President Joe Biden primetime speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

US President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech on the "battle for the soul of the nation" outside Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Show more

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Back at home, President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech in Philadelphia on Thursday. It's billed as a speech about the, quote, soul of the nation. The president is expected to talk about how America's rights and freedoms are still under attack. It's a return to the core message of the 2020 campaign as Americans get ready to vote in November's midterms.
We expect him to speak on things he ran on in his 2020 presidential campaign. He's going to say America's reputation on the world stage is still on the line. He's going to say our credibility with our foreign allies is on the ballot this November. He is going to say American democracy, specifically, is still something he is fighting for.

Last week, the president gave a speech at a Democratic fund-raiser. He previewed what I think you can expect to hear from him on Thursday. He really went after what he's calling the MAGA Republicans. He compared that stream of republicans to the semi-fascists. We expect him to make a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans. Those Republicans are anti-democratic, and they make it clear to the American people what their choice is in this midterm election.

Why give the address in Philadelphia and why now?

We know Pennsylvania as a state is important to the president. He was born there. It's where he learned about his presidential campaign. As you mentioned, there's a lot. The declaration of independence and the constitution were debated, and importantly, it's also home to a competitive senate race and governor's race. The state might be able to decide who is going to control the Senate in November.

As to why right now, Thursday is September 1st. It is typically the time when most Americans begin to pay attention to the midterm elections for the first time. So the president's speech on Thursday will set the tone for the president as we approach the midterm elections and what he sees as his midterm message.

He is going to tout the bipartisan bill that was passed earlier this year. He's also going to try to address an issue that the Democrats have historically been vulnerable on, and that's a crime. Again, trying to sort republicans into a corner there from their position on January 6th. He's still going to go after Republicans and they have not done enough on gun control and did not go far enough in the bills he was pushing for.