State of the Union: 5 takeaways, from Russia and Ukraine to a new phase of COVID
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, seeking to recast his presidency amid a deadly war in Ukraine and a series of bruising domestic setbacks.
With his Build Back Better social-spending agenda stalled in Congress, the White House hoped to use the primetime speech to introduce his historic Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and jump-start his domestic agenda.
But then Russia President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. With Russian troops bearing down on Ukraine's capital amid a rising death toll, Biden led his speech with the escalating conflict in Eastern Europe, hailing the unified response by the U.S. and its Western allies.
“In the battle between democracies and autocracies, democracies are rising to the moment," Biden said. "Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he'll never gain the hearts and souls of the Ukrainian people. He'll never extinguish their love of freedom."
Recap: State of the Union: Biden aims to reset presidency, addresses Russian invasion of Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine has complicated Biden's efforts to rebuild the U.S. economy from its pandemic lows. In Tuesday's speech, the president sought to reassure Americans – and the world – that his economic sanctions on Russia are working, while showing empathy for Americans struggling with rising inflation at home and worried about the war's boomerang effect on gas prices.
With Putin grabbing the global spotlight, Biden's efforts to outline a domestic vision for the next year played second fiddle.
Tuesday's speech came at a particularly tough time for Biden, with his poll numbers sinking to new lows and his party fearing big losses in November's midterm elections.
More: A world of change: Biden seeks his footing as his agenda and the landscape are transformed
Here are five takeaways from Biden's State of the Union:
'Putin was wrong,' Biden says, hailing united response
Biden opened his remarks with a sharp condemnation of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which drew bipartisan plaudits. He spent more than 10 minutes on the topic, slamming Putin for waging a "premediated and unprovoked war" and arguing that the Russian leader miscalculated the unity of the West and the resolve of the Ukrainians.
"He thought he could divide us at home in this chamber and this nation. He thought he could divide us in Europe as well," Biden said. "But Putin was wrong.
"He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead, he met a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined: he met the Ukrainian people."
More: From soccer to vodka to iPhones, here are some sanctions, bans and boycotts placed on Russia
Leading up to Russia's invasion, many Republicans criticized Biden for waiting for Putin to enter Ukraine before unleashing punitive economic sanctions. But Biden said his plan is working, touting America's tightly coordinated response with European allies.
Biden announced the U.S. would be closing off airspace to all Russian flights, joining a growing a number of other nations that have done the same.
And lawmakers in both parties were eager to demonstrate their support for Ukraine, waving small Ukrainian flags in the House chamber as Biden spoke.
"Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been,” Biden said.
Analysis: A world of change: Biden seeks his footing as his agenda and the landscape are transformed
Build Back Better takes a back seat
Three months after Biden's much-touted Build Back Better domestic spending plan collapsed amid Democratic disagreements, the president seemed to retire that phrase altogether.
Nowhere in his one-hour speech did Biden refer to his social-spending and climate proposals as "Build Back Better."
That isn't to say Biden is giving up on elements of the proposal. The White House hopes to pass a smaller version of the sprawling legislation and salvage some victories before the 2022 midterm elections.
Tuesday was the start of a rebranding.
Biden used his speech to push prekindergarten expansion, measures to lower prescription drug prices, capping insulin at $35 a month and a host of climate initiatives. But this time, he reintroduced these measures through a new theme – ways to save Americans money while inflation is on the rise.
"Let's lower the price of electric vehicles, saving another $80 a month that you're not going to have to pay at the pump," Biden said.
SOTU transcript: What Biden said about Ukraine, COVID, the economy in his first State of the Union: full transcript
A 'new moment' in the fight against COVID-19
Addressing a room full of mostly maskless lawmakers, Biden told Americans that the U.S. has reached "a new moment in the fight against COVID-19" that's closer to normalcy.
Although Biden stopped short of celebrating independence form the virus – something he did last summer, only to see new variants throw the U.S. back into crisis – the president pointed to severe cases being at their lowest point since July.
"Thanks to the progress we've made over the past year, COVID-19 need no longer to control our lives," Biden said.
It was Biden's most optimistic outlook on COVID-19 in months. Still, he warned that the country must remain "on guard" and touted efforts his administration has made on COVID testing and treatment.
Under new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70% of the country doesn't need to wear face masks indoors. The District of Columbia rescinded its mask mandate on Tuesday, and the White House stopped requiring masks among its vaccinated staff members.
"Stop looking at COVID as a partisan dividing line," Biden also told lawmakers. "See it for what it is: a god-awful disease."
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Biden makes case for Republicans to support SCOTUS nominee
Looking for bipartisan support for his new Supreme Court nominee, Biden called Jackson a "consensus builder" and pointed to her support from the conservative-leaning Fraternal Order of Police.
Biden nominated Jackson on Friday, in an historic announcement that's been mostly overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. Although Biden did not mention it, Jackson would be the first first Black woman to join the Supreme Court, allowing the president to fulfill a pledge he made as a presidential candidate.
“Since she’s been nominated, she’s received a broad range of support – from the Fraternal Order of Police to former judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans,” Biden said.
More: Historic but overshadowed? Biden's Supreme Court pick forced to share spotlight with Ukraine crisis
Jackson, unlike sitting justices, was not in attendance. Her confirmation hearings could begin this month as Democrats hope for a swift confirmation as soon as early April
Biden goes big on 'made in America' amid rising inflation
Biden sought to reframe the conversation about rising inflation – which Republicans have pounded him on for months – by making the case for stronger U.S. manufacturing and production.
"I get it," Biden said of the ongoing spike in consumer prices. "That's why one of my top priorities is getting prices under control."
Inflation, which has soared to a 40-year high as the U.S. climbs out of the coronavirus pandemic, presents perhaps Democrats' biggest hurdle to avoid a Republican wave in the 2022 midterms.
The White House has pointed to predictions from economists that inflation will start to retreat in 2022, but so far, that hasn't happened.
"We have a choice," Biden said. "One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation: lower your costs, not your wages."
"That means make more cars and semiconductors in America, more infrastructure and innovation in America," Biden said, reeling off a list of U.S. manufacturing announcements over the past year. "Instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let's make it in America."
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.