You'd better get used to it. Every time Joe Biden is declared to be in political perdition, he resurfaces, grinning from ear to ear, armed with his inexhaustible optimism. In his State of the Union address to Congress on Thursday, March 7, he inflicted torment on the Republican members of Congress, who for months had been mocking his supposed physical and mental decline. In a lengthy speech that demonstrated his stamina at 81, despite an increasing tendency to swallow his words, the Democratic president strove to draw a contrast on every level between himself and Donald Trump, who he never named, referring instead to him as "my predecessor." The man of the past, in short. The pugnacious candidate, talking about the future and the American identity, was Biden.

After the recent series of events favoring Trump, culminating in rival Nikki Haley's withdrawal from the Republican primaries, Biden's team saw this speech as the real launch of his presidential campaign, with an offensive strategy that consists in emphasizing the existential threat posed by Trump to American democracy. Biden reiterated the gulf that separates them, while dispelling concerns about his own health. "My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy," he said. "A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality (...) The issue facing our nation isn't how old we are, it's how old our ideas are. Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back."

The Biden offensive is also intended as an effort to educate, linking the economic achievements of the current term to paint a picture of an America that is investing in its future, its infrastructure and its strategic sectors. "It doesn’t make the news, but in thousands of cities and towns, the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told," said Biden.

This America is also concerned with the idea of justice, seen in the fight for more affordable medication or in defending Medicare, which some Republicans would like to cut. "We've stopped you 50 times before, and we'll stop you again!" Biden asserted, even though Trump himself has never endorsed this project. This idea of justice must also be reflected in tax policy. Going into excessive detail, the president proposed measures to help first-time buyers in a housing market where prices are soaring. He also revived the idea of a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires.

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