The State of the Union

This transcript was created utilizing speech recognition software program. Whereas it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it could include errors. Please evaluation the episode audio earlier than quoting from this transcript and electronic mail transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.

From “The New York Instances,” I’m Michael Barbaro. That is “The Every day.”

On Thursday night time, President Biden used the ultimate State of the Union tackle of his first time period to make his case for a second time period and to prosecute his case in opposition to Donald Trump. As we speak, my colleague, White Home reporter Jim Tankersley, walks us by way of the largest moments of the speech.

It’s Friday, March 8.

So Jim, good night, and thanks for staying up with us for what I’ve at all times considered the Tremendous Bowl for nerds in Washington — the State of the Union.

Completely. Though the Tremendous Bowl begins about three hours earlier, so it’s, in some methods, a bit simpler.

And ends roughly across the identical time.

Proper, roughly across the identical time — and has commercials, form of enjoyable commercials, which we didn’t get right here.

No. No. So it’s form of inconceivable to separate this State of the Union from the second by which it’s being delivered, which is the beginning of a common election marketing campaign for a president that has began a lot quicker than I believe anybody had anticipated. On this case, the speech comes only a day after Donald Trump’s final rival drops out of the race.

The Republican main is now over, and the race for the White Home is formally whittled down now to Trump versus Biden. And it’s at this second that President Biden delivers this State of the Union. So with all that in thoughts, what, heading into this night time, Jim, can we perceive to be Biden’s mission with this speech?

The timing makes this speech extraordinary, form of, traditionally. I believe we will overemphasize the significance of State of the Union speeches generally, however not this one. That is positively probably the most vital speeches Joe Biden has given as president, if not an important so far.

And it’s vital as a result of he’s not profitable this race. The polls don’t present him beating Donald Trump proper now. And it exhibits large headwinds going through his re-election marketing campaign.

Voters don’t approve of the job he’s doing as president. They assume he’s too outdated, and they don’t purchase what he’s promoting on his coverage report proper now. So Biden comes into this speech desirous to reset all of these. These are his targets.

He desires to inform some new tales about coverage, in regards to the financial system, about abortion, about international coverage, that make him look lots higher. He desires to attract contrasts with Trump that make Biden look extra likable and extra preferable to Trump than voters had been pondering, coming into the speech. And perhaps most significantly, he desires to dispel or at the very least quiet these issues about his age by exhibiting himself to be form of a vigorous Joe Biden who’s up for the job.

OK. With all that in thoughts, stroll us by way of the speech itself and the way Biden sought to navigate all of those points and challenges he faces.

It’s a very fascinating begin.

[THREE BANGS]

He kicks off with a joke. He hears all of the applause and says —

After which from that second of levity, he pivots rapidly into a really severe part, when he lays out threats to democracy and freedom overseas and at dwelling.

Mm-hmm.

He begins with the warfare in Ukraine and with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he talks about him and compares him, mainly, to Hitler, on the march, in Europe —

— and casts America and the Biden presidency as essential to stopping this march. After which, he tosses in what can be an actual signal of what’s to return, which is his first swipe at Donald Trump.

He quotes him and accuses him of bowing all the way down to Putin.

From Russia, Biden jumps to the USA, and he’s persevering with to construct this case in opposition to Trump.

Now, he begins speaking in regards to the January 6 riots on the Capitol.

He calls it the best menace to US democracy because the Civil Battle.

And he says that Trump tried to bury the reality.

The subtext right here is tough to overlook. Biden is saying Trump is a menace to democracy in Europe and to democracy in the USA.

Proper. And it turns into clearer on this second that that is going to be a State of the Union that has lots to do with Donald Trump.

Yeah. Donald Trump is just like the unnamed most important character on this speech. Whenever you speak to Biden aides and his allies, they’re all a bit bit or lots mystified at what they see as People’ form of virtually amnesia about Trump, not simply the chaos of the years that Trump was president, but in addition the results of his insurance policies. They assume individuals are form of remembering him overly nostalgically, in a method that Biden clearly units out on this speech to attempt to change. And the subsequent method he does that, after this riff about democracy, is by speaking about abortion and reproductive freedom.

He talks about how Roe v. Wade, in Biden’s view, was accurately determined, however a Supreme Courtroom with justices appointed by Trump overturned it, which he is aware of People within the polling largely don’t like.

