Joe Biden to deliver final State of the Union address of his term Thursday

The president, battling a 38.1% approval rating, is expected to tout record-low unemployment, lower interest rates and legislation

Joe Biden will deliver the final State of the Union address of his presidential term on Thursday evening, giving the incumbent Democrat an opportunity to tout his accomplishments and pitch his re-election campaign as he prepares for a rematch against Donald Trump in November.

Biden will address a joint session of Congress to deliver the annual update on the nation’s welfare at at time when the US faces numerous challenges at home and abroad. Although the rate of inflation has eased, and unemployment is at a record low, only 27% of Americans rate the country’s current economic conditions as excellent or good, according to a Gallup poll conducted in January. Meanwhile, a growing number of Americans cite immigration as the nation’s most important problem, and support for abortion access has neared record highs even as dozens of Republican-led states have enacted severe restrictions on the procedure following the overturning of Roe v Wade.