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Speaker 3: In Washington, it is State of the Union Day and
Speaker 3: we are all gearing up to watch with anticipation the
Speaker 3: President's addressed to a joint session of Congress tonight. We're
Speaker 3: playing the game of how long this speech will go.
Speaker 3: Maybe an hour, maybe up to an hour and a half.
Speaker 3: But frankly, there's a lot of content that could be
Speaker 3: packed in that sure, and foreign policy is probably going
Speaker 3: to feature pretty heavily in the speech. We're already getting
Speaker 3: some clues Joe, as to what exactly in that regard
Speaker 3: the President could announce tonight.
Speaker 4: That's a great point. Look, they're going to cover a
Speaker 4: lot of ground here. This is, you know, the proverbial.
Speaker 5: Laundry list of priorities.
Speaker 4: But yes, the situation in the Middle East. Coming off
Speaker 4: our conversation earlier today with Rick and Jeannie, the uncommitted
Speaker 4: vote that we saw on Super Tuesday and in Michigan
Speaker 4: and a president who has suggested that Israel's response has
Speaker 4: been over the top. We have breaking news on the
Speaker 4: terminal here that the President will direct the US military
Speaker 4: to establish a temporary port, build a Gaza port on
Speaker 4: the Gaza coast to ramp up the delivery of aid.
Speaker 4: This would be a significant development, Kaylee. We were talking
Speaker 4: about air drops just.
Speaker 5: A week ago.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, and it raises the question of whether this is
Speaker 3: the administration having to find ways to go around Israel
Speaker 3: or exactly how that relationship is working as the US
Speaker 3: makes moves like this one hundred percent.
Speaker 4: We begin our conversation with that backdrop with almost hochstein Is,
Speaker 4: with a senior advisor to President Biden for Energy and investment,
Speaker 4: and with us now from the White House. Am Also,
Speaker 4: it's great to see you. There are a lot of
Speaker 4: things we'd love to ask you about when it comes
Speaker 4: to energy policy. I wonder if this is in your
Speaker 4: portfolio with the President will announce tonight when it comes
Speaker 4: to Gaza.
Speaker 6: Well, great to be with you as well, And this
Speaker 6: is an exciting day where the President can really talk
Speaker 6: to the American people about both the achievements of the
Speaker 6: last three years and where the world is today and
Speaker 6: the vision for the future. So clearly he has spent
Speaker 6: an enormous amount of time working on the Middle East
Speaker 6: over the last several months since the attacks of the
Speaker 6: Maas on October seven, and trying to bring the hostages,
Speaker 6: the Israeli hostage and American hostages home and achieving a
Speaker 6: ceasefire through that process, while also making sure that enough
Speaker 6: humanitarian assistance enters Gaza during during this time of conflict.
Speaker 3: Well, and as Joe mentioned, that may now include trying
Speaker 3: to get aid through Gaza through the waterways by establishing
Speaker 3: a port. But of course, one of the ongoing conversations
Speaker 3: around the conflict in the Middle East, not just when
Speaker 3: it comes to the direct conflict between Israel and Hamas,
Speaker 3: but also what we're seeing in the Red Sea with
Speaker 3: the who Thy some of the other activity has been
Speaker 3: going on, is whether or not it was going to
Speaker 3: be disruptive to energy flows, which of course is in
Speaker 3: your purview. Almost should we expect to hear from the
Speaker 3: President about that tonight to potentially ease concerns that what
Speaker 3: is happening abroad will affect prices at the pump at home.
Speaker 6: Well, I think, as you know, We've talked about this before.
Speaker 6: The President has been laser focused on the American economy
Speaker 6: and bringing costs down, and over the last three years
Speaker 6: we've looked he has really directed the economy and presiding
Speaker 6: today over the strongest economy on the planet that has
Speaker 6: a lower inflation, lower costs the American families, and that
Speaker 6: includes energy prices, while at the statement we have manufacturing
Speaker 6: and with low unemployment, and that is really he did
Speaker 6: this by focusing on bringing costs down to the to
Speaker 6: the middle class, the American public, and focusing on the
Speaker 6: strength of that middle class.
Speaker 5: So when it comes.
Speaker 6: To how do you get to that to achieve this
Speaker 6: kind of an economy, not only today as we said here,
Speaker 6: but also focusing on the future, you have to look
Speaker 6: at what's happening domestically and internationally. And despite the fact
Speaker 6: that the Huthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea,
Speaker 6: costs have been relatively the cost impact has been muted.
Speaker 6: We have worked with the private sector, with the shipping
Speaker 6: companies and everyone else to make sure that alternatives are
Speaker 6: there and that the costs don't affect consumers, specially here
Speaker 6: at home. And I think that's been arge achieved and
Speaker 6: the President will continue to focus, as you'll outline today,
Speaker 6: on the policies of expanding and accelerating the energy transition
Speaker 6: while ensuring that the current energy mix that we have
Speaker 6: today is maintained, is strong, and is affordable.
