President Joe Biden will address Americans for the first time Thursday night, fifty days into his administration, with a pandemic pep talk of sorts. The speech is expected to note the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus outbreak, dwell on Americans' many sacrifices, yet set a tone of cautious optimism about the future.
Biden is also expected to trumpet the passage through Congress of his $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, which he signed into law Thursday afternoon. He is also gearing up for a national tour next week in which he will travel the country talking up the bill, which is the first major legislation of his tenure.
Biden is expected to acknowledge the challenges the U.S. still faces after being ravaged by Covid, including the many deaths and illnesses, and life challenges due to the lockdowns. He is also going to talk about his administration's work on increasing production and supply of Covid vaccines.
Biden's speech, which is expected to last no longer than 20 minutes, is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. ET, Thursday night. He will give the talk from the East Room of the White House.