Obama to draw attention to income gap

US President Barack Obama is set to address the key economic issues like income inequality and economic mobility to help set the agenda for his presidency and bolster his support.

"Obama will discuss the twin challenges of growing income inequality and shrinking economic mobility and how they pose a fundamental threat to the American Dream," a White House official said on the eve of the most important speech of the US President on economic revival.

After the disastrous launch of the Affordable Care Act website, Obama is looking to boost his tarnished popularity and credibility.

"The President has said that this is the defining issue of our time -- making sure our economy works for every working American -- and that the decisions we make over the next few years will determine whether or not our children will grow up in an America where if you work hard, you can get ahead," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The speech will provide a window into where Obama will focus his energies over the next three years, and it is certainly a topic he will touch on in next year’s State of the Union Address, the official said.

In his remarks, Obama will discuss the steps he has taken to help reverse these trends, restore mobility, and increase economic security for every American, including the economic benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

"He will also offer a robust argument for further steps, like raising the minimum wage, that we should take as a nation in the near future," the White House official said.

Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said economy is elemental to most Americans and it is the principle focus of this presidency.

Image: US President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington; Photograph: Reuters