After which he talks about that resulting in additional erosion of reproductive freedoms, together with the latest Alabama determination about IVF.

Mm-hmm.

And there’s this form of extraordinary second the place he turns to the members of the Supreme Courtroom who’re there on the speech — it’s not all of them, nevertheless it’s a number of of them — and tells them —

Mainly, hey, you’re underestimating ladies. You’re underestimating what you’ve gotten wrought along with your determination placing down Roe.

Proper. And it’s truly on this second of him talking to the justices that he turns into his most overtly, form of, campaign-y. He truly says that in 2024, ladies will present their energy. And in that second, I definitely felt like this was going to be not only a State of the Union that was unusually targeted on his rival, however that was unusually open in the best way that it was about his presidential marketing campaign.

Sure. After which, Biden turns to the financial system, the place he actually has form of an enormous activity, but in addition, he thinks, an enormous alternative to attempt to change the best way People take into consideration Biden and Biden’s report.

He’s form of retelling the story of the nation’s restoration from the pandemic recession and making an attempt to forged himself, this time, not because the villain who unleashed inflation that People are offended about, however because the hero who has created a restoration that’s the envy of the world.

And he begins telling the story, operating by way of all of the methods by which his insurance policies helped the financial system.

And I bought to let you know, Michael. I lined these things day by day. I do know these things very well.

You do.

Biden begins going so quick and form of so animatedly, that it was onerous for me to maintain up.

And it takes him some time to cool down and form of loosen up into the speech. However in these financial elements specifically, he’s simply, at occasions, simply flying by way of.

Nicely, I don’t assume that was an accident. And I believe it speaks to one of many stuff you stated about what Biden’s objective was tonight, which was to be energetic. I imply, there have been moments throughout this speech — I used to be listening in the identical pair of headphones I’m listening to you — the place I needed to decrease the quantity and form of take my headphones off, as a result of Biden was virtually yelling, and it felt like that was a deliberate effort by the President to say, I’m so very current and right here for this speech.

Yeah, completely. And the occasions when he actually appeared to loosen up into it had been the occasions when he form of broke character, virtually, or broke from the textual content and needled the Republicans within the crowd.

So this occurs actually early on. He’s speaking about investments from his infrastructure legislation which have gone to communities all throughout the nation, and which, as Biden loves to notice, embody investments which have been celebrated by some Republican members of Congress who didn’t vote for the legislation.

All through the speech, although, particularly as soon as he settles down, Biden talks a few ton of financial coverage. And it’s very strategic, what he chooses to speak about.

He targets younger voters, who Democrats are actually apprehensive about profitable in giant numbers on this election, by speaking about his efforts to forgive pupil mortgage debt and by proposing new methods to assist people who find themselves shopping for houses, usually for the primary time. As a result of housing prices are an enormous fear amongst younger voters.

Not all of his financial coverage right here is geared toward younger voters. A few of it’s rather more common. However even the common stuff has some actual appeals to younger folks, in a method that Joe Biden pertains to them, most notably snack meals.

He talks about shrinking Snickers bars for example of company greed that’s pushing up costs of issues — what economists name shrinkflation.

And this is sort of a method for him to maneuver from tangible issues of younger folks into one other massive financial narrative he’s making an attempt to inform, which is, Joe Biden desires to lift taxes on companies and form of desires to stay it to massive companies that he thinks aren’t paying their fair proportion. And Donald Trump — once more, unnamed however very a lot a most important character — is the man who minimize company taxes, and Biden is making an attempt to color him as sympathetic to the pursuits of the rich and large firms over the pursuits of working folks, together with younger employees.

Republicans, by the best way, don’t take all of those Biden narrative-reframings sitting down. They get increasingly more agitated and begin to heckle him. It results in this rather more raucous feeling of the speech because the speech goes on. They usually actually begin to have some back-and-forths with Biden from the lectern — none as form of gorgeous as what occurs when Biden begins speaking about immigration.

We’ll be proper again. So Jim, inform us in regards to the part of the speech the place Biden broaches immigration.

Nicely, he’s making an attempt to proceed his effort to flip the script on a difficulty that’s unquestionably tough for him proper now. And he’s making an attempt to do it by mainly casting himself as extra severe about border safety laws than Republicans are.

