(NewsNation) — Ahead of President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union speech, NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt says it would be the best possible platform to launch a re-election campaign.

Being in the room watching a State of the Union address is “amazing,” Stirewalt says.

“There’s applause and there’s the roadblock coverage, and everybody’s watching,” Stirewalt said on “Morning in America.” “The point of the State of the Union is that once a year, the president gets a freebie. And the question for Biden is — what’s he going to do with it?”

Biden has made no official announcement on whether he is running in the 2024 presidential election as of February.

Although his approval ratings are still low, Stirewalt pointed out Biden’s actually had a bit of an uptick lately in the polls. A new survey from Investor’s Business Daily found that 46% of Americans 18 years or older approve of how Biden is handling the presidency.

But, Stirewalt noted, Biden’s still “way underwater.” A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 62% of Americans think Biden has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing” during his presidency.

“That’s not where he wants to be,” Stirewalt said.

While there has been good economic news, such as a better-than-expected jobs report from last week and decreases in inflation, Stirewalt said voters know things aren’t quite back to normal.

In his speech, “Biden has to try to balance a little bit of realism with the idea that things are getting better, and try to take some credit for it,” Stirewalt said.

Watch the full interview with NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt in the video above.