President Joe Biden will address surging inflation and tout the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki hinted Sunday that Biden’s SOTU address had partially pivoted due to the Russian invasion. Still, she told ABC News’ “This Week” at the time, the American president plans to also focus on matters closer to home, The Hill reported.
According to excerpts of Biden’s SOTU speech provided to the Daily Caller, Biden will argue that there’s “a better plan to fight inflation” than driving “down wages and” making “Americans poorer.”
“Lower your costs, not your wages,” Biden will say, focusing on his push to rely less on other countries for products. “Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains – let’s make it in America.”
The president plans to push back on some economists’ predictions that his plans will drive up “the productive capacity of our economy.”
“I call it building a better America,” Biden will say before holding up his “plan to fight inflation” as one that “will lower your costs and lower the deficit.”
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 25: U.S. President Joe Biden waves as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House February 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. President Biden is traveling to Wilmington, Delaware for the weekend. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
As for Russia – an international situation that Biden has been increasingly focused on in recent weeks – the American president will call out Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator, according to the excerpts. He’ll tout America’s response to the Russian invasion as well, declaring that “American diplomacy matters.”
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising,” Biden will say before bringing up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The president will also reiterate that “Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked.” He’ll declare that the U.S. and NATO were “ready” and prop up the unity seen amid the invasion.
“He [Putin] thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden will declare. “Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
Biden’s SOTU address coincides with a tough first year for the American president. He’s seen consistently lagging poll numbers coupled with a series of crises, including COVID-19 and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
One ABC News/Washington Post poll published Feb. 27 marked a near-low approval rating for Biden, with just 37% of Americans approving of his overall job performance.
According to a CBS News poll published Tuesday, Americans want to hear about the state of the U.S. economy, inflation, the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic during Biden’s upcoming SOTU speech. These topics are just a few of the crises seen throughout his presidency. (RELATED: CNN Poll: 56% Of Americans Who Disapprove Of Biden Say They Don’t Approve Of Anything Biden Has Done)
Sixty-two percent of Americans in the CBS News poll disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy. In another negative for the president, 70% of those polled disapprove of Biden’s response to prices spiking around the country.