WASHINGTON, Mar. 7 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Thursday will assail former President Donald Trump's vision for America and pledge to make abortion rights the law of the land in his last State of the Union address before the two men face off in the U.S. election.
Biden's annual address, an event that stems from the U.S. Constitution's requirement that a president report to Congress "from time to time," will be at 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT on Friday) before a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and a televised audience.
Biden will seek to draw a contrast with Trump, his Republican challenger in the Nov. 5 election, over abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade in 2022. Trump appointed three of the six conservative justices on the nine-member court.
"If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again," Biden will say, according to excerpts released by the White House.
Biden will also focus on the threats to democracy he argues Trump poses as the former president repeats false claims about his 2020 election loss and proposes jailing political enemies.
"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality," Biden will say. "Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me."
Trump says he plans to punish political foes and deport millions of migrants if he wins a second White House term.
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