He calls out Home Republicans for not backing a bipartisan invoice from the Senate.

Republicans boo him.

And Biden goes proper again at them. He mainly says, oh, what? You don’t like this invoice? Conservatives negotiated this invoice.

After which he ticks by way of what number of extra border safety brokers can be employed and what number of extra immigration judges and extra asylum officers to allow them to resolve circumstances quicker. He talks about how the Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the invoice, and the Border Patrol Union. And Republicans are actually beginning to heckle him now.

And Biden says this one level, I do know you know the way to learn. Like, you may learn the invoice. You recognize what’s in it. You guys negotiated it. However, he says, you’re blocking this, as a result of it might be good for the nation however dangerous for Trump. And hey —

I don’t assume it’s about me or about Trump. I believe it’s good for America.

Proper. And right here, Biden is making use of what has been, up thus far, a really pointed critique of Trump to your entire Republican Occasion, as a supply of blind partisan opposition to sensible options, and mainly, a supply of presidency dysfunction.

Yeah. And it’s at this second, Michael, when the speech form of hops the monitor for a minute.

Biden will get interrupted by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a famously conservative, bombastic, pro-Trump Republican member of Congress from Georgia. And earlier than the speech even begins, when Biden is strolling into the Home chamber, she palms him a button with a reputation on it, of Laken Riley, a younger nursing pupil who was killed on the College of Georgia, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant.

Proper. She palms him this carrying a purple MAGA, Reelect Trump hat. And he or she says to him as he’s strolling by, “Say her identify, say her identify.”

This has been the conservative name — “Say her identify, say her identify.” Joe Biden is denying, they are saying, violence dedicated by undocumented immigrants.

Mm-hmm.

She begins heckling him on this level when he’s within the immigration part of his speech, and Biden indulges her.

How, precisely?

Biden stops his speech and has virtually, like, a presidential model of a screw-it second. He takes the pin that Marjorie Taylor Greene handed him, he appears at her, and he says the identify, though he will get it improper.

“Lincoln Riley”—

“A younger lady killed by an unlawful,” which isn’t a phrase that Democrats normally use to speak about undocumented immigrants. And he says to her mother and father that his coronary heart goes out to them. However then he goes again into his speaking factors about altering the dynamic on the border to make issues higher, and he turns it proper again on Greene and her colleagues —

— and says, you owe it to the American folks to get this invoice executed.

Mm-hmm.

And it’s this superb second.

Proper, what do you make of it?

It was positively off script, however I believe it was strategic. Biden had success in final yr’s speech baiting Republicans on Social Safety. And I believe he got here into this speech hoping for some extra profitable exchanges the place he might flip conservative and relatively-unpopular-across-the-country Home Republicans into his foils.

And right here, he’s making an attempt to do this. He’s strategically partaking with Marjorie Taylor Greene on her phrases so as to attempt to make her the villain on this new story he’s telling. You’re in the best way. You say you care about this, however you’re in the best way.

Acquired it. Finally, Biden turns to one more hot-button subject of very significant significance to him electorally, and that’s the warfare between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

That is one thing I believe many people had been looking ahead to from the beginning of the speech. And Biden waits and is deep within the speech when he will get there. However then he drops into one thing we actually had not seen thus far within the night, which was form of sluggish, mushy, compassionate Joe Biden. And he form of will get the room all of a sudden actually quiet.

He talks about understanding how gutwrenching the time since October 7 has been for thus many individuals, for folks in Israel, for the Palestinians, for People. After which, he will get to the 250 hostages who had been taken by Hamas in that assault.

By beginning with the hostages, what Biden does is have a genuinely giant, bipartisan outburst within the room. However then, he has to pivot.

And he pivots into his assist for Israel, after which he pivots into how horrible the human circumstances are in Gaza —

— and laments the deaths and guarantees extra help for the households who’re homeless and hungry and with out water.

After which, within the very finish, he pivots again to an admonition, virtually, of the Israeli authorities, which has rejected Biden’s most well-liked finish to this whole factor, which is a two-state answer.

Proper. And in all these pivots, Jim, it looks like you may see a president and a candidate for president who’s visibly struggling to determine how one can handle all of the constituencies on this battle.

Yeah, the best way I’d put it’s that you just see a president who doesn’t have a magic answer that may make everybody glad and that additionally comports together with his values.

