to be a good president of the United States.” She admitted to voting for Biden in 2020 to the outlet.