President Joe Biden is hoping his last State of the Union before November’s general election improved the public’s impression of him and his administration after he used the prime-time opportunity to defend his record and respond to critics in real-time.

But although he is unlikely to persuade any Republican critics, days before former President Donald Trump becomes the GOP’s 2024 presumptive nominee, he is hoping he appealed to Democratic and independent skeptics, some of whom have concerns about his age and others who disapprove of his approach to the Israel-Hamas war.