But the moment thrust upon him by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided an urgent illustration of the animating theme of his presidency: that democracies must self-defend against creeping global authoritarianism. Here are five takeaways from Biden’s first State of the Union address:īiden’s pro-democracy message was underscored by international upheavalīiden did not plan on delivering his first State of the Union as a European capital came under fire. In the eight months until November’s critical midterm elections, Biden isn’t likely to have a larger audience than he had Tuesday night his message will have to resonate if he hopes to speak next year to a Congress still controlled by Democrats. His economic proposals gained almost no applause from Republicans in the audience. The stark divisions currently fracturing the country were just as plain Tuesday as they have been since Biden took office. A 40-mile long Russian convoy was approaching Kyiv, and explosions were rocking major cities.Īnd while he laid out a plan to combat higher prices at home, any president’s ability to counteract inflation is narrow. Yet the limits of Biden’s approach were evident even as he was speaking. Confronting a war in Europe at the same moment he works to improve his political prospects, Biden sought to rally a divided and weary country behind a revamped domestic agenda and his attempt to isolate and punish Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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