■m [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible f its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including mediacom. >> we believe that whether you live here or right here, or way out in the middle of anywhere, you should have access to fast, reliable internet. that is why we are leading the way. announcer: mediam supports c-span as a public service, along with these other televisionroviders, giving you a front row seat to democracy. ♪ >> tonight, president biden carries out a constitutional

requirement as president, delivering a state of the unit address. this will be his third before a joint session of congress. the speech comes during an election year where president biden is fighting for a second term in the white house. it is likely to be a rematch of the 2020 race. tonight's speech is not just about his policy agenda it is also him making a case to the voters in primetime. following the president's speech, first term alabama senator katie britt will be delivering the republican response. after the president's speech and the gop response, it is your tu. wehow would you describe the ste of the union? what resonated with you in president biden's speech at the republican response? we will listen to youroices and messages via phone and social media come alive here on c-span, c-span.org, and on our states -- c-span now app. good evening and thank you for joining c-span for this

evening's state of the union address. in just a few minuthe president and mrs. biden will be leaving the white house to drive the 16 blocks of to the capitol. we will be able to watch that. we will also see the senate gather at the body on their half of the capitol and walk over to the house side where the state of the union is held. we will be able to see that as well. right outside the house chamber is statuary hall. and joining usre along with the rest of the media is catherine kelly mcmanus of politico. catherine, the become quite an event here in washington, hasn't it? catherine: absolutely. the capitol isesident is not eve yet. the capitol is packed with guests and lawmakers. peter: how important is this speech to the president or the

perception at least of the speech? catherine: this is biden's big bid for a second term pick this is an enormous audience you will have of course both in the know who they are voting for in november. but the television audience is ones and other speeches he will give where he will be surrounded by supporters pretty this is his chance to speak to the nation about what he believes he has accomplished in his time already as president and what he intends to accomplish going forward. he will be trying to mark wins. count the reduction in flattening of inflation as a win. he will be talking about tackling health care costs as a win. whereas of course republican's will not be clapping. peter: what about looking ahead? what have we heard about the

speech in the next four years if he wins? katherine: one thing in the very speech he will be calling for a gaza ease the entrance of aid into the gaza territories which has been besieged of course by israel counterattacks. but aid has not been reaching at the rate that the president and the u.s. has be s with. he is hoping to land u.s. response in order to ease that aid. that is progressive end of his party will be looking for, that acknowledgnt situation in gaza as israel and hamas are at war. other things he will be pledging to do and remarkingn is that oil and natural gas exports and

production are at its highest level inhe will be trying to coa republican point that moving to green energy has been creating an energy dependence internationally for the u.s. and he will try and counter that by pointing out that energy production with oil and natural gas are at an all-time high under his leadership. peter: over the last couple of years there has been a bit of a change in union with nancy peloi ripping up with an -- one of donald trump's speeches, some members shouting at the presidencan we expect any of tht activity tonight? katherine: we do. speaker of the house mike johnson did make a plea tois conference earlier this week to keep decorum, to listen intentls we saw last year. in part because that heckling

from marjorie taylor green boebe right back and was seen as coming away strong with that teractio about entitlement in government programs. and republicans do not want president biden to come off looking sharp and responsive and that he can counterattack republicans if they come after him during the speech. you are correct tent years. it really did used to be a stayed, -- a staid, respectful affair, even from within the opposition party in congress. but these days things have changed. tempers are running very high and of course rhetoric is hotter than ever. and so we do expect outbursts tonight, especially on the republican side of the aisle, despite their leadership making a plea for them to sy calm. peter: katherine tully-mcmanus with politico, as always we

appreciate you joining us outside the house chamber. katherine: tpeter: also joinings c-span's greta brawner. greta: this week on c-span have been asking our viewers to participate in a poll of head of tonight's state of the union address. you can do so now as well. just scan the qr code we are going to put on your screen or go to c-span.org/poll. the question that we ask all of you issue is most important ahead of the president's state of the union address. you can see some of the options you have to participe , immigra, border security, etc. this is how people have been responding this week. 34% of the people that we asked, that is the most, said immigration and border security is the most important issue ahead of the president's stat a. the white house has said,

