On the day Sweden officially joined NATO, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be one of the guests attending the State of the Union in the House of Representatives chamber.

President Joe Biden, his wife Jill, and members of Congress carefully choose guests for the annual State of the Union speech to highlight political causes.

Other guests on Thursday night include Ella and Mikhail Gershkovich, the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia on spying charges.

Orna and Daniel Neutra, the mother and brother of Omer Neutra, who is being held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza, will also be in the audience. 

Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, and the wife of the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, were both invited by the White House but declined.

The White House published a video of President Joe Biden taking advice from actors including Morgan Freeman, Bill Pullman and Michael Douglas, who have played American presidents in the past.

“I’ve never spoken to so many presidents all at one time,” Biden said, while looking at the group over a video call.

It is part of Biden’s administration’s effort to secure a large audience for the State of the Union speech. 

The White House also briefed nearly 70 “influencers” and content creators on Biden’s State of the Union remarks in an effort to reach younger voters who will not tune in

An estimated 27.3 million people watched Biden’s address in 2023.

President Joe Biden State of the Union speech will be aimed at convincing skeptical he is fit to beat former President Donald Trump in November’s general election.

Opinion polls show Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, closely matched in the race.

Biden will go into the well of the House chamber aiming to convince voters that he is fighting to protect democracy from Trump, who continues to repeat false claims about his 2020 election loss.

Bidden was set to paint the election as an existential clash, warning that US democracy and its global standing would be at risk from a second Trump term.

According to White House aides, President Biden plans to display his combative side and attempt to challenge Republicans on issues that he believes are not aligned with the country’s views. These issues include access to abortion, tax policy, and healthcare.

Biden aims to prove his doubters wrong by taking a strong stance on these matters.

“You’re going to hear the president address how democracy is under attack, how freedoms are certainly under attack,” including women’s reproductive rights and voting rights, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told MSNBC on Thursday.

rt/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)