Fox News Politics: 5 things to watch in Biden's State of the Union

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Follow live coverage of Biden's State of the Union address on Fox News.

One of the biggest crises of the Biden administration revolves around the southern border and the flood of immigrants entering into the country. President Biden backed a bipartisan bill to address immigration and provide additional border security funding, but many Republicans saw it as insufficient — and Biden has attempted to lay the blame on the GOP. 

How Biden addresses the border, and whether he mentions Laken Riley – the student found brutally murdered in Georgia, allegedly by an illegal immigrant – will be crucial. But the White House pushed back on rumors that Biden would announce executive action related to the border during his speech.

Nearly 30 years ago, Biden's predecessor Bill Clinton said in the 1995 State of the Union address that Americans are "rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country" – language that seems unthinkable coming from a Democratic president today.

Biden addresses Congress Thursday night amid growing concerns about his age and fitness for office. Republicans have long questioned Biden's mental acuity, and polls indicate many voters do as well. And some congressional Democrats reportedly worry that Biden will make mistakes during his high-profile speech tonight.

People can even place prop bets on whether Biden makes any major gaffes.

Biden's State of the Union address also comes days before a congressional hearing with Special Counsel Robert Hur — whose report on the president's mishandling of classified documents also pointed out Biden's embarrassing memory lapses. Hur is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hopes Biden will address the economic malaise taking hold of the country, despite the administration's insistence that "Bidenomics" is working.

"In just three years, President Biden’s policies have rapidly accelerated American decline on every issue from the economy to national security and foreign policy. The American people don’t need empty words on a page for a reset. We need better policies and a real leader,"

The formal Republican rebuttal to Biden's address will be given by freshman Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, will deliver the Spanish-language rebuttal.

Grappling with negative approval ratings and trailing former President Trump in the latest polling average of their general election rematch, Biden may have a golden opportunity to try and turn the narrative around with eight months to go until the November showdown.

The White House told Fox News Digital that Biden will stress the importance of "uniting the country" and "saving our democracy." He will draw a contrast between the "MAGA Republican agenda," which he claims is focused on "rewarding billionaires and corporations with big tax breaks, taking away rights and freedoms and undermining our democracy." 

First lady Jill Biden's guests for the State of the Union address on Thursday night include an Alabama woman who is seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain. 

"Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people. The Second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, will also join the First Lady in the viewing box," her office said in a statement. 

On the GOP side, members of Congress have invited ex-Hamas hostages and families of those still held in Gaza, a Cuban opposition leader, women's sports activist Riley Gaines, families of victims of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.

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