according to a reptehat presidet biden is not going to be making any announcements on executive orders for border security ahead of or during his state of the union address. the preference is still that congress legislates this issue. we also hit the streetsto ask folks who are here in town that question, what is the most important issue ahead of the state of the union. listen to the responses. >> hi. 'm from st. louis, missouri. and i would like the president to take care and close the border, because we aretoo many n here, and it's just getting overwhelming and a lot of crime. >> hi. i'm from new jersey. i think i would like to see the president address anything related to gaza and palestine. it's very important right now. it sucks to see in the rents and

people not talking about it and choosing to look at it in one i'm a postdoc fellow at johns hopkins university. i do research in intellectual history and social theory. and i think the most important issue i would love to see the president discussed in the state of the union is the danger that artificial intelligence poses to our civilization. particularly in the way in which i think it might undermine haved economy. and might threaten our culture. >> within the state of the union i would love to hear the president ■haddress -- it's an important topic in all states in the u.s. together as a nation to make a stronger and better. peter: the president's state of

the union is slated to0"ress 9:00 p.m. eastern time, that is in about 50 minutes or so. obviously we will be live. last year, president biden's state of the union address ran 72 minutes and 41 seconds. in 2022 it was six to two mi he delivered an economic speech that began his presidency. it was not an official state of the union. at wases, 58 seconds. let's compare those to the averages of previous presidents. ronald reagan, about 38 minutes. w3george h.w. bush, 45.5 minute. bill clinton, 70 minutes. george w. bush, 52 minutes. presenma went for about 61, 62 minutes in his speeches. donald trump averaged 79 minutes andand joe biden's average now s 63 minutes and 29 seconds.

want to remind you that you join our conversation tonight and comment on the of the union speech anytimacebook and on x. justbe @cspan is our handle for those. and if you are away from your tv, you can watch us live on our c-span now app. well, earlier, greta brawner sat down with mohammad yunus, editor-in-chief of theluthey hae president's job approval rating. here is part of the conversation. greta: what to the poll numbers say? >> president biden is at a 38% overall approvalating. that is actually a decline from where he was back just in january. and it is actually two points lower than his three year average. so our latest read on president biden is not promising for his camp.

back in january we compared where president biden was just then, and where all previous presidents in modern history were at that same moment. and whene that analysis when he was four points higher than he is now, he was behind every single president going all the way back to president . at 41% at the time. the only person close to him was president obama at 45%. restingly, president obama made a pretty notable turn in his approval rating in that last year, really in the last three quters of his first term, to end it with a 52% approval rating pre-election. peter: and we will see a little bit more of that conversation straight ahead with mohamad younis a little bit later. ever since 1982 when president reagan brought hero of the air florida crashed to the state of

the union, presidents have been ng guests to sit with the first lady up in the gallery. the role of the guest is to add to the president's message on certain themes and polic's guess tonight, two mothers. katie cox is from texas. she spoke out nationally about reproductive care and her emergency need for an abortion. she was unable to get one in texas after roe v. wade was overturned and the ste's ban after the ruling. another mother who was a guest of the president tonight, latoria beasley from alabama. she was undergoing ivf when the alabama supreme court ruled an embryo is a person, and those caught destroying embryos could be held legally accountable. this threw ivf in alabama in limbo until action b legislaturh several critics stopping ivs services. a third guest, uaw chief sean

fain. let's go back to greta brawner. greta: members of congress also get to invite guests to tonight's state of the union. they all get one guest. families of american hostages in gaza are expected to be in attendance with members of congress. senator tim kaine has invited the firsivf person born in the united states to be his guest. and speaker johnson invited the parents of journalist evan gershkovich, who is being held in russia. tammy duckworth, senator tammy duckworth, along wh other democrats earlier today, held a news conference to talk about the issue of ivf following the decision by the alabama supreme ■court and the importance of it. the president is expected to talk about reproductive rights as well tonight. here's ahat the senator had to say on this issue. >> a few weeks from now, i am going to get to hold my younger

