Star Metro - Biden to rally Americans on Israel, Ukraine support

Fresh from a trip to Israel after the October 7 Hamas attacks, the Democratic president's primetime address will pitch the case for a global US role to war-weary voters and isolationist Republicans.

The 80-year-old, who is seeking a second term in 2024, is preparing to ask the US Congress for a massive $100 billion joint package that includes funding for Israel and for Ukraine's battle against Russia's invasion.

But his speech is expected to be less about money and more about painting a broader picture to voters, in which the expensive business of defending allies an ocean away is vital for the United States itself.

"You'll hear tonight the president describe this perilous moment that we are in globally, when it comes to our national security and when it comes to international stability," US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told MSNBC.

"This will also very much be a message to the American people, how those conflicts connect to our lives back here, how support from the American people and the Congress is frankly essential."

The gravity of the situation is underlined by the fact that it will only be Biden's second speech from behind the historic Resolute Desk, which presidents have reserved for moments of key national significance.

- 'Adults table' -

The first was in June when Biden hailed a deal to avert a US default after a bitter standoff -- an agreement Republicans later reneged on.

The US Congress has now been paralyzed for more than two weeks as divided Republicans struggle to elect a House speaker, in turn holding up aid for Ukraine.

Biden hopes to break the logjam by hitching it to assistance to Israel. He said in Tel Aviv he would ask Congress for an "unprecedented" package for Israel's defense this week.

The president will now hope to ride a wave of positive US media coverage of the trip hailing him as a global statesman to confront Republicans in Congress.

Republicans "need to get their act together and join this president at the adults table," White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.

Biden played up the role as he flew home Wednesday, saying he'd deliberated hard on whether to continue after Jordan and Egypt canceled talks after a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital.

Egypt's president later agreed to open the Rafah border crossing into Israel for aid to Gaza.

"Had we gone and this failed, then, you know, the United States failed, Biden's presidency fails," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "And I thought it was worth taking the chance to get it done."

- Trump contrast -

Diplomatically, Biden now faces a more severe test as his personal show of support for Israel means he will be seen in much of the Arab world as backing an expected Israeli ground invasion of Gaza.

Left-wingers in his own Democratic party have also opposed his support for Israel.

There is also the risk of a wider conflict. The United States has already moved two aircraft carriers into the Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon's Hezbollah, both allies of Hamas, from getting involved.

Meanwhile Biden's support for Israel has not yet translated into a boost with voters, with his sagging approval ratings rating stuck in the high 30s to low 40s in polls carried out after the attacks but before the visit, NBC reported.

But his speech will focus on global leadership -- with the unspoken contrast being that of his likely 2024 rival Donald Trump.

The hard-right Republican former president has drawn fire for calling Hezbollah "very smart" and criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Ukraine, Trump has previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia and China will be in the background of Biden's speech too, with the US president repeatedly warning that authoritarian states pose a threat to global democracy.

O.Poirier--SMC