Proper.

And also you see him making an attempt to be conscious of altering details within the battle however not coming anyplace near altering as quick as a lot of his critics would need him to.

Lastly, Biden turns to the elephant within the room, arguably, the trickiest topic of all, which is his age and bodily and psychological readiness to be a second-term president.

Yeah, hear. For those who cowl the White Home, even should you write principally about coverage, you’ve been lectured by folks within the White Home about how the media writes method an excessive amount of about Biden’s age. However on the identical time, the White Home is conscious about how a lot of an issue Biden’s age is for him within the polls. And this speech seems ultimately to be a direct acknowledgment of that and an try, identical to with so many different issues, to alter the narrative.

Mm-hmm.

Biden takes the age subject head on.

After which he tries, in form of Ronald Reagan-esque vogue, to make his age into factor, an expertise factor.

And right here is the place he tries to make use of his age and his story to narrate again to the narratives he’s making an attempt to inform about coverage and the nation proper now. And he ends by making an attempt to distinction himself in advancing age with Trump in advancing age.

This is sort of a whole critique of Trump. He’s saying, Trump is sort of a cranky outdated man, shouting that he desires issues to return to a method that they had been and about all of the folks he’s offended at, and that Biden is making an attempt to be this optimist who desires to take us ahead and unite the nation.

And there’s nothing, nothing past our capability after we act collectively. God bless you all, and should God defend our troops. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Ultimately, was this an efficient speech, given all of the burdens and challenges that you just outlined originally of our dialog? Did President Biden rise to the event, and can it finally matter?

Nicely, we’ll should see what the polls present. However I believe two issues are vital right here instantly. One is that within the time from when the speech ended till we began taking this episode, I heard from a bunch of Democrats who had been skeptical in regards to the President’s capacity to ship a speech with this stage of power, who had been thrilled with it.

And I believe, on that, he’s executed an vital a part of his job, which is to reassure some elements of his coalition, proper? But additionally, there’s this fairly extraordinary advert {that a} group of Trump supporters aired earlier within the day that mainly went straight at Biden on his age. It was a caricature of a caricature of an outdated, weak man, unable to stand up the steps, not to mention do the job, and implied that he wasn’t going to have the ability to end out a second time period, like, reside by way of it.

That may be a low bar to clear, clearly, for a man giving a speech to a joint session of Congress. However that’s clearly not the man who confirmed up on the State of the Union. That’s not the man giving the speech.

He coughed. He stumbled. He had some Joe Biden-isms that occurred. However he was not an outdated, frail man who couldn’t stroll. He mainly closed the place down.

He hung round, speaking to members of Congress lengthy after a lot of the networks had turned off their cameras. And he liked it. He was having time. And he was making an attempt actually onerous to point out the world that, hey, that caricature you noticed of me is nothing like actuality.

With all that stated, it’s virtually inconceivable to reset narratives and alter the best way folks view issues within the span of 1 speech, whether or not that’s your efficiency on the financial system or your health for workplace. And so now, we’re going to see, within the span of an precise marketing campaign over the subsequent a number of months — a marketing campaign that began in earnest this week — whether or not Biden can do that time and again and once more, whether or not he can have the repetition and a repeat efficiency that he must persuade voters that, hey, these narratives, it’s best to rethink them. You need to rethink me, and it’s best to rethink my report, and it’s best to give me one other likelihood and reelect me.

Nicely, Jim, thanks very a lot. I recognize it.

Thanks, Michael.

Right here’s what else it is advisable to know at the moment. Lawmakers in Alabama have handed laws to guard suppliers of in-vitro fertilization from a state Supreme Courtroom ruling that put a lot of them at authorized threat. That ruling discovered that frozen embryos needs to be thought-about youngsters, a discovering that each one however shut down IVF throughout the state over fears that damaging or destroying an embryo might grow to be a criminal offense.

The brand new laws, which was rapidly signed into legislation by Alabama’s governor, seeks to make sure that no authorized legal responsibility exists in consequence. No less than one main supplier of IVF within the state resumed remedies virtually instantly.

As we speak’s episode was produced by Mooj Zadie, Alex Stern, and Carlos Prieto. It was edited by Lisa Chow, comprises unique music by Pat McCusker and Brad Fisher, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Every day.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.