President Joe Biden gave the annual State of the Union address before a deeply divided Congress on Tuesday night.
→ VIDEO: El presidente Biden pronuncia su discurso sobre el Estado de la Unión
The State of the Union represents a chance for the president to address the nation on where he thinks the country stands, where it is headed and what his priorities are ahead of an expected announcement that he will officially run for reelection.
But President Biden, who turned 80 this past November, has quite the task ahead of him. Despite an unemployment rate that is the lowest since 1969, Americans continue to be in a sour mood about the direction of the country. Two-thirds say it is headed in the wrong direction, and a majority disapproves of the job Biden is doing as president.
That's true not just on the economy and inflation, but on issues ranging from crime and guns to immigration and the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, despite the prevailing sour sentiment, Democrats did better than expected in the midterms, and they were able to pass significant legislation in the past two years. Partisanship seems to be fueling the negativity and when compared to former President Trump, the current front-runner for the GOP nomination, Biden is usually even or ahead in head-to-head polls and favorability ratings.
Biden's instinct is to call for unity and strike an optimistic tone. But that will be challenged Tuesday with newly divided leadership in Washington. It will be made all the more obvious for viewers at home with a face they haven't seen before over Biden's left shoulder, recently minted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., whose conference is intent on putting Biden's administration — and his son — under the microscope.