Speaker 4: You were just in Lebanon, almost Hoksteen, meeting with leaders there.
Speaker 4: Are you confident, following your talks and your time spent
Speaker 4: there with leaders that Israel will not open a wider war,
Speaker 4: a new front to the north.
Speaker 6: Well, as you said, I was in Lebanon on Monday
Speaker 6: and in Israel on Tuesday, and to make sure that
Speaker 6: we convey to all sides that a diplomatic option here
Speaker 6: is the right way to go to enable Israelis to
Speaker 6: go back to their homes in the northern Israel safely
Speaker 6: and securely without worrying about further attacks. And the same
Speaker 6: is true for Lebanese communities returning to their homes. We've
Speaker 6: had a sort of a low level or a lower
Speaker 6: level of conflict going on for five months, and the
Speaker 6: President has been clear that he believes that we should
Speaker 6: exhaust all diplomatic efforts to get there, and I believe
Speaker 6: that it is possible. Clearly, all the dots in the
Speaker 6: Middle East conflict are connected, whether we like that or not,
Speaker 6: and so we have to work on this in unison
Speaker 6: with some of the other efforts that we're doing, but
Speaker 6: we are clearlyishing for a peaceful and secure option.
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 3: Almost part of what the President will be doing tonight
Speaker 3: is making the case for another four years, because if
Speaker 3: he is not elected to a second term, his work
Speaker 3: ends next January. And I just wonder, when we're thinking
Speaker 3: about what's happening and happening in the Middle East, how
Speaker 3: much you think conflict there will be resolved, how much
Speaker 3: progress realistically can be made by November the latest January,
Speaker 3: or will this take another four years to sort out?
Speaker 6: Look, I think the President's been working tirelessly and personally
Speaker 6: to bring an end to this conflict as soon as possible,
Speaker 6: to bring back the hostages home, and to do that
Speaker 6: while maintaining a cease fire, and to bring an end
Speaker 6: to this conflict as soon as soon as possible, much
Speaker 6: sooner than the timelines that you're referring to. He is
Speaker 6: very focused on this. So I think we're going to
Speaker 6: talk about I think you're right the speech tonight is
Speaker 6: about the next what we've done and what he has
Speaker 6: been able to do over the last three years and
Speaker 6: where we're going to be going in the next four
Speaker 6: And I think that the menorship around the world is
Speaker 6: without russion, enhanced and strengthened. Keeping the world together has
Speaker 6: been critically important. Maintaining the strongest economy in the world
Speaker 6: gives us additional leverage and ability to lead. And Look,
Speaker 6: there's no doubt that there's connectivity between what we do
Speaker 6: at home and what we do around the world. Strengthening democracy,
Speaker 6: strengthening our institutions, and making sure that we have a
Speaker 6: healthy economy that is not just about based on an
Speaker 6: old time scenario or vision of enriching one or two
Speaker 6: percent of the economy and that will promote the rest,
Speaker 6: but rather building out that middle class, creating a stronger
Speaker 6: economy that is focused on the future. That future that
Speaker 6: you're talking about is what gives us the strength The
Speaker 6: inflation Reduction Act.
Speaker 5: I can tell you we pray in the world.
Speaker 6: Even in Lebanon, in the middle of a conflict, they
Speaker 6: talk about the inflation reduction and what the President is
Speaker 6: doing to strengthen the American economy.
Speaker 5: Lastly, almost you've been very generous with your time.
Speaker 4: I want to ask you about the President's pause on
Speaker 4: LNG export approvals. I don't know if this is an
Speaker 4: issue he plans to address tonight. I suspect this might
Speaker 4: come up, but I wonder if it's possible this turns
Speaker 4: into a permanent moratorium, you know.
Speaker 6: I think what the President announced, or absolutely the Department
Speaker 6: of Energy announced, is a pause so that we can
Speaker 6: look at the factors. But let's we have to level set,
Speaker 6: because there's been a lot of talk about this. The
Speaker 6: reality today is that we are the largest exporter of
Speaker 6: energy in the world, and from a base on that
Speaker 6: base in the market of being the largest, we will
Speaker 6: double our exports capacity between now and twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 6: So what we're saying is that that is not in question,
Speaker 6: and that is not on pause. What is on pause
Speaker 6: is to say, beyond that, beyond twenty thirty, do we
Speaker 6: need to look for a minute and say, with such
Speaker 6: exponential growth that we've seen, do we need to look
Speaker 6: at the economic impacts on the market impact?
Speaker 5: And we have to look at what.
