It's Thursday. If you were to zoom into the White House, I expect that we'd see President Biden staring into his bathroom mirror, practicing his lines for tonight's State of the Union address. And maybe reciting some affirmations. Here's what else happening today: The White House told Axios that President Biden will admit that prices are high, but he'll also argue that the country is in a much better spot than when former President Trump was in office. - Reflecting on Nikki Haley's presidential campaign, it was mostly flawless, except that she didn't know how to successfully take on former President Trump.
- The House approved a funding bill to avert tomorrow's shutdown! Now the Senate needs to pass it.
Vice President Harris visited her childhood home in Wisconsin. Keep reading for the video of her reminiscing.
I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Get ready to stare at one person's face for more than an hour: |
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President Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address this evening, hoping to convince Americans on why he should be elected to serve another four years in the Oval Office. Timing: GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race, leaving Biden with former President Trump as his general election challenger. 💡 Why tonight matters so much: This is not a campaign event, but Biden can effectively treat it as one. Tonight's address gives him a primetime audience to tout his accomplishments, set with the pomp and circumstance of a sitting president. |
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- Can Biden reassure voters he is capable of serving another term?: Biden's approval rating is pretty low, plus there are looming questions about his age and stamina.
- Will he make any gaffes?: This is a scripted speech with a teleprompter, which will help prevent major gaffes. But his address to Congress will be watched very closely.
- Will he mention Trump?: We will be watching to see if Biden references Trump, not necessarily by name but by drawing contrasts.
- How will Biden handle the Israel-Gaza war?: Biden has faced scrutiny from Democrats over his support for Israel. In fact, nearly 150,000 Democrats in Michigan and Minnesota voted "uncommitted" instead of voting for Biden as a protest. This is a major problem for Biden, and all eyes will be watching how he addresses the conflict.
- Ukraine? Border security? The economy? Funding the government?: What other policy areas will Biden choose to focus.
Preview and explainer for each from The Hill's Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels |
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➤ WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TONIGHT'S ADDRESS: |
How Biden will handle the economy: White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told Axios that President Biden will admit that prices are still too high, but he'll argue that the country was worse when former President Trump was in office. More on how Biden will address the economy Who is delivering the Republican response to the address?: Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), the youngest female Republican in the Senate and a rising star in the party. (The Hill) |
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Biden asked actors for some advice: Biden posted a video of himself asking actors, who have played the U.S. president in television and movies, for advice for giving his address. Think: Tony Goldwyn from "Scandal," Geena Davis from "Commander in Chief," Bill Pullman from "Independence Day," Michael Douglas from "The American President" and Morgan Freeman from "Deep Impact." 💻 Watch the video
Curious what is C-SPAN's most-viewed clip ever?: It's from former President Clinton's 1995 State of the Union address, where he argues that "all Americans are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country." (h/t C-SPAN's Howard Mortman) 💻 Watch the clip — it has 4.78 million views
Baby Joe!: Mortman also posted a clip of then-Sen. Joe Biden delivering the response to 1983's State of the Union address. He would have been about 40 years old then, roughly half his age today. 💻 Watch Biden's 1983 response video Dark red draping was put up: 📸 Photo from Punchbowl's Jake Sherman |
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Interesting read on the innerworkings of Nikki Haley's campaign: |
Politico's Natalie Allison writes that "Haley ran a near perfect race. She just couldn't figure out Trump." The gist: "Haley tried different approaches to the former president. Nothing worked." Interesting excerpt about Haley's campaign: "Her debate performances were so commanding she at times left her rivals stuttering. Her answers on tricky subjects like abortion managed to expertly evade getting nailed down on specifics. With the exception of her Civil War gaffe and muddled messaging last week on Alabama's IVF ruling, Haley rarely went off script. Even her advance team's work was widely hailed among campaign veterans as detailed and superior to the competition." Why this matters: "Haley's candidacy — her traditional campaign approach, the discipline of her advisers, the big money she attracted as she built her coalition — raises the question of whether there was any political solution for defeating Trump." (Politico) |
I hope they don't get caught in each other's motorcades: |
^ There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a presidential motorcade in D.C., especially when you're in a hurry.
President Biden and former President Trump are holding competing campaign events in Georgia on Saturday.
Why Georgia is an important race: Biden narrowly won Georgia in 2020 — and that was critical to his White House victory. Details: Biden will campaign in Atlanta, while Trump will hold a rally in Rome, Ga. More from The Hill's Alex Gangitano |
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➤ BERNIE SANDERS'S ADVICE:
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) met with President Biden in the Oval Office last fall, reports The Washington Post. The gist of Sanders's advice: "Sanders urged Biden to affirm the public's frustration over the economy and focus on identifying the political opposition to enacting the president's agenda — such as big businesses and pharmaceutical firms — rather than convince the public they should be pleased with current circumstances." What else we know about the meeting |
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'Minibus' is one of the cuter phrases in government:
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The House finally approved a government funding bill to avert Friday's shutdown! Now, what?: It heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said it will receive a vote this week. And once this bill is passed and signed into law, congressional negotiators will work on the rest of the government funding bills, which expire March 22. What's in the bill, via The Hill's Mychael Schnell and Aris Folley |
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The filibuster is worried about its job security: |
The Hill's Al Weaver reports that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's (I-Ariz.) decision not to run for reelection could threaten the filibuster. 🧩 Now what?: Democrats would need to hold onto the Senate, win control of the House and keep control of the White House. And in Arizona, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) would need to win Sinema's seat. If all those things happen, Democrats could change the filibuster rules. Read Al Weaver's explanation and the implications |
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Stay close, but not *too* close: |
The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Republicans are divided on how tightly they should embrace former President Trump. Why?: "Senate GOP leaders are reluctant to fully embrace the former president given his tendency to alienate college-educated women and other swing voters." Keep in mind, Trump comes with some awkward caveats: "Rallying around Trump raises a variety of awkward questions for Senate Republicans — such as whether to support his claims that President Biden and Democrats stole the 2020 election, a debate that played out prominently in 2022 and only hurt Senate GOP candidates." Read more from The Hill: What Senate Republicans are saying about Trump |
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🥣 Celebrate: Today is National Cereal Day! 🐉 The dragons are returning soon: HBO's "Game of Thrones" spinoff, "House of the Dragon," will return in June for season two, according to Variety. 🏡 This would be a cool nostalgic moment for anyone: Reuter's Jeff Mason posted a video of Vice President Harris visiting her childhood home in Wisconsin. Another video |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern) |
- 1:30 p.m.: First and last House votes for the day. 🗓️ Today's agenda
- 2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes. 🗓️ Today's agenda
- 8:25 p.m.: Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff leave the White House and drive to the U.S. Capitol.
- 9 p.m.: Biden delivers his State of the Union address. 💻 Livestream
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