MINNEAPOLIS — President Joe Biden addressed the American public directly Thursday night in a 15-minute primetime speech, emphasizing the need to protect American alliances by asking Congress for tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and Ukraine.
For only the second time in his presidency, Biden chose the Oval Office as the forum for his televised speech.
"The fact that the president is sitting in the Oval Office, essentially the seat of presidential power, illustrates the gravity of the moment even before the president says any word," said Dr. Joshua Scacco, an expert in presidential communication at the University of South Florida's Center for Sustainable Democracy. "The other key component that the president had to get across tonight was, why should Americans care?"
Biden asked that same question rhetorically -- "It's natural to ask, why does this matter to America?" -- and answered himself by linking Hamas and Russian aggression to an emboldened Iran. During the course of his speech, Biden slowly built his case for increased military assistance to Israel and Ukraine, which could be a tough sell for some progressive Democrats on Israel and for some conservative Republicans on Ukraine.
Biden said he will send his request to Congress on Friday, as House Republicans are still struggling to elect their speaker.
"Sometimes, what presidents attempt to do is use their communication as a way to indirectly force Congress' hand. And the way to do that is through the American public," Scacco said. "I don't think it will be necessarily a direct effect, immediately, but what I think you might see is an indirect effect over time."
The president also used forceful language at times, such as when he said "We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas, and tyrants like Putin, win."
Dr. Kevin Sauter, a professor emeritus at the University of St. Thomas and expert on political communication, said aspects of Biden's speech certainly targeted an international audience.
"I think the primary audience for this speech is the American people domestically," Sauter said, "but he's also talking to a worldwide Jewish community to signal super support for Israel, and he's going to be talking to the leaders of foreign countries that might want to take advantage of the ambiguity and the chaos in the world right now."
Meanwhile, Biden is also gearing up for a re-election campaign in November 2024 -- just 13 months from now.
"But I think this is beyond politics in many ways," Sauter said. "It's dealing with these flashpoints, and the terrible humanitarian crises that are taking place in Ukraine, in Israel, and in Gaza."
At the same time, Texas Christian University strategic communication professor Dr. Guy Golan said there is undoubtedly a political component to Biden's Oval Office address.
"By standing as a world leader, supporting Israel, supporting the fight in Ukraine, President Biden is positioning himself as a world leader, as a strong leader," Golan said. "And the second thing he is doing is shifting the agenda from economics, immigration and crime -- places where his public opinion approval ratings are much lower -- and repositioning the conversation on international politics."
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