Speaker 6: The environmental and climate impacts are on the communities that
Speaker 6: live along our Gulf coast before we say we're going
Speaker 6: to give more permits. So do we even need more facilities.
Speaker 6: It's a good question to ask. I don't know the
Speaker 6: answer to that. There have been different projections of what
Speaker 6: the man is going to be, so I think his
Speaker 6: focus is going to continue to be tonight tomorrow, for
Speaker 6: the next five years on accelerating the energy transition. But
Speaker 6: we have the energy mix and the energy security for
Speaker 6: us and for our allies.
Speaker 3: All right, almost, thank you so much for joining us
Speaker 3: on this State of the Union day. Almas Hawkstein, Senior
Speaker 3: Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment. We appreciate
Speaker 3: you joining us on lumber Television and Radio live from
Speaker 3: the White House to get another voice into this conversation.
Speaker 3: And we're joined now by Jane Hall, American University Associate
Speaker 3: professor of Journalism and Media Studies, also author of Politics
Speaker 3: in the Media, Intersections and New Directions. Jane, great to
Speaker 3: have you. There's been a lot of talk about how
Speaker 3: the President's speech tonight. While it will be about policy,
Speaker 3: it perhaps even more so will be about presentation because
Speaker 3: this also is about the perception that at eighty one
Speaker 3: years old, Joe Biden is too old for the job
Speaker 3: and shouldn't be elected to a second term for that reason.
Speaker 3: What really matters this evening.
Speaker 8: You know, I think it all matters.
Speaker 9: I think the subtext is easy up to the job,
Speaker 9: and if he, god forbid, trips or seems to be
Speaker 9: moving slowly, that will be something that will be played
Speaker 9: by the Republicans and frankly conservative.
Speaker 8: Networks as well.
Speaker 9: So a moment for him is to simply be vigorous
Speaker 9: and deliver this speech.
Speaker 8: Well, maybe even mix it up a little bit, you know.
Speaker 9: With some of the GOP if that if they shout
Speaker 9: at him, perhaps to remain statesmanlike, but also show that
Speaker 9: he can mix it up.
Speaker 8: You know, they're talking about letting Biden be Biden.
Speaker 9: And I think one of the very interesting things in
Speaker 9: your in your speaker just now is that they are
Speaker 9: going to try. It would seem to me to paint
Speaker 9: the picture that this is a person who has a
Speaker 9: vision for a second term.
Speaker 8: That you don't want Donald Trump for a.
Speaker 9: Second term, and the memory of a lot of people
Speaker 9: has faded. And so the international piece is very important. Obviously,
Speaker 9: I teach young people, I teach college students. They are
Speaker 9: very concerned about the deaths in Gaza.
Speaker 8: That is a place where he is losing a lot
Speaker 8: of voters.
Speaker 9: He is associated in a lot of young people's minds
Speaker 9: with one side of this of this conflict. Also, I
Speaker 9: think he also has to deal with the fact that
Speaker 9: he wants to say to people, we have this tremendous
Speaker 9: strong economy, when in fact people have not been feeling that.
Speaker 8: You know, people see it.
Speaker 9: In inflation, and he's being stuck with that, and so
Speaker 9: I think he probably needs to do what Bill Clinton
Speaker 9: was famous for, which is I feel your pain.
Speaker 8: We're working on this.
Speaker 9: But I also think he's got to show that he's
Speaker 9: on the side of working people, which has been something
Speaker 9: he's said many, many times, and somehow that message has
Speaker 9: gotten somewhat somewhat faded in the American mind.
Speaker 8: You know, we could debate why.
Speaker 9: That is, but to say, this is what we did
Speaker 9: with the Inflation Reduction Act, and probably many people don't
Speaker 9: know what they did.
Speaker 4: Yeah, much of this is going to be reminding folks
Speaker 4: of what's been done, Which brings us to the audience. Jane,
Speaker 4: you're a media expert. Is he talking to the people
Speaker 4: in the room at all tonight or is this really
Speaker 4: about people in their living rooms? He's going to be
Speaker 4: looking all the way across all of those heads in
Speaker 4: the chamber to the cameras all the way in the
Speaker 4: back of the room to make eye contact with me
Speaker 4: sitting on my couch right.
Speaker 9: Absolutely, And you know, people, this is one of those
Speaker 9: collective events.
Speaker 8: People will be tuning in. You know, this is this
Speaker 8: is this is.
Speaker 9: An important event, especially that we now know that it's
Speaker 9: going to be a rematch unless something drastic changes, that
Speaker 9: it's going to be Biden versus Trump.
Speaker 8: He is going to be playing to the audience at.
