Is Joe Biden still too old? Aldi wants to open 800 new stores in the US

“Start with an earthquake and build up slowly” is popular advice from rock musicians for a successful performance. It also applies to politicians – and Joe Biden seems to have taken this to heart in his ‘State of the Union’ address. He started like a fire engine and kept up the pace for over 60 minutes.

From the beginning, Biden has made it clear that we are living in extraordinary times and must therefore be extraordinarily vigilant. He quoted the legendary President Franklin Roosevelt, who, shortly after the United States entered World War II, warned his fellow citizens that freedom and democracy were in grave danger.

Biden quickly drew a parallel with Donald Trump, whom he mentioned several times but always referred to as a predecessor. This “succumbed to the Russian leader” and allowed Putin to “do whatever he wanted” to NATO members. The reference to Adolf Hitler was obvious. Biden used the example to distance himself from his rival and not make concessions to Putin. “We will not give in, I will not give in,” he shouted into the conference hall.

However, the president immediately pointed out that American democracy was threatened not only by external enemies, but also by internal enemies. The chaotic people who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 were not “patriots,” as Trump recently claimed, but enemies of the state. He gave the Republicans in the room a lesson in democracy. “You cannot love your country only when you are victorious,” he said.

That set the tone. As a result, the president is tackling all the issues that currently dominate the American political agenda. The abortion issue, the Achilles heel of the Grand Old Party, was given a prominent place. He told the nine members of the Supreme Court sitting in the front row that he would do everything he could to make abortion legal again nationally. In overturning the ruling in Roe v. Wade,” the Supreme Court also revoked this right.

Biden also tackled the issue of the border with Mexico head-on. At Trump’s insistence, Republicans are blocking a law co-authored by one of their most conservative members and in which Democrats make extensive concessions. Even the border guards support this law, even though their union voted for Trump in the last election.

Biden has clearly shown the hypocrisy of Republicans that they are not interested in solving the problem, but expect political benefits from the chaos at the border.

Biden also addressed the third sensitive issue, the war in the Middle East. He said Israel has the right to hold accountable those responsible for the October 7 massacre. However, the more than 30,000 civilian casualties can no longer be justified. To help those trapped in the Gaza Strip, Biden pledged to establish a port managed by US forces, finally delivering adequate aid to the civilian victims of this war.

Biden also pointed out that, contrary to claims to the contrary, crime is not increasing, but decreasing. He wants to raise taxes on billionaires and ensure that they finally get the same conditions as teachers, nurses and firefighters.

Above all, the president put the state of the American economy into perspective. During his time in office, 15 million new jobs were created, he said. The trend of moving industrial jobs to China and Mexico has not only stopped, but reversed. Wages are currently rising much faster than inflation. The economy is on track for a soft landing.

Biden was not only in form in substance. He repeatedly deviated from the teleprompter and responded with obvious glee to the whining of bullying deputies like Marjorie Taylor Greene. In contrast, the speaker Mike Johnson sitting behind him looked mostly old, although much younger. He didn’t know if or when to applaud and generally looked like a high school student who had gotten lost in the House chamber.

Katie Britt’s performance was slightly better. The senator from the state of Alabama gave the president’s counter-speech. She did this from the kitchen of her home, giving the impression of a failed merger of housewife and stateswoman. In terms of content, she repeated the well-known themes of the MAGA camp.

In advance, the ‘State of the Union’ speech was seen as an important test for Biden. Would he be able to refute the image of a “well-meaning older man with a memory problem” presented to him in the special counsel’s report? Or are Fox News and the other conservative media right to portray him as an old man with dementia?

Biden passed the test. Even Peggy Noonan, Ronald Reagan’s former employee, noted admiringly in the Wall Street Journal, “There’s still a lot of life in the old boy.”