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How global media are covering Biden’s State of the Union address
Insights from People’s Daily, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde
The News
U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address Thursday night, railing against former president and likely Republican challenger Donald Trump’s record in what was widely viewed as the unofficial start of his reelection campaign.
Here’s how global media outlets are responding to Biden’s speech.
SIGNALS
President shows he can’t be ruled out
For months, Republicans have hammered on about Biden’s age and supposed weakness as a leader — but “every time Joe Biden is declared to be in political perdition, he resurfaces, grinning from ear to ear, armed with his inexhaustible optimism,” wrote Piotr Smolar, Washington correspondent for French newspaper Le Monde. Biden’s address showed his stamina, and the unofficial launch of his campaign hinged on “emphasizing the existential threat posed by Trump to American democracy,” Smolar said.
Speech set combative tone of campaign
Biden’s punchy speech set to prove to voters that he “has the vitality to take on Trump,” German-language outlet Der Spiegel noted. When he arrived for the address, Biden made a point to give a wide berth to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. who wore a “Make America Great Again” hat . Biden didn’t “want to give Trump fans in Congress the satisfaction of a cheap PR coup in a speech that was supposed to reassure his doubting party that the 81-year-old president is the right candidate,” Washington correspondents Roland Nelles and René Pfister wrote. “And that should show that from now on he is on the attack.”
Chinese media pointed to Biden’s low ratings
In its coverage of Biden’s speech, Chinese state-run media outlet People’s Daily focused on recent polling as evidence of the U.S. public’s waning enthusiasm for the incumbent: “With Biden’s approval ratings lingering below 40 percent for months, his remarks likely won’t resonate with most Americans, who are dismayed by still high prices, an uncertain economy, a border crisis, and geopolitical conflicts, among others,” it wrote.