Speaker 9: Home, and he's also got to at least address the
Speaker 9: audience in the room. And I'll be interested to see
Speaker 9: how much does he go after the GOP how much
Speaker 9: does he talk about how Trump, in many people's views,
Speaker 9: killed in a bipartisan immigration bill. I don't I don't
Speaker 9: think he's going to go too near immigration. I think
Speaker 9: he's probably going to be playing to an audience at
Speaker 9: home and saying, I feel your pain, I'm on your side.
Speaker 8: Remember me as the guy that was that and is
Speaker 8: that That's where I think he's going to be trying
Speaker 8: to speak.
Speaker 9: But again, if there's a moment where he seems to falter,
Speaker 9: that is going to be.
Speaker 8: A viral video.
Speaker 9: And so he's got to not have that happen regrettably,
Speaker 9: that would be picked up all over the place.
Speaker 3: And Jane, we have less than a minute yet left
Speaker 3: with that, which actually ties into this question, isn't that
Speaker 3: it's also in part about sound bites that are going
Speaker 3: to be replayed on TikTok and on social media perpetually.
Speaker 3: This isn't about the speech and its entirety, right.
Speaker 8: Oh, absolutely, it's what the pundits.
Speaker 9: It's what you and we and everybody else on networks
Speaker 9: that have different opinions.
Speaker 8: Cable news being huge about this.
Speaker 9: You know, if he makes a mistake, that'll be picked
Speaker 9: up by people who don't like him and don't want
Speaker 9: him to win. TikTok is very important. Again, I know
Speaker 9: that from my students, and they're you know, getting out
Speaker 9: there with those bites that work to different audiences is
Speaker 9: partially going to be in the hands of this very
Speaker 9: fractured media environment we're in right now.
Speaker 3: That's very true, all right, Jane Hall of American University,
Speaker 3: thank you so much for joining us, the young voters
Speaker 3: and the TikTok generation.
Speaker 10: Perhaps there one and the same.
Speaker 3: We'll have more coming up on Bloomberg TV and radio.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast Ken
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Speaker 4: Kayleie, I've been making the point all day. When we
Speaker 4: get bogged down in the division and the horribleness of
Speaker 4: politics at America right now, we can sometimes forget some
Speaker 4: of the wonderful things that take place in politics, and
Speaker 4: in Washington, this would be one of them. It's like
Speaker 4: Oscar Night in town, and I know people will probably
Speaker 4: be yelling and screaming by the time it's over, surely,
Speaker 4: but the pomp and the history that surrounds this event
Speaker 4: is one of the wonderful things that we.
Speaker 5: Get to do.
Speaker 10: Absolutely.
Speaker 3: I mean, think of all of the iconic images of
Speaker 3: State of the Union's past, when you have the Speaker
Speaker 3: of the House behind one shoulder, the Vice President behind
Speaker 3: the other shoulder of the president. I think we all
Speaker 3: remember pretty well during the Trump years some of the
Speaker 3: things Speaker Nancy Pelosi UH did during and after time.
Speaker 5: I don't think we'll rip up any script.
Speaker 10: I don't know if we'll rip up any scripts tonight.
Speaker 3: Of course, this will be the first time that how
Speaker 3: Speaker Mike Johnson has a chance to appear in this capacity.
Speaker 5: That's true.
Speaker 4: He'll be over one shoulder and Kamala Harris the other
Speaker 4: and with us for the duration. Kaylee's going to be
Speaker 4: here at the desk in our bureau along with Rick
Speaker 4: Davis and gd Schanzo. I'll be joining from Capitol Hill
Speaker 4: and our signature panel is with us right now. Uh, Genie,
Speaker 4: this is a big night, mister Speaker. Joe Biden will
Speaker 4: come down the aisle, hugs and handshakes. At some point
Speaker 4: the applause will die down and then the real stuff begins.
Speaker 4: How much of a coliseum is he's stepping into tonight?
Speaker 11: It is a huge night. And you know, I was
Speaker 11: just looking back, who in the modern American you know,
Speaker 11: political landscape has sat through more States of the Union
Speaker 11: than Joe Biden. And you know, he gets to Congress
Speaker 11: in nineteen seventy three, he leaves the White House in
Speaker 11: twenty seventeen. By my calculation, he's just at about fifty years.
Speaker 11: So nobody should be better prepared to do their final
Speaker 11: State of the Union for the first term than Joe
Speaker 11: Biden having sat through so many so you know, he
Speaker 11: defied expectations last year. The big question is does he
Speaker 11: do that again tonight. I think he does have things
Speaker 11: to talk about. Number one in my mind is the economy.
