Tuesday’s State of the Union speech did not so much mark a pivotal moment in US politics, but it certainly gave the impression that America had reached a moment of change. Or perhaps the word is “possibility”.
Joe Biden framed the 118th Congress as a chance for America’s leaders to “finish the job”; a phrase as much about challenging Republicans as it was about underlining the work done in the first two years of his presidency. He uttered the phrase repeatedly throughout his seventy-plus-minute speech and it was clear why. This was a president feeling good about himself. It was reflected in the performance, being one of Biden’s better – or perhaps best – appearances of his presidency, as well as the years leading up to his presidency.
