Like many major political news moments, CNN's coverage of the State of the Union is one that sits squarely at the intersection of the White House and Congress. When President Biden delivers his address to the nation tonight, a potential audience of millions will hear his vision and legislative priorities.
"As journalists, we're embroiled in the incremental, day-to-day developments facing our country, especially here at the White House, but the average American is inevitably a little less keyed into the minutiae of government and governance, so this is where the president can tout what his administration has accomplished," said CNN's White House Producer DJ Judd.
With Washington's power players in one room as the president delivers his annual message to Congress, CNN's Capitol Hill Supervising Producer Kristin Wilson said, "Past speeches have had partisan moments, with one side jumping out of their seats to applaud every line delivered by the President and the other side seemingly superglued into their chairs. But there are also moments that bring the room together, and I think presidents look for those moments to sprinkle them into their speeches."
To help lift the veil on how coverage of this primetime speech comes together, Judd and Wilson take us behind the scenes.
You both have witnessed the activity on Capitol Hill on State of the Union days and are part of our planning teams. What's typically happening on the ground in the lead up to the speech?
Judd: In the days leading up to the State of the Union, we'll often see the president huddle with his closest advisers and speechwriters to fine-tune his message. Over the weekend, CNN's White House team reported Biden spent the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat consulting with senior advisers and practicing delivery.
Also in the past, the president has hosted TV network and cable anchors at the White House for an off-the-record lunch to preview the State of the Union address—in 2022, Jake Tapper reported the president told him and others that he'd use part of the address to emphasize the need for unity in supporting Ukraine, while ahead of 2021's joint address, he outlined the administration's response to the Covid pandemic during the first 100 days in office.
The State of the Union, along with the Inaugural Address (and on the political side, the convention address and election night victory speech) tends to be one of the more-watched speeches of any presidency, so it's an opportunity to reach a wider audience than your average weekday White House speech— which means a lot of planning goes into the preparation.
Wilson: Capitol Hill is a flurry of activity in the days and hours leading up to the address. This year, CNN is the pool for the event, which means we provide the cameras and editorial for the networks, so our teams have been in the House chamber for days and over the weekend setting up cameras, laying down cables, checking audio, all the works. As part of that pool assignment, our CNN cameramen will be shooting the event, including the coveted assignment of filming the President as he enters the chamber and shakes hands with members. That photojournalist has to get the photo, but keep in mind he's walking backwards through a crowded room and down a slight ramp. And two of our CNN producers will be the "eyes and ears" for viewers as we have key spots outside the President's holding room and just outside the chamber doors.
Tuesday morning was the dress rehearsal, where we had a bunch of people standing in for the President, VP, the Cabinet, Supreme Court Justices, Congressional leadership, and the diplomatic corps as they all did a run-through for tonight's events, making sure they have the lights, pictures, and timing just right. Outside the chamber, there are more camera positions being set up, workmen and staff from the Architect of the Capitol doing last-minute checks: cleaning, changing light bulbs…even down to making sure the temperature inside the House Chamber is comfortable when hundreds of people converge in there tonight. (Side note: it's FREEZING in there during SOTU.)
With the future of the presidency at stake and amid an ongoing war in Ukraine, how different will this speech be from past State of the Union addresses?
Judd: You can expect the president to address conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine in his address tonight—the issue has been top of mind for this administration for months, especially with Ukraine aid expiring at the end of last year and growing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Over the last few weeks, Biden has been more and more willing to use the bully pulpit to call on Republicans in Congress to pass his administration's national security supplemental package, which includes assistance for both Ukraine and Israel, as well as funding for humanitarian aid for Gaza and funds to address the crisis at the border, and I think the address you'll see tonight will definitely be a culmination of that progression.
It's also, as you mention, an election year, which means the president is currently making the case to the American people for a second term. The president has taken to repeating a refrain at some of his more recent campaign events – "Finish the job" – that offers a bit of a glimpse into how he sees a potential second term in office. Expect him to lean into some of his more broadly popular accomplishments, like lowering prescription drug prices, and tout his economic agenda— Bidenomics— while looking to priorities he still hopes to make progress on, like codifying abortion protections.