Speaker 11: If I was him, I would take a lesson from
Speaker 11: Donald Trump, and I would talk about those good numbers
Speaker 11: that the Wall Street Journal poll told about the economy,
Speaker 11: and I would not use the term inflation. I would
Speaker 11: talk about cost of living, and I would blame corporations
Speaker 11: for driving up these costs, and I would talk about
Speaker 11: what you're going to do to combat that. In other words,
Speaker 11: Joe Biden on the side of the middle and working class.
Speaker 3: Well, to Janie's point, Rick, this may be one of
Speaker 3: what fifty some odd state of the Unions that President
Speaker 3: Biden will have been a part of. But this one
Speaker 3: is also different because this is also a speech that
Speaker 3: he is giving after the general election has effectively begun.
Speaker 3: Is this about the state of the Union or the
Speaker 3: state of the re election campaign?
Speaker 5: Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 12: This is the first one of these kinds of speeches
Speaker 12: that he has had to give, And the reality is
Speaker 12: this is a campaign speech regardless of what the former
Speaker 12: requirement or opportunity it is for the president to declare
Speaker 12: the state of the nation in front of Congress and
Speaker 12: the Supreme Court. Well, you know that's nice. You know, that's,
Speaker 12: as Joe said, a great tradition that we love here
Speaker 12: in Washington, d c. But he will have the largest
Speaker 12: number of people listening to him since his presidency started.
Speaker 12: This is going to be an incredibly important State of
Speaker 12: the Union compared to the previoustory. And what he's going
Speaker 12: to have to do is convince people that, you know,
Speaker 12: he believes in Americans greatness. He believes that we've pulled
Speaker 12: ourselves together after COVID and create an engine of economic reform,
Speaker 12: that we have more influence in the world than we've
Speaker 12: ever had. You know that the future is bright, because
Speaker 12: when I look at all the numbers that tend to
Speaker 12: you know, give Biden and his campaign problems. It's the
Speaker 12: direction of the country. People believe what Donald Trump is selling,
Speaker 12: which is our country is in decline and our presence
Speaker 12: in the world is less influential than it used to be,
Speaker 12: and we just need to hunker down and pay attention
Speaker 12: to our own people and let the rest of the
Speaker 12: world take care of itself, and that is a stark
Speaker 12: contrast to what Joe Biden needs to sell tonight. But
Speaker 12: he has to explain why those things are important. Why
Speaker 12: is it important to be the leader of the world.
Speaker 12: Why is it important that we have a strong economy
Speaker 12: at home to project power abroad. Why is it important
Speaker 12: that we stand up to our enemies and adversaries around
Speaker 12: the world. I think this needs to be more of
Speaker 12: a storytelling session than an iteration of his accomplishments in
Speaker 12: office and how many lobbyists got what end of the speech?
Speaker 9: You know?
Speaker 12: For tonight, I think he has to change it up
Speaker 12: a little bit.
Speaker 4: Pieces are in place for some storytelling. When you look
Speaker 4: at the guest list, Genie, much has been made about
Speaker 4: those who did not accept the first Lady of Ukraine
Speaker 4: and the widow of Alexi Navolny. But Joe Biden's going
Speaker 4: to point up to that box and he's going to
Speaker 4: call out Lettoria Beasley, a woman from Alabama who was
Speaker 4: awaiting an embryo transfer as part of her in vitro
Speaker 4: fertilization treatment when her procedure was canceled due to the
Speaker 4: state Supreme Court's ruling. Sean Fein is going to be
Speaker 4: asked to stand up. The head of the UAW, the
Speaker 4: Swedish Prime Minister will be there. Genie, what do you
Speaker 4: think of this lineup in the contours of the speech
Speaker 4: that will surround these names.
Speaker 11: It's incredibly important and I'm so glad you raised the
Speaker 11: woman from Alabama. We can add to that Katie Cox,
Speaker 11: who was unable to get an abortion when she needed
Speaker 11: one for medical reasons, famously in Texas and had to
Speaker 11: leave the state. That is all going to be part
Speaker 11: of a really important theme in this speech, which is
Speaker 11: to juxtapose what is going to happen if the country
Speaker 11: goes back to a Donald Trump and hands the country
Speaker 11: over to the Republican MAGA. Republican Party of today, which
Speaker 11: is the President is going to make the case that
Speaker 11: you can bet we are going to be looking at
Speaker 11: a federal law banning the right to choose. I mean,
Speaker 11: just take a glimpse at who the Republicans nominated for
Speaker 11: the governor of North Carolina just tuesday, somebody who famously
Speaker 11: says there should be no right to choose and there
Speaker 11: should be no grounds for exceptions to that right. Look
Speaker 11: at Alabama, look at Texas. So he's going to use
Speaker 11: the issue of reproductive rights. We know that he should
Speaker 11: use the issue of NATO really importantly, the idea that
Speaker 11: we have a representatives from Sweden there. You know, if
Speaker 11: you go back a few years, nobody would think that
Speaker 11: sweet and would be joining NATO, and yet they are
Speaker 11: the thirty second country to join because of what Russia
Speaker 11: has done. And the House needs to specifically the GOP
Speaker 11: fund the Ukraine War. Most Republicans want to they've been
Speaker 11: held up by this recalcitrant end. So he's got a
Speaker 11: lot of those themes and those guests are going to
Speaker 11: play right into them. I'm glad Sean Fain is going
Speaker 11: to be there. I think he has done something incredible
Speaker 11: with the labor movement, the UAW strike. The president first
Speaker 11: to go out there and to join a line and
Speaker 11: strike and got the endorsement Sean Fain. Somebody he needs there.