daughter in my lap as she squeezes her eyewish, and blowss on her birthday cake. i get to have my nine-year-old begging for a piece of cake without the frosting. i don't know how she is my daughter, but apparently she doesn't like frosting on my cake. i will cherish every moment of it, as i always do. but this year i know i will feel even more fearful than normal. after a decade of struggling with infertility after my service in a rack, i was only able to get pregnant through the miracle that is ivf. ivf is the reasoth candles and birthday wishes and birthday gifts for both of my girls in the first place. peter: as we mentioned earlier, giving the republican response this evening is alabama senator katie britt. here is a little bit more about her. she is in her first term as senator. she is 42 years old. lives in montgomery, alabama

with her husband and two kids. she's an attorney, graduate of the university of alabama law school. senator britt worked for a long time for alabama senator richard shelby, who endorsed her when he retired from the senate. let's return tointerview with mf the gallup organization about voter satisfaction. mohamad: president biden right now is behind not just in approval, it is in people's overall satisfaction with how things are going in the country. the question of asking are you better off three years ago than you are today, just to give you a point of reference, in 2020, 51% of americans said they were better off three years ago than they were at the time. today, that 61% is down to8%. so president biden faces a lot of tough metrics. if the past is reason to assume

the future. and there are a lot of reasons to not necessarily see that outcome this year because of all the unpredictable variables that you and others have been discussing. peter: and we expect the president and mrs. shortly for that 16 block drive up pennsylvania avenue to the capitol. we will hope them walking out. we are also expecting the senate to come into session and then and they will be parading theree through statutory -- through statuary hall. cabinet, the joint chiefs, etc. we will capture as much of that is possible. once the house lights come on, we will shut up here c-span and we will let you see what is going on on the house floor as the members gather to hear the

president's speech tonight. there is an additional eight cameras on the floor of the house for tonight's speech, so tion. let's return to greta brawner. greta: while we wait for the president to leave the white house and for the lightsco ton's speech from reporters. this is breaking news from nbc earlier today. in his state of the union address thursday, president biden is expected to announce the u.s. military will establish a port on gaza's coast which will be used to get aid in. earlier, this is from jackie from fox news, a white house official tells me president biden is not going to make any executive announcements on border security ahead of our during tonight's speech. and then there is this from jim of axios. will use tonight's state of the union address to admit that prices are still too high in some areas,

but argue things were worse under the former president. and there is also this from nbc news. in his state of the union address, president biden will highlight the post-covid economic recovery and lay out the administration's plans to revamp the tax code, expand housing supply, and reduce the l budget deficit. here's a little bit more on that reporting from jeff stein of the washington post. the president is expected to announce a■ 25% minimum tbilliok buyback tax, create a new corporate minimum tax of 21%, and ban firms from deduction cost of paying salaries over $1 million of federal taxes. reproductive rights, also expected to be talked about. here's an excerpt from the president's speech tonight. in its decision to overturn roe v. wade,he supre court majority wrote women are not without electoral or political power. no kidding. clearly those about -- i have no

clue about the power of women in america. but they found out that when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, they will find out again in 2024. the president is excited to go on and say this. if americans send me a congress that supports the right to ch promise you i will restore roe v. wade as the law of the land again. peter. peter: after the president's speech tonight, he will be hitting the campaign trail. he has two campaign events. one tomorrow in philadelp and then on saturday in atlanta. you'e able to see these on c-span. and by the way, all cam■n 2024 coverage is available at c-span.org for you to watch when you want and where you want. week, speaker mike johnson previewed what he felt was the state of the union.

we will get to that in just a minute. the senate is just coming into session. this is where they gather on their side of the capitol, and then in a minute they will lero.