Wilson: I went back and looked at the speeches of modern past presidents who were running for re-election, going back to George H.W. Bush, to see how they framed their speech and how they fared in the election some eight months after. Of those five speeches, three presidents – Bill Clinton, George Bush 43 and Barack Obama – were re-elected. Two – Bush 41 and Donald Trump – were not. All five speeches had a huge section on the economy, but Bush 41 was fighting against a tide of high unemployment following a recession, and while he spoke on themes of an improving financial state, voters were unconvinced and voted him out in November. Obama faced a similar economic malaise following the financial crisis and 2008 recession – and a loss of millions of jobs in his first months as president. But he argued that the economy was getting stronger and urged Americans not to turn back. They listened and gave him another four years.
Trump's pre-election year speech focused largely on the economy, national security and healthcare – and was given just one day before the Senate would vote to acquit him following the December 2019 impeachment by the House. Then the nation was quickly consumed by the just-emerging COVID pandemic, which was ultimately the driving issue that sent voters to the polls in November and denied Trump a return to the White House. Clinton benefitted from a soaring economy and had just prevailed in a standoff with House Republicans that had shut down the government twice in the previous month, bolstering his argument that Republicans couldn't govern, and handing him a victory in November. Bush 43, with the nation still deep in the War on Terror some two years after the 9/11 attacks, focused his speech on national security, leading to a return to the White House.
Biden will carry many of the same challenges: an improving economy by the numbers but not in voters' minds, multiple international crises, and a deeply divided electorate. I think he is going to draw some sharp contrasts in this speech that will be echoed during the 2024 campaign. This speech may also heavily focus on foreign policy and America's role in the world, and the President is going to want to paint a vivid picture of what could happen if America was to abandon its long-standing commitments around the world. Domestically, I think he will focus on individual rights and freedoms that he believes are at stake if Democrats lose the White House in November. On a more personal front, Biden will have to convince voters he's physically up to the task for another four years. That means no gaffes, no stumbles on the biggest stage when everyone is watching.
What are you watching for over the course of the address?
Wilson: We always look for "those moments" that will be widely discussed in the immediate aftermath of the speech. Some of the memories that pop into mind are former Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up the speech just delivered by then-President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg nodding off during President Obama's 2015 speech, and later quipping that while "we sit there as stone-faced, sober judges. But we're not. At least I wasn't 100% sober when we went to the State of the Union." There was now-President Joe Biden in his time as VP winking and pointing to folks in the audience from his seat behind Obama in 2014, and the moment Republican President George W. Bush uttered the words "Madame Speaker" for the first time, extending a handshake to Pelosi upon her election to the Speakership.
As our viewers know, the guests who sit with the First Lady in her box are also of interest – those guests always help drive issues that are important to the president. We do spend a fair bit of time seeing what lines bring the entire chamber to their feet, which ones show distinct partisan lines, and most interestingly, which lines or topics cross over and bring a certain odd grouping together in applause. I personally also like watching the Supreme Court Justices, who to their credit, basically sit expressionless the entire time. We're only expecting four to arrive this year, so I'm curious which four it will be. As for folks who won't be there, we do like to make note of which member of the Cabinet will serve as this year's Designated Survivor. Both DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm were born outside the US, so we know neither one of them will be the Designated Survivor, as they wouldn't be able to serve as President.
And, since I'm Hill based, I'll be keeping an eye on our new Speaker, who probably did not have "sit on dais behind President for SOTU 2024" on his bingo card when Republicans won control of the House chamber just a year ago.
Judd: No two State of the Unions are the same, but as Kristin mentions, there are always moments that stand out-- like in 2022, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert interrupted the president's speech to shout at him, or in 2023, where Biden was able to get Republicans in the audience to agree with his call to protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts.
The most memorable moments during a State of the Union address tend to be moments of great unity— like when, in 2023, Biden acknowledged the family of Tyre Nichols, a young Black man beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, or in 2019, when Trump paid tribute to the historic number of women serving in Congress— or moments that highlight the polarization in Washington, like Taylor Greene/Boebert's jeering and Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" moment during Obama's 2009 joint session of Congress.
We'll be watching for moments like those— especially with Washington more divided than ever on a number of issues like the border, support for Israel and Gaza, support for Ukraine, and an ongoing impeachment inquiry into the president, all of which make for a pretty unique political dynamic as we approach tonight.
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