Speaker 11: Maybe he helps pull some of his members over. So
Speaker 11: the lineup of guests is critical. Of course, wish the
Speaker 11: Ukrainian First Lady and of course Navalni's widow we're going
Speaker 11: to be there, but of course there's very good reasons
Speaker 11: they are not attending.
Speaker 3: Well, as Genie talks about the issue of Ukraine funding
Speaker 3: for which still has not passed in the House. It's
Speaker 3: worth noting Rick that even though we just had a
Speaker 3: conversation about how this is a campaign speech Resident is
Speaker 3: making to the American people, he is also there physically
Speaker 3: in the room with the entirety of Congress. How much
Speaker 3: does he need to use this as an opportunity to
Speaker 3: make his case not just for that supplemental emergency funding
Speaker 3: for allies, but also for a border deal that the
Speaker 3: House has refused to take up.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 12: I think outside of talking about the strength of the
Speaker 12: economy that he's produced as president, the single most important
Speaker 12: thing he has to address is the poorest southern border.
Speaker 12: It is now the glaring defect in his administration, especially
Speaker 12: anything related to domestic policy. This shines above and we
Speaker 12: see in the public polling that it is emerging as
Speaker 12: the number one issue in many states across the country
Speaker 12: that voters are concerned about going into the election year.
Speaker 5: So I think he has to be very direct.
Speaker 12: We have talked ever since the Republicans failed to pass
Speaker 12: the more comprehensive reform as part of the supplemental that
Speaker 12: this was an opportunity for Joe Biden to pounce on
Speaker 12: and nothing has been done. He goes down to the border,
Speaker 12: he doesn't say anything about a.
Speaker 5: New policy or get tough.
Speaker 12: This is his chance. I know that the Biden people
Speaker 12: I've talked to, the supporters he has around States, are
Speaker 12: desperate for some signal of strength coming from this administration
Speaker 12: that gives them a talking point on the border different
Speaker 12: than what they had going into the speech tonight. Question
Speaker 12: is does he deliver.
Speaker 4: I've got less than a minute here, Genie. We heard
Speaker 4: from the Chief of Staff, Jeff Zionce talk about raising
Speaker 4: the bar. You're going to see a very energized president.
Speaker 4: He said, this is a big moment and this president
Speaker 4: rises to those big moments. Is the White House making
Speaker 4: this more difficult than he needs to do? What is
Speaker 4: he going to swing in on.
Speaker 5: A rope gush?
Speaker 11: Wouldn't that be something we will be there to watch,
Speaker 11: you know. I think they are making the point that
Speaker 11: he is vigorous and we are going to see the
Speaker 11: real Joe Biden out there, and as we did last year,
Speaker 11: I think they are hoping that happens. But as your
Speaker 11: previous guest was just talking about, there is a danger
Speaker 11: to that because these things will go viral if he
Speaker 11: does have a slip up. So these are high stakes
Speaker 11: for the Biden team tonight. But again, nobody more experienced
Speaker 11: to do this tonight than Joe Biden.
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Speaker 4: But it comes down, of course, to messaging to nuance
Speaker 4: here for the President of the United States, and this
Speaker 4: is something that's been a concerted effort for many days.
Speaker 4: The President spent a long weekend at Camp David working
Speaker 4: on the speech, and it's going to be, of course,
Speaker 4: Candidate Joe Biden we're hearing from just as much as
Speaker 4: it is President Joe Biden who we are hearing from.
Speaker 4: Megan Hayes, Democratic strategist and former special assistant to the
Speaker 4: President with us now to talk about it. Spent time
Speaker 4: in this Biden White House as the director of Message Planning,
Speaker 4: which is exactly the point of this entire operation. She
Speaker 4: helped to prepare the President for States of the Union
Speaker 4: past and Megan, it's great to see you back here
Speaker 4: at the table.
Speaker 5: Thank you for coming in.
Speaker 4: Talk to me about the closing hours On a State
Speaker 4: of the Union day like this, nothing else matters inside
Speaker 4: the West.
