(Washington) The return of Made in America, and “well-paying jobs”: Joe Biden, who plans to run again in 2024, tried before Congress on Tuesday to breathe a message of hope, and economic prosperity, into a gloomy America.
The United States is “in a better position than any country in the world” to revive its economy, despite the effects of the war in Ukraine and COVID-19, assured the American president at the start of his speech on the State of the Union.
For this traditional general policy address, Joe Biden promised before parliamentarians to work for the “forgotten” of growth.
“For decades, the middle class has been crushed,” he lamented. “Well-paid jobs were going abroad, factories were closing,” he said.
“I came forward to really make a difference, to make sure the economy works for everyone so everyone can be proud of what they’re doing,” he said.
Struggling in the polls, Joe Biden has played the pragmatist card, flaunting – in pinpoint detail – his big bills that are supposed to bring those jobs back to America, improve the lives of seniors, scrap fees abusive banking…
Visibly comfortable from the perch of the House of Representatives, a combative Joe Biden even took the luxury of ironizing at the Republicans, supporters of budgetary orthodoxy, who more than once booed his speech.
“Let me tell you, I like to convert people” to my ideas, he laughed.
America’s “soul”
Facing the parliamentarians, the Democrat also demanded to be able to “finish the job”, by concretizing the promises which carried him to the White House: to heal the “soul” of America and “unify the country”.
Even if it means making unrealizable promises with a Republican majority in the House: the banning of assault rifles “for good”, a “minimum tax” on billionaires….
Because on this great annual address of general policy, by which any American president fulfills his constitutional obligation to inform Congress, already hovers the prospect of the presidential election of 2024.
The White House guest list provides an overview.
Present in the hemicycle are the parents of Tire Nichols, a young African-American man who died after being beaten up by police in Memphis; a lesbian couple; and a Texas woman who nearly died from a miscarriage after doctors refused to treat her for fear of violating a law restricting abortion.
Rare demonstration of unity in an extremely divided America: the entry of Joe Biden into the hemicycle was, with a few exceptions, greeted by a standing ovation.
” Decline ”
Throughout his speech, the leader tried to address topics likely to mobilize Americans, who according to the polls do not want a second match between him and Donald Trump in 2024.
Already in the campaign, the Republican billionaire presents himself as a providential man, the only one capable of saving America from a generalized “decline”. And commented live on Tuesday on Joe Biden’s speech on his social network, Truth Social.
“He looks very pissed off, shouting into the microphone, as he tries to be conciliatory,” he mocked.
The former president wants to capitalize on the real depression of the world’s leading power.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden on the contrary wanted to give himself the role of chief optimist. He assured that American democracy, although “bruised” as shown on January 6, 2021 by the assault on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, remained “preserved and inviolate. »
The president also praised his role as the architect of the Western response to Russia, inviting the parliamentarians to give the Ukrainian ambassador, present in the room, a standing ovation.
The United States will support Ukraine “as long as it takes”, he promised.
But the American president was especially expected on China: the affair of the Chinese balloon shot down on Saturday after flying over American territory for several days earned him criticism of weakness on the right.
America “will act” if Beijing “threatens its sovereignty”, he warned.
As a snub, elected Trumpist Marjorie Taylor Greene was walking a large white balloon through the halls of Congress a few hours before Joe Biden’s speech.