It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing has ever substantively changed because of a president’s State of the Union Address.
SOTUs are a celebration of pageantry, which exists solely to impress the political class, and their docile friends in the media.
If a State of the Union Address holds any meaning at all, it’s as a venue for the president to amplify an agenda, simultaneously pressuring the legislative branch and inspiring the American people.
And although President Biden largely accomplished that goal last Tuesday, some topics were given more airtime than others. Although Biden alleviated concerns about inflation, and used his bully pulpit to corner Republicans on the debt ceiling, LGBTQ rights were barely mentioned.