Speaker 7: Way, no, you know, you'll see the President doing speech,
Speaker 7: rehearsing his speech from a teleprompter in one of the
Speaker 7: rooms in the residence. He will also be going through
Speaker 7: and making edits to the speech in real time. He'll
Speaker 7: have his team of an advisor, so there'll be adjustments and
Speaker 7: changes right up to the very last minute until he
Speaker 7: gives this speech tonight.
Speaker 5: This is something that is months in the making. When
Speaker 5: does the process begin.
Speaker 7: It probably begins, you know, early right before the holiday
Speaker 7: season starts. They start to think about the messaging and
Speaker 7: what drives what he wants to drive. There's also a
Speaker 7: lot of contextualizing around bringing the people in from the
Speaker 7: box that the first lady has and making sure that
Speaker 7: those stories are people that he's met on the road
Speaker 7: or different things. When I was there, we had someone
Speaker 7: from that we'd met in Virginia who introduced him who
Speaker 7: was a teenager who had his insulin costs lowered, so
Speaker 7: that that process had started, you know, months out, and
Speaker 7: then they just keep refining it and refining it, and
Speaker 7: you know, I'm sure they have polling that also dictates
Speaker 7: some of it.
Speaker 10: Now that there's a campaign in place.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's added pressure this time for the president now,
Speaker 4: of course running for reelection, but hearing stories and reading
Speaker 4: analysis every day about his age seems like they're raising
Speaker 4: the bar on this. Jeff Science, the chief staff, did
Speaker 4: a bunch of interviews saying, get ready for it, energized
Speaker 4: to Joe Biden, what's the deal with that?
Speaker 5: Are? Are they making their lives more difficult here?
Speaker 10: Yeah? To be honest, I think so.
Speaker 7: The President has never been someone who gives speeches that
Speaker 7: are super energetic.
Speaker 10: That's just not his strength.
Speaker 7: The president is a more of a one on one politician,
Speaker 7: as everyone knows. I do think that this is one
Speaker 7: speech in a moment in time. Voters in November aren't
Speaker 7: going to think back, you know, eight months before and
Speaker 7: be like, oh, that State of the Union speech that
Speaker 7: really changed while I was going to vote. That's not
Speaker 7: That's not really what's going to happen here. So I
Speaker 7: do think it is important.
Speaker 10: You don't want the.
Speaker 7: News cycle to get away from you, and you don't
Speaker 7: want to make a bunch of gafs unnecessarily and have
Speaker 7: a bunch of unnecessary news cycles continuing about your age
Speaker 7: or your low energy. So it is important for him
Speaker 7: to hit the mark. I just think we need to
Speaker 7: lower expectations a little bit and really focus on what
Speaker 7: the state of the Union addresses.
Speaker 5: Okay, so let's talk about it.
Speaker 4: Because we're reporting that he's going to make the call
Speaker 4: for higher taxes on the wealthy. That's a long and
Speaker 4: consistent refrain for Joe Biden. He's also going to try
Speaker 4: to talk about accomplishments tonight as well.
Speaker 5: How much do you.
Speaker 4: Need to balance, especially when you're running for reelection, what's
Speaker 4: been done and what is left to do?
Speaker 7: I think that he needs to draw a fair balance.
Speaker 7: He also needs to draw a contrast tot Trump. He
Speaker 7: needs to show people why it is important to vote
Speaker 7: for the things that his vision for the future and
Speaker 7: show people what he's done for them. I think he
Speaker 7: needs to make it more granular, though than just fighting
Speaker 7: for democracy and raising taxes. He needs to show people
Speaker 7: how he's changing costs for things, because people every day,
Speaker 7: people who are his voters and his base, are thinking
Speaker 7: how they can't pay for their groceries. So he needs
Speaker 7: to really show an impact where he's improved their lives.
Speaker 4: We're spending time with Megan hayeswnmocratic strategist, someone who's been
Speaker 4: there and been in the room, helping to prepare the
Speaker 4: president for a State of the Union like tonight. The
Speaker 4: spontaneity that the president enjoyed last year is something they're
Speaker 4: trying to duplicate.
Speaker 5: That can be a dangerous game.
Speaker 4: How do you start gaming out potential scenarios and workshopping
Speaker 4: lines that might work in the heat.
Speaker 5: Of the moment.
Speaker 7: Well, unfortunately for this president, that's not really a possibility.
Speaker 7: The President is very sarcastic and witty all on his own,
Speaker 7: so he will he will just live in the moment.
Speaker 7: I mean, I'm not sure the president is.
Speaker 5: The team, you know, the so called team preparing him
Speaker 5: will trust him with them.
Speaker 7: They will trust him to an extent. I mean they
Speaker 7: will say to him, like he'll ask you think it's
Speaker 7: a good idea if I respond to a criticism or
Speaker 7: why criticism? But at the end of the day, the
Speaker 7: president is a very witty and sarcastic person.
