Biden admin argues economy is 'strong' ahead of the State of the Union
Senior Advisor to the President Mitch Landrieu defends Biden's economic policies ahead of the State of the Union address
President Biden is expected to call for national unity and bipartisan cooperation during Tuesday night's State of the Union address after repeatedly attacking Republicans and supporters of former President Trump in recent months.
White House officials told reporters in a call on Tuesday that Biden will announce a new set of policies to continue advancing his "Unity Agenda," which he first unveiled during last year's State of the Union.
The agenda is a four-pillar program focused on tackling the opioid epidemic, addressing the mental health crisis, seeking to end cancer, and fulfilling obligations to veterans such as increased medical services.
More broadly, Biden advisers told the New York Times that the president will have a message of unity for the nation and present himself as willing and able to reach bipartisan compromise with Republicans.
CNN media analyst Bill Carter said that the president could use an interview that won't be "too challenging" for him. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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According to Politico, this message was honed over the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, where Biden worked on the speech with White House senior adviser Anita Dunn among other people.
Dunn said on NBC in November that painting Republicans who support Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement as extremists who threatened democracy was a "very effective strategy" for Democrats in the midterm elections.
Biden's "ultra-MAGA" messaging reportedly came from a six-month research project from the liberal group Center for American Progress Action Fund and was headed by Dunn.
That messaging manifested in a persistent campaign to label the GOP as a threat to democracy overtaken by the MAGA movement.
In May, for example, Biden told reporters that "this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in American history, in recent American history."
Three months later, Biden described the MAGA movement as fascist.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 01: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park September 1, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. President Biden spoke on "the continued battle for the Soul of the Nation." ( Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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"What we're seeing now is the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy," Biden reportedly said at a fundraiser for Democrats in Bethesda, Md. "It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy that underpins the — I'm going to say something, it's like semi-fascism."
The anti-MAGA messaging culminated in Biden's now-infamous speech in Philadelphia in September.
"Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic," he declared.
Biden clarified that "not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans" before adding: "But there's no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country."
Biden went on to say that MAGA Republicans don't respect the Constitution or the rule of law.
Senior Advisor to the President Anita Dunn and other staff members stand without protective face masks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 13, 2021. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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A majority of Americans disapproved of Biden's speech in Philadelphia as divisive, dangerous, and going too far, according to multiple polls.
One of the surveys found a striking 62% of independents said Biden's address was "a dangerous escalation in rhetoric and designed to incite conflict amongst Americans." A mere 31% of independents said it was acceptable rhetoric during an election year.
Biden has frequently lambasted Republicans and other Americans who disagree with his political agenda.
Last January, for example, Biden said Trump "and his supporters" want "to suppress your vote, to subvert our elections," and "to disenfranchise anyone who votes against them," describing Republican election reforms as "Jim Crow 2.0," a reference to laws that enforced racial segregation in the South.
"That's the kind of power you see in totalitarian states, not in democracies," he continued. "Will you stand against election subversion? Yes, or no? Will you stand for democracy? Yes, or no? ... Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?"
Beyond Republicans, Biden also attacked those unvaccinated against COVID for not doing the "right thing" and "costing all of us." He accused them of causing "a lot of damage" by "making people sick and causing ... people to die" and standing in the way of "getting back to normal."
President Biden speaks during the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's 3rd Annual Independence Dinner in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
When announcing his vaccine mandates last year, Biden warned those hesitant to receive the vaccination: "We've been patient, but our patience is wearing thin."
Such rhetoric has led Americans to say Biden is doing more to divide than unite the country, according to polling.
A Fox News poll from last year found a majority of Americans believe the nation has become less united since Biden took office.
In response to a request for comment for this story, a White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to Tuesday morning's Unity Agenda call.
Biden declared in his inaugural address that the central mission of his presidency was to unify the country.
"Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, and uniting our nation," said Biden. "I ask every American to join me in this cause ... With unity we can do great things."
"We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal," he added. "We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts."
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Biden issued a similar call for unity at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. last week.
Biden's remarks came two weeks after he called Republicans "fiscally demented" for criticizing his administration for pushing large government spending packages.
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