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picture of the senate in their chamber. they are getting ready to walk over to the house side. that will be about a two minute walk. they will go through statuary hall were all the media is ■ them there as well. the president's cabinet will come through that little aisle there you see in the center into the house chamber. the joint chief, several of the supreme court justices as well. with speech is due to begin in about 35 minutes. the president has not left the white house as of yet, and we hope to catch him and mrs. bideá as they leave the white house as well. the house lights have not come up in the house yet. and when

floor, we will go live and we will be quiet, and you will be able to watch the scene. eight additional cameras are on the floor. now, after the speech and the republican response of course, it is your turn. and your thoughts about the state of the union, about the president's speech, the republican response, etc. that will be after theerage of e 2024 state of the union on c-span.

peter: and it looks like the senate is about to depart. we have seen both mitch mcconnell and chuck schumer, the two leaders there. and eagle eyed viewers, longtime c-span 2 watchers will note that former senator patrick lahey was there as well. he's no longer senator but he has privileges. there is vice president harris joining theand she will escort m

over across the capitol. and looks like there is some activity at the ite house as well. we expect the president and mrs. biden to depart from the south portico in just a few minutes, and we will catch that action as well. the house lights in the capitol in the house should be coming up in about five minutes or so. when that happens, that means a lot of the members are on the floor. we will have tvov 25 minutes of coverage before the speech begins. now, after president biden's speech, kae britt, first-term senator, alabama, will be given the republican response. 42 years old, longtime legislative aide to former senator richard shelby. she is the youngest gop woman senator ever elected.

and she'll be giving the response about five minutes after the president finishes. let's return to the capitol, and potentially to the white house as well. [indiscernible chatter]

peter: and you can see the senate walking through statuary hall into the house chamber. we expect the president to be leaving shortly from the white house 16 blocks of pennsylvania avenue. of course he doesn't have to stop for traffic or lights, so it is not a long drive forand te

chamber should be coming on momentarily, so we will be going to that as well. show you the action on the house floor. state of the union address due to begin at 9:00 p.m. eastern time, about 24 minutes from now. [cheers and applause]

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>> how are you doing, sir? >> doing good. don't jump, i need you. see you all later.

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members of the house and senate gather on the house floor. we are about 10 mite as you can see, the president just left the white house, seemingly a little late. greta brawner information on that? greta: the washington post noted that cease fire occupiers were blocking the route president would take to the capitol. around 250 were sitting on pennsylvania avenue. projected, biden's legacy is genocide, onto

the side of the national gallery of art, and are demanding that the u.s. end funding to israel. we are not sure if that is what delayed the president's departure. he is expected to speak towards the top of the hour, a little after. but that is from the washington post. live coverage here of the state of the union on c-span.

>> the joint session will come to order. the chair appoints as membs coe house to escort the president of the united states into the chamber. the gentleman from louisiana, mr. ully's. from minnesota. the gentleman from new york. the gentleman from north carolina. therom alabama. the gentleman from utah. the gentlewoman from michigan. the house will be in order. the gentleman from oklahoma.

the gelegentleman from kentucky. gentleman from new york. the gentlewoman from massachusetts. the gentlemen from california. the gentle man from california. the gentlewoman from washington. the gentleman from colorado. the gentlewoman from illinois. the gentlewoman from texas. the gentlewoman from massachusetts. the gentleman from michigan. vp harris: the president of the senate appoints the following senators as members of the committee on the part of the senate to escort the president of the united states into the house chamber. the senator from new york, mr. schumer. the senator from illinois, mr. durbin.

the senator from washington, center -- senator from michigan. the senator from minnesota, ms. klobuchar. the senator from the senator from wisconsin, ms. baldwin. the senator from kentucky, mr. mcconnell. the senator from south dakota, mr. thune. the senator from wyoming, mr. barrasso. the senator from west virginia, mrs. capitola. and the senator from iowa. >> the members of the escort committee will exit the chamber through the lobby doors.

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u? >> the chief justice and associate justices of the supreme court. [applause] [cheers and applause]

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