Speaker 5: It's about the moment.
Speaker 10: Yeah, and it's good.
Speaker 4: Did you know that conversion line was coming last year.
Speaker 4: I didn't the social security line, so that was something
Speaker 4: that he just came up with in the moment. That's
Speaker 4: the perfect thing that the moment you cannot plan for.
Speaker 4: Should he be preparing for a hostile crowd?
Speaker 10: I mean I think that there's going to be the
Speaker 10: normal heckling.
Speaker 5: I think that, well, the normal heckling. It wasn't that
Speaker 5: long ago. That wasn't normal.
Speaker 10: Fair, that's totally fair. Sorry, the heckling that he's been using.
Speaker 5: This is normal now. This is part of the gig.
Speaker 10: Absolutely. I do.
Speaker 7: What I would wonder is how much heckling is going
Speaker 7: to be from the Democratic side versus the Republican side.
Speaker 7: Do you kind of already know what the Republicans are
Speaker 7: going to say? But are you going to have members
Speaker 7: of Congress that are out there, you know, saying something
Speaker 7: about a ceasefire and gaza.
Speaker 10: Or those sorts of protests from own your own tea?
Speaker 5: Yeah, amazing. The guests were released.
Speaker 4: I found it interesting and we might have talked about
Speaker 4: this the other day on balance of power. Those who
Speaker 4: are not coming made news. The first Lady of Ukraine
Speaker 4: decided not to take an invitation. The widow of Alexi
Speaker 4: Navalney did not. Will this be a big part of
Speaker 4: the show as usual, the guests who are in the
Speaker 4: first Lady's box.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I think the guests play a part right there.
Speaker 7: They are there to amplify portions of his speech. They
Speaker 7: bring forth a moment, they go to those folks and
Speaker 7: they cut away when he is talking about those specific
Speaker 7: moments in time, like I mentioned when we have the
Speaker 7: kid there with insulin. I don't think it's unusual that
Speaker 7: the people who decline declined.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Sean Fain is going to be there.
Speaker 4: Interesting head of the UAW, the Swedish Prime Minister of course,
Speaker 4: a new ally and member of the NATO Alliance will
Speaker 4: be there.
Speaker 5: Maria Shreiver.
Speaker 4: Letoria Beasley, a woman from Alabama who was awaiting an
Speaker 4: embryo transfer as part of her in vitro fertilization when
Speaker 4: her procedure was abruptly canceled by the ruling.
Speaker 5: This is clearly something the president is going to spend
Speaker 5: time on.
Speaker 10: Absolutely.
Speaker 7: I mean, I think that reproductive freedom and rights to
Speaker 7: women having a tommy with their body is a huge
Speaker 7: issue moving into November. I do think that's one way
Speaker 7: that he can peel away some votes from Trump and
Speaker 7: the Nikki Healy folks that were voting for her that
Speaker 7: I think that's one way he can get those people.
Speaker 7: I think it's an extremely important issue. So I think
Speaker 7: highlighting the IVF ruling in Alabama is huge and.
Speaker 5: Call for restoring Roe v. Wade in a bigger message.
Speaker 10: It all sort of goes together with that.
Speaker 5: Yep.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, does he need to make news on the border
Speaker 4: tonight executive action an announcement of some sort of action.
Speaker 7: I think he needs to say that there's going to
Speaker 7: be more movement. I think calling for a calling for
Speaker 7: a bipartisan bill it's important. But he just did that
Speaker 7: and the Republicans didn't didn't play ball with it. So
Speaker 7: it's just he's in a tough spot with the border.
Speaker 7: Republicans are always going to think it's his fault when
Speaker 7: at the end of the day, they are the ones
Speaker 7: that ultimately stalled the bill from moving forward. So he's
Speaker 7: in a little bit of tough spot. I don't know
Speaker 7: that he will will call for I don't think he'll
Speaker 7: do an executive action.
Speaker 4: Is this a president who's making tweaks in the motorcade
Speaker 4: on the way to the hill or is this baked?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 10: No, he's making tweaks.
Speaker 7: This is one of the bones of contentions with your
Speaker 7: colleagues in the media.
Speaker 10: They would always want the remarks, were like, who will
Speaker 10: give them to you? And we have them, So it's
Speaker 10: always been a bone of contention there.
Speaker 5: Thank you for sharing your first hand experience with us.
Speaker 4: As always, Megan Hayes's Democratic strategist on the State of
Speaker 4: the Union Day, Glad you're with us.
Speaker 5: I'm Joe Matthew and Washington. This is Bloomberg. Thanks for
Speaker 5: listening to the Balance of Power podcast.
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