Here's what else Biden has to do:
Sell Bidenomics. Economists are happy with the direction of the US economy, but in polling, the American public is nervous. Biden needs to make a compelling case that people's everyday lives are not worse off than they were when he took office.
He can point to unemployment numbers and stock market records, but how can he assure people they won't continue to feel pinched even though they're making more money? He'll go after corporate America for "shrinkflation" -- giving people less and charging them more. More on that from Cookie Monster.
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Explain his position on the border. Trump helped kill a bipartisan border bill because he wants to run on border chaos. Biden needs to drive home that political reality in a way that people understand. Otherwise, it's possible Americans will simply see stories about unprecedented numbers of asylum-seekers coming to the US and overwhelming cities like New York.
Even without that bipartisan bill, Biden needs to find a way to lead on the issue, which is a motivator for a growing number of voters. The White House has felt disengaged from the border crisis compared with Republicans, and that has allowed Trump to own it and scare people with regard to the migrants seeking asylum.
They are not part of an invading army, as Trump would have Americans believe. Biden needs to prove it. Notably, the House passed a bill on Thursday to require the detention of any migrant who committed burglary or theft.
RELATED: Biden once said the US could "absorb" 2 million asylum-seekers "in a heartbeat."
Jog people's memories. Folks might look fondly back at elements of their pre-Covid lives and associate that with Trump. Biden needs to remind everyone about what a frenetic and chaotic leadership style felt like and convince them it will not be calming if Trump gets the White House again.
Make democracy feel important again. Biden has built his presidency around the importance of protecting democratic institutions in the US and sticking up for democracies abroad. Trump's resurrection from the political desert is evidence that the democracy argument does not carry the same sway it did four years ago.
Convince Republicans to support Ukraine. A bullet point of the larger democracy issue is American support for Ukraine. Republicans, following Trump's lead, have largely turned against additional aid for Ukraine. Either by accepting less aid or explaining that the aid is also going to the US defense industry, Biden needs to figure out how to get Republicans in Congress to allow a vote.
He also needs to convince everyday Americans that it's worth $60 billion to help Ukraine stave off Russia and Vladimir Putin. The value of that investment might still be apparent to a large portion of the country, but others see Americans struggling and wonder why so much additional aid should go outside the country.
Biden will also welcome the leader of NATO's newest member, Sweden, to the speech and argue the alliance still matters as Trump questions it.
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Unite Democrats. The Democratic Party is divided in particular on the issue of Israel. Biden is a committed Zionist. Young people and voters of color want the US to stick up for Palestinians stuck and starving in Gaza. A person can both support Israel's right to exist and support basic human rights for Palestinians.
Either by more forcefully calling out Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu or in some other way making clear the administration understands what is at stake, Biden needs to acknowledge and act on this divide. The US military, for instance, will reportedly build a temporary port in the Mediterranean off the coast of Gaza in order to more effectively deliver humanitarian aid.
All that in one speech? There are plenty more things he could try to do. I didn't even mention climate change, gun rights, tech companies running amok, the rise of artificial intelligence or Supreme Court cases that could chip away at the power of government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.
But State of the Union addresses are almost always, at least in my opinion, way too long. Which president has delivered the shortest one to date? Take this quiz to find out.
I'll spend the evening annotating what Biden actually does say. Look for that after the speech on CNN.com.
