Democrats are panicking over President Joe Biden’s final State of the Union (SOTU) address before the critical 2024 election.
In recent months, concerns have been growing among Democrats regarding Biden’s age and mental acuity.
Many have been questioning whether Biden is the best candidate to run on the party’s ticket.
Those fears have been amplified as examples of Biden’s public gaffes, confusion, and apparent instability in public have become increasingly more frequent.
On Thursday, Biden will give the fourth and final SOTU of his term in the White House, which many are now seeing as a make-or-break moment.
While House House handlers have kept Biden shielded from the media over the last three years, a brain freeze episode or embarrassing gaffe during the live televised SOTU could set alarm bells ringing among voters.
As a result, the Biden campaign is reportedly putting a lot of weight on the speech for the rest of the election season.
Ahead of the address, some Democrats fear Biden’s infamous gaffes, while others remain confident but understand the importance of a strong showing, Axios reported.
“It’s important that it be good,” Democrat House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told Axios.
“There’s no doubt that he has the vigor [for a second term], but that’s being questioned.
“He’s quick, and he needs to show that.”
Meanwhile, Biden falls behind President Donald Trump in several key swing states.
Trump, on the other hand, frequently holds massive rallies and delivers a strong performance every time.
Despite the best efforts from the Democrats and their media allies to persuade them otherwise, voters do not have the same fitness concerns about Trump as they do with Biden.
Biden’s fitness for office has come under increased scrutiny following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on his handling of classified documents.
Though Hur decided not to pursue charges against Biden, the report noted that during a five-hour interview with the special counsel on Oct. 8 and 9, the president appeared to forget when his vice presidency began.
Hur noted that Biden also couldn’t remember the year of his late son’s death.
Biden attempted to quiet the worries surrounding the report in a train wreck press conference.
However, the president only made matters worse with additional gaffes, random yelling outbursts, and making claims which were later debunked.
Ahead of the SOTU, allies of the president know what is at stake, Axios reported.
“Of the various speeches a president gives, the State of the Union in an election year is a big one,” Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) told Axios.
Others have looked to the president’s ability to handle “hecklers” as insurance that Biden will have a successful SOTU.
“He owned the Republicans when they tried to heckle him,” Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) claimed in comments to Axios.
Lieu added that he expects the president will do an “outstanding job.”
Even amid some confidence, others remain concerned.
“We are all nervous,” a House Democrat told Axios, referencing worries about Biden’s “ability to speak without blowing things.”
