President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday March 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden delivered a politics-heavy State of the Union to Congress Thursday night, a presentation that netted derision from the North Country’s representatives.

The keystone speech in a president’s annual calendar, the State of the Union is a constitutionally mandated address that gives the president one of the highest-profile platforms they’ll get, delivered to a joint session of the House and Senate and broadcast on most major news networks.

Biden started his presentation late, reportedly because he was delayed leaving the White House as his planned route to the Capitol was blocked by protesters. Groups took to the streets of D.C. to protest Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and calling on him to protect Palestinians in the conflict.

What he delivered when he made it to the podium was a speech that sought to address issues where he polls weak: the border, public safety and the economy.

It appeared to lay out much of what he will focus on in his reelection campaign, and made 13 individual references to former president Donald J. Trump, his predecessor and main competition in the race for reelection.

Biden opened his speech with a reference to World War II, and drew the parallel to the war in Ukraine, suggesting he was motivated to convince Congress to advance U.S. aid to the eastern European nation in its fight against Russian incursion.

“If the U.S. walks away, it will put Ukraine at risk, it will put Europe at risk,” he said.

“We will not walk away, we will not bow down,” he added. “I will not bow down.”

Biden then recounted Jan. 6, 2021, and the attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-president Trump, which he described as one of America’s “darkest days.”

He accused Republicans of seeking to bury the truth of Jan. 6, and said he expects Congress members to uniformly support American elections and confirm that political violence is unacceptable.

Biden referenced one of his guests, a social worker from Alabama who had a child through IVF. He urged Congress to pass legislation to guarantee IVF as legal in all 50 states, following a decision by the Alabama State Supreme Court which found that the viable embryos created by IVF have the same rights as fully grown children in that state. The move put IVF on hold, although the Alabama state legislature passed a bill this week that reauthorized IVF treatment.

He drew a parallel to abortion rights, and the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision to undo the national right to abortion. He warned that women and those who want to see a right to abortion secured in the U.S. will make their opinion heard through their votes.

“You’re about to realize just how much power they have,” he said, looking straight at the five Supreme Court justices in attendance in the House chamber.

Biden said he sees America as recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and the major economic disturbance it caused, referencing the low unemployment and large job growth reports that have come out in recent months.

He said inflation is dropping, down from 9% to 3% and among the lowest inflation rates in the world. He referenced the “soft landing” that many experts have discussed; suggesting that the U.S. could break free of an impending recession caused by the pandemic and instead return to normal economic conditions easily. He said some of the credit goes to the federal investment and public-private partnerships that have led to deals to build state-of-the-art microchip manufacturing facilities like the Micron plans near Syracuse.

He also referenced the federal investments in infrastructure, which have led to major infrastructure projects in nearly every county and town in the country. North Country towns and counties have taken in millions of dollars to build or repair bridges, highways, water systems, sewage treatment plants and broadband internet networks.

Biden also took the speech as a chance to lay out his platform for reelection. This speech, coming just days after Trump all but cinched the Republican nomination for president in 2024, was widely expected to serve as a platform for Biden to lay out his campaign platform.

His speech made repeated references to his “predecessor,” Trump, to criticize his record and his policies.

Biden called for a cap on insulin costs at $35 for every American, not just those on Medicare and Medicaid. He also called for Congress to grant Medicare and Medicaid the power to negotiate the prices they pay pharmaceutical companies for prescription drugs, and to cap out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 for all Americans with health insurance.

He also referenced housing costs, and called for a $400-per-month tax credit for Americans to put toward housing costs for homeowners, and referenced federal crackdowns on landlords found to be price-fixing apartments. He called for federal spending to renovate affordable housing units and reduce their rents.

Biden also spoke about education goals, including expanding access to preschool programs and literacy education investments.

“I want to make sure every child can read by the third grade,” he said.

He called for expanded access to higher education and trade education, expansions to the Pell Grant program and federal action on student loan debt. Biden’s first plan to forgive most federal student loans was challenged and overturned in court, but a second, more limited move to fix issues with existing loan forgiveness programs has gone through to forgive millions of dollars in debt.

He also called for higher taxes on the wealthy. “A fair tax code is how we make this country great,” he said, saying higher taxes on the rich and corporations would pay for many of his plans to spend federal cash. He called for a minimum 25% tax on billionaires, and 21% on corporations.

He pledged that tax increases would not touch middle- and lower-class families.

“Under my plan, nobody making under $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in federal taxes,” he said.

He also called on Congress to reinstate and make permanent the expanded child tax credit, as was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that was credited with lifting nearly half of American children out of poverty.

He also continued his push against corporations that use “hidden fees,” and “junk fees,” which are often tacked onto services and banking products. He said his administration recently moved to cut credit card late fees to a maximum of $8, and said he was directing his administration to implement a rule requiring subscription services provide the total cost of services upfront, including taxes and fees.

Biden also called on Congress to support the apparently dead bipartisan immigration policy, which lost Republican support because Trump said he didn’t support it.

“Get this bill done, we need to act now,” he said.

Biden also held up a button with Laken Riley’s name on it. Riley’s story has been elevated by conservatives: the 22-year old student was found dead on the University of Georgia campus, killed by someone who had crossed into the U.S. illegally. The House on Thursday passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require any illegal immigrant be held in jail if they commit burglary or theft. After taking heckling from far-right Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ga., Biden referred to Riley’s killer as “an illegal.”

Biden claimed some victory on crime, saying that he invested in law enforcement with the American Rescue Plan, which he said has borne fruit with a dramatic drop in violent crime and murder rates nationwide. But he said things must go further.

“Help cities and towns, invest in more community police officers, more mental health workers and more community violence intervention,” Biden said.

He also made reference to the scourge of school shootings that continue, and brought as his guest a sister of one of the students killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022. He called for a crackdown on guns at the federal level, and criticized Trump for his position on gun control.

He said the former president had recently told people to “just get over it,” in response to a mass shooting, and said Congress needed to pass a bill requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases.

A bipartisan note entered Biden’s speech nearly an hour in, when he spoke to the Israel-Hamas war. He made reference to the family members of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza who were in attendance at the speech Thursday.

“I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home,” he said. It was the first line to receive applause from a most Republicans and Democrats in the chamber.

He reaffirmed his position that Israel has a right to defend itself and continue its campaign in Gaza, but said the country must also make efforts to protect innocent civilian lives.

He also spoke to the U.S. plan, recently announced, to build a temporary port on the coast in Gaza to deliver aid to the beleaguered, largely demolished territory.

Biden sought to boost his profile as a pro-Israel politician, but also reaffirmed his position that Israel and Palestine must work together to establish two states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, in the long-disputed region.

Biden also referred to China, and the ongoing concerns of many Republicans and economic experts that China is outpacing the U.S. and growing to be the dominant force in the world.

“We want competition with China, but not conflict,” he said, arguing that the U.S. is better positioned against China than many have suggested.

Biden spoke to the PACT Act, which recently went into effect, ensuring that veterans and U.S. service members who were exposed to toxic chemicals, burn pits and other hazards during their service can seek treatment from the Veteran’s Affairs Administration, and said he wants the government to go further and seek to end diseases like cancer, investing in research and medical advancements.

As he closed, Biden said he is optimistic for the future of the country, as Democrats in the chamber chanted “four more years.”

“Above all, I see a future for all Americans, I see a country for all Americans, and I will always be president for all Americans,” he said.