Biden also spoke about issues such as abortion, police brutality and gun laws in his State of the Union address. In the USA it is called the “state of the union” speech. Recently, the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. This means that Biden must make compromises with the Republicans to get his policy adopted. In the speech of the night, Biden called for more cooperation to rebuild the economy, at a time when many ordinary Americans are struggling with rising interest rates and high price growth. – The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for power’s sake, conflict for conflict’s sake, gets us nowhere, Biden said. – And that has always been my vision for the country: To restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America – the middle class – to unite the country. He spoke about the importance of strengthening the finances of American households. – We must do more. But inflation is falling and people are getting more money in their paychecks, the president said. You can see the entire speech at the bottom of the article. Will fight for abortion rights Biden visited several of the highly sensitive cases, which have received a lot of attention in American politics in recent years. Both abortion, gun laws and police violence were on the agenda. He said Congress must restore the right to abortion. Several states have introduced abortion bans after the Supreme Court removed the federal right to abortion. – If Congress passes a national ban, I will veto it, said Biden. The president also advocated tightening the country’s very liberal gun laws. He is asking Congress to ban the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons. Calls for police reform Recently, the United States has been shaken by several brutal incidents of violence committed by police officers. The US president is calling for a new police reform in the US that places higher demands on the country’s law enforcement and helps the police succeed in working for security. In the speech, the president addressed the family of Tire Nichols who was killed by US police. – There are no words to describe the heartache and grief of losing a child, says Biden. The president promised better training for police officers. He also said that he would forbid police officers to choke people. Wants riches tax The US president is asking Congress to approve a law that provides a minimum tax for billionaires. – No billionaire should pay less in taxes than a school teacher or a firefighter, says President Joe Biden in his address to the nation. Biden proposes that Congress quadruple the tax on stock buybacks. He claims that the companies will nevertheless make a significant profit and emphasizes that he himself is a capitalist. The president also spoke about the country’s liberal gun laws. He asked Congress to ban the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons. GUESTS: Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi (centre), artist Bono and Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova were among the guests. Photo: WIN MCNAMEE / AFP Boast of own politics He also took time to boast of the politics he has pursued. – We have created 12 million jobs in two years. That’s more than any president has created in 4 years, Biden said. Part of the reason for the strong growth in new jobs is connected to the corona pandemic, when many Americans lost their jobs. The president also boasted about the infrastructure package he got passed before the Republicans took over the majority in the House of Representatives. – The United States is number 13 in the world in terms of infrastructure, Biden shouted. It is Biden’s second address to the nation so far in his presidency. Congressional representatives heading in to hear President Joe Biden’s State of the Nation Address. Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP Courting the left It was expected in advance that the president would try to court the left in the Democratic Party. The radical left wing in the party roughly doubled in size after the mid-term elections in November. There was also tension about whether Biden will use the speech to announce that he is standing as a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. He didn’t. Unpopular president In a recent poll conducted for the Washington Post and ABC News, 58 percent of the Democrats polled say they want a presidential candidate other than Biden next year. They say this despite the fact that 78 percent of Democrats in the same survey think the president is doing a good job. A fairly large majority of the Democrats therefore want to replace Joe Biden at the election in 2024. Nevertheless, it is expected that the President of the United States will soon announce officially that he wants re-election. Rock star on the guest list The speech about the state of the kingdom is a live piece of political theater every year. And perhaps more than ever this year. All the politicians in the House of Representatives and the Senate gather in the congress hall, in addition to Supreme Court judges, members of the government and invited guests. The guest list this year includes rock star Bono. Afghanistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Roya Rahmani, as well as the family of Tire Nichols. The African-American 29-year-old who was brutally beaten up and killed by several police officers in Memphis in January.
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