President Biden's State of the Union speech faces dual political challenges

President Biden faces at least two big tasks in his State of the Union speech on Thursday: to offer an agenda for the rest of his term, and to show voters he is ready for another one.

Strictly speaking, only the first item is his duty. The Constitution mandates only that the President should "from time to time" give Congress information on "the State of the Union" and recommend legislation. So the State of the Union speech is part of the job, not part of a campaign.

But Thursday's talk comes as the 2024 general election takes shape, and can't easily be separated from it.

The annual gathering puts leaders from both parties and all three branches of government on display in the same room. It's an illustration of how the system is supposed to work.

In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Biden's chief of staff Jeff Zients said the president will demand that Congress do its part in that system.

Biden is pressing lawmakers to pass spending bills, approve funding for Ukraine and address a crisis at the border. All these measures are stuck in the Republican-led House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has been trying to manage an extremely narrow majority.

On Ukraine and immigration, the election is explicitly on the table. Biden's all-but-certain opponent Donald Trump has urged lawmakers to block action.

It's "not our assumption" that Congress will not act, Zients said, though "it's going to be difficult."

Steve Inskeep will host NPR's live coverage of the State of the Union on March 7. You can watch the video stream on NPR.org beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

In speeches leading up to this moment, Biden has been warming up campaign themes for the fall. In February, an NPR analysis of four Biden talks found him