In the U.S., Democrats are already campaigning

The first State of the Union address by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, was aimed, above all, at the middle classes with a view to the mid-term elections; in other words, it was the beginning of the Democrats' campaign, according to members of the Center for Research on North America (CISAN) of the UNAM.

The U.S. president presented a good message which, although not exceptional, allowed him to show his world leadership, with alliances achieved throughout his career that allow him the support of numerous nations regarding the economic sanctions against Russia, to ensure that the conflict in Ukraine ends as soon as possible.

If we analyze the figures presented, they are encouraging: the creation of more than six million jobs, a decrease in unemployment to 4.1 percent, and an increase in the average salary by 5.7 percent. Nevertheless, inflation is at seven percent.

Biden's approval rating is 43 percent and only 41 percent felt he gave a positive speech. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, only 30 percent believe he is doing a good job. Added to this, 60 percent believe that the handling of COVID-19 has been "bad or poor".

The pandemic is the factor that prevents the average U.S. citizen from appreciating what their president has accomplished in his first year in office. Meanwhile, the fact that Mexico will not join the economic sanctions against Russia will have a cost for Mexico, because in times of crisis the United States sees who are its friends and support it, and who is not.

In contrast, it was a bland speech, although, in the end, it was inspiring, something we were not used to with Donald Trump, who went viral for false data or unfounded accusations. Biden and the Democratic Party are thinking about the mid-term elections; the campaign has begun.

The president will mention actions, what has worked in the country, and not political promises, because a large part of his speech was to endorse what he has been carrying out since his campaign: promoting a bipartisan infrastructure plan, economic reconstruction, etcetera. These are plans that he has promoted, but that has not materialized in public policies because he has prioritized the attention to the health emergency.

Biden is still campaigning, he has not realized that he has been in office for a year, although as a positive aspect he moves away from platforms that could be polarizing; his references to Trumpism remind us that the tycoon is still there.

After a follow-up of the Biden administration and the recent speech, Mexico and the United States are on different paths and that is worrisome, because of how intertwined the economies are. The Mexican nation does not engage in neighboring industrial reconversion, modernization of telecommunications, or energy infrastructure.

The message was "anti-Trumpist" because there are several axes of US domestic policy that are controlled by "Trumpism", and that may be decisive and definitive for the reelection or not of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives as a majority.

The US president is trying to counteract the retarded positions of "Trumpism" in foreign policy and believes that around the narrative against the Russian invasion of Ukraine he can unify Americans in a way that he has not been able to do with other important measures and achievements obtained in local politics.

The President does not take his finger off the issue of the dreamers, in giving them the possibility of staying in the U.S. and regularizing their situation; it would be an important contribution to the stability of the bilateral relationship with our country, which has been so battered in recent times, and the possibility of greater cooperation between the two nations.

Mexico lacks a bilateral and functional policy in its relationship with its northern neighbor; it is reactive and this has damaged trust. Tensions could continue, and the energy reform would be the "icing on the cake" of this unwanted conflict, avoidable, but impossible to achieve with a policy such as the one existing from the Mexican perspective.

Biden was flanked by two women: Vice President Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who had different reactions to the President's message.