Why was Bono at the State of the Union?
Rock star was personally invited to the SOTU in honour of his advocacy and philanthropic work on global health and AIDS relief initiatives
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The guest list for the 2023 State of the Union included the families of victims of police brutality, a hero who disarmed the mass shooter in Monterey Park and an abortion rights activist – all gathered to listen to President Joe Biden’s address.
But, one person in particular raised eyebrows when he was spotted sitting in the gallery.
U2 frontman Bono was one of 26 people personally invited to the annual event by First Lady Jill Biden and he took his seat in her box next to Paul Pelosi – the husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi – who was savagely beaten in a hammer attack at the couple’s home.
Several people took to social media confused by Bono’s appearance at the event, with one person saying: “I don’t understand why Bono was there sitting with Paul Pelosi. Wth? We live in clown world.”
Another equally confused Twitter user chimed in: “over an hour into the state of the union and no one’s told us why bono’s there.”
So why was Bono at the State of the Union?
The rock star was personally invited to the SOTU in honour of his advocacy and philanthropic work on global health and AIDS relief initiatives.
The Irish singer is the cofounder of the ONE Campaign – an organisation that works with governments to fight poverty and preventable disease – and also (RED) – which has raised more than $700m from businesses to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
In a statement released last week, the White House described Bono as “a groundbreaking activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty”.
“Working in concert with other activists, he played a pivotal role building public and bipartisan political support for the creation of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a program announced by President Bush in his State of the Union twenty years ago, and championed by then-Senator Biden,” it read.
“PEPFAR is credited with revolutionizing the provision of life-saving HIV medications in poorer countries and saving 25 million lives worldwide.”
In Tuesday night’s State of the Union, the president did not mention Bono by name but referenced the role of the “countless advocates and champions” in helping to “transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS” and called for the same fight against cancer.
“It’s been a huge success. I believe we can do the same with cancer. Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all,” he said.
Mr Biden went on to tell the story of Ava Barron, a 3-year-old girl in remission from a rare form of pediatric cancer.
Other notable guests included the parents of Tyre Nichols, the Black 29-year-old who died last month after being brutally beaten by a group of Memphis police officers. They clapped Mr Biden as he called for police reform and accountability.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments