The spectre of Trump’s return loomed large over the President’s unusually partisan annual address. By Susan B. Glasser ![President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Mike Johnson, delivers his State of the Union.]()
The State of the Union was . . . loud.Delivering the annual speech to Congress in this election year was a near-impossible assignment for Joe Biden, an embattled President facing an increasingly uphill campaign amid concerns about his age and endurance. Expectations tend to be outsized for the ritual Presidential address, especially considering that it is often a dud of a speech—a windy laundry list of crowd-pleasing agenda items that may never see legislative action. These nights are more famous for being long than they are for being good. Few of the speeches have been memorable in recent years. I cannot think of a single case of a State of the Union rescuing a troubled Presidency—or sinking one, for that matter. But, with Biden trailing Donald Trump in the polls and facing persistent questions from within the Democratic Party about his ability to win reëlection and serve a second term, the President had no choice but to try something different for the large national TV audience. The result was a most unusual State of the Union—partisan, shouty, and even, at times, a bit rowdy. | 
