Axelrod advises Biden to show ‘humility’ during State of the Union address

Former senior adviser to President Obama David Axelrod is suggesting that President Biden show “humility” during his State of the Union address as the country grapples with a nearly two-year COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and “deepened” political divisions within the country.

In an op-ed published in The New York Times on Monday, Axelrod suggested that the president “proceed with caution” as he prepares to give the address, which is scheduled for March 1. He acknowledged that while Biden could touch on how he has worked toward meeting Americans’ needs, he needed to address the reality that Americans were also facing.

“Talk about the things you and Congress have done to help meet the challenges Americans are facing, for sure. Lay out your goals for the future, absolutely. Offer realistic hope for better days ahead. We desperately need it,” Axelrod wrote. “But recognize that we are still in the grips of a national trauma. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans believe we are on the wrong track, and people will have little patience for lavish claims of progress that defy their lived experiences.”

Axelrod said he understood from experience working under the Obama administration how promoting progress in the wake of a difficult historic event — in this case the Great Recession — could be taken poorly by Americans.

“At the height of the Great Recession — and even when it was technically and demonstrably over — the trauma from that catastrophe ran so deep that gaudy claims of progress met with an angry backlash from Americans still grappling, economically and emotionally, with its effects,” Axelrod said. 

“We learned to pitch progress delicately, and always with a focus on the continuing struggles of the middle class as they tried to recover their financial footing from the crash and decades of shifting fortunes.”

Speaking on CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday, Axelrod said that Biden has previously demonstrated an ability to show a compassionate demeanor, saying that “Joe Biden’s greatest strength is empathy and connection.”

He suggested on CNN, where Axelrod serves as a senior political commentator, that if Biden demonstrated that same sense of connection and compassion during his speech, his address would bode well for Americans.

Axelrod’s remarks come as a series of issues have plagued the Biden administration including the ongoing pandemic, inflation, low approval ratings, boiling Ukraine-Russia tensions and the lingering aftermath of last year’s chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.