How To Watch President Joe Biden’s State Of The Union Address On TV & Streaming

In the pre-coverage of Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address, the speech is being billed as the most important of his presidency, what with his dismal approval numbers and what is shaping up to be very difficult campaign for reelection.

Moreover, so much attention has been paid to the president’s age — at 81, he is the first octogenarian on a major party ticket — that any kind of slip up will be seized upon by his rivals.

Then again, Biden’s most memorable moment last year was an exchange with House Republicans over Social Security, showing that the president had command of the stage. That’s why it’ll be interesting to see if GOP members restrain themselves so as to not give the president the opportunity this year.

By all indications, Biden will spend great portions of his speech on the economy, acknowledging that a number of costs are too high but that inflation is being brought under control. He will emphasize abortion rights, as well as the recent ruling in Alabama that restricted IVF. And he will address the border by hammering Republicans for scuttling a recent bipartisan compromise.

Biden “will highlight that lowering costs for working families is his top economic priority,” Lael Brainard, national economic adviser, told reporters on Wednesday. That includes efforts to lower junk fees and new actions to lower housing costs.

Biden plans to propose major changes to his predecessor’s signature achievement — the 2017 tax law. The president will propose raising the corporate rate to 28%, from 21%, and to raise the corporate minimum tax to 21%. Another proposal would deny corporate tax breaks for compensation about $1 million. He also wants to restore the full child tax credit.

Audiences for State of the Unions typically fall the longer a president has been in office — the numbers were down 29% last year to 27.3 million. The White House has been promoting the speech on its social media accounts, and Biden and other administration figures are fanning out across the country in the days after the speech. But there may be nothing like the unexpected moment — as happened last year — to garner attention on social media and break through the media noise.

Networks also will carry the Republican response, this year from a rising star in the party, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL).

As is tradition, Biden will lunch with network news anchors ahead of tonight’s address.

Here’s a rundown of coverage plans:

ABC

David Muir will anchor coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET, joined by Linsey Davis and members of the network’s political team. Muir also is anchoring World News Tonight from Washington tonight. Linsey Davis will anchor a special edition of ABC News Live Prime at 7 p.m. ET, as well as post speech analysis following the address. Terry Moran will anchor a 30-minute special ahead of the address at 8:30 p.m. ET.

CBS

Norah O’Donnell anchors coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET, joined by other anchors and members of the network’s political team. CBS News Streaming will kick off coverage at 8 p.m. ET anchored by Major Garrett and Caitlin Huey-Burns, including coverage of arrivals in the House chamber. They also will anchor a special edition of America Decides at 5 p.m.

CNN

Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET, with Anderson Cooper in New York, Jake Tapper in D.C., Erin Burnett on Capitol Hill and Dana Bash in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. In addition to analysis and fact checks from correspondents and contributors, Clarissa Ward will report from Israel and Nick Paton Walsh will be in Ukraine. Kaitlan Collins and Abby Phillip will lead coverage from Washington starting at 1 a.m. ET.

Fox News

Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will lead coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET, with a simulcast on Fox Business Network, and streaming on Fox Nation.

MSNBC

Rachel Maddow will lead special coverage from New York starting at 8 p.m. ET, with Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid, Ari Melber, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle and Jen Psaki. Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele will continue special coverage at midnight. The speech also will be livestreamed on MSNBC on YouTube.

NBC News

Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie anchor special coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET, with Kristen Welker joining them for live analysis. Holt also will anchor NBC Nightly News live from Washington this evening. NBC News Now will kickoff coverage at 8 p.m. ET, anchored by Tom Llamas and Hallie Jackson. Kristen Welker will pick up coverage starting at 11 p.m. ET. Llamas also will anchor a special edition of Top Story ahead of the special coverage.

NewsNation

Blake Burman will anchor coverage at 9 p.m. ET, with a special edition of Cuomo at 8 p.m. ET. Also contributing will be correspondents Kellie Meyer and Joe Khalil. Burman will moderate a special edition of The Hill at 10 p.m. ET, with panelists Chris Stirewalt, Scott Bolden and Scott Tranter.

PBS NewsHour

Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett anchor special coverage at 9 p.m. ET. NewsHour coverage will start with the 6 p.m. ET broadcast, followed by digital coverage at 8 p.m. ET.