Biden’s speech will reflect an uneasy new power alignment in Washington

source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".taxbu-a", "duration": "250ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "500ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

When President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday night source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".qjqzu-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

he will face a challenge that also confronted each of his four immediate predecessors source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".cfiko-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

responding to an election that ended his party’s unified control of Congress source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".jozju-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

Like Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".itekx-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 12px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

Bush and Bill Clinton all entered the White House with their party also controlling the House and Senate source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".rikau-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

That initially allowed all of them to drive an aggressive legislative agenda source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".zwxfa-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]

In their first State of the Union after that defeat, each president source: gettyimage.com [{ "selector": ".aoftb-a", "duration": "500ms", "fill": "forwards", "delay": "0ms", "keyframes": [ {"offset": 0, "transform": "translateX(calc(360px - 10px))", "opacity": "1"}, {"offset": 1, "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": "1"} ] }]