WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – – President Joe Biden turned his State of the Union speech Thursday night into an animated argument for a second term as he laced into GOP front-runner Donald Trump for upholding "bitterness, retribution and revenge" and threatening freedom at home and abroad.
Raising his voice, he provided a broadside against his predecessor for not standing by American allies abroad and for accepting antidemocratic concepts in the U.S
. The scrappy tone from Biden was a sharp break from his frequently humdrum day-to-day looks and was created to banish doubts about whether the 81-year-old president, the nation's oldest ever, is still up to the task.
For 68 minutes in your house chamber, Biden goaded Republicans over their policies on migration, taxes and more, welcomed call-and-response banter with fellow Democrats and seemed to delight in the fight.
Biden started his speech by swearing to continue opposition to Russia's intrusion of Ukraine and towards revisionism around the January 6 insurrection, which Biden cautioned, "History is watching" how the U.S. reacts to these concerns.
" You can't enjoy your country just when you win," Biden said. He stated he faults the GOP with attempting to "bury the truth" about Jan. 6, saying that the "hazard to democracy" need to be countered.
The president also came out swinging with a strong message towards the GOP and those who "commemorate" the reversing of Roe v. Wade, saying that the popularity of Roe v. Wade has actually been proven in Democrat-winning elections since then and will be proven in 2024.
US VP Kamala Harris, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, in your home Chamber ahead of a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in
Washington, DC, United States, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images).
" Women are not without political or electoral power," Biden stated. "You are about to recognize just how much. Those bragging about reversing Roe v. Wade are about to discover.".
On Thursday night, the president was greeted by the brand-new leader of your house, Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been a major critic of the Biden administration, specifically the economy.
Because vein, the president showcased his accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, and pressed Congress to authorize more help to Ukraine, harder migration guidelines and lower drug rates. He likewise looked for to remind voters of the situation he inherited when he got in workplace in 2021 amid a raving pandemic and a contracting economy.
Taking a success lap in selling his legal achievements, such as one that boosts manufacturing of computer chips nationwide, Biden drifted from his prepared script to take a dig at Republicans who voted versus such policies but aspire to take credit for them back home.
" If any of you don't desire that money in your districts," Biden said, "just let me understand.".
White House aides stated Biden was aiming to show his skeptics incorrect by flashing his combative side and trying to needle Republicans over positions he thinks run out step with the nation, particularly on access to abortion, however likewise tax policy and health care. It's part of his campaign-year effort to utilize even main speeches to clarify the option for voters at the ballot box this fall.
Biden also railed versus the proliferation of weapon violence in the U.S., saying he means to propose a restriction on attack rifles and high capability magazines. The president made reference to words by "his predecessor" previous Pres. Donald Trump-- who Biden never pointed out by name-- stating that instead of informing Americans to "simply get over it," as Trump recently said after a shooting in Iowa, that he, Biden, intends to "stop it.".
Among the most controversial minutes of his speech came during his remarks on migration, when Biden was diminishing the recommendations by conservative groups of the bipartisan border legislation that Republicans eliminated last month.
Some in the audience appeared to shout and interject, and Biden shot back, "I understand you know how to check out.".
As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, decked out in pro-Trump stuff, continued to scream at Biden, the president held up a white button that the Georgia Republican had handed him earlier bearing the name of Laken Riley, who authorities say was eliminated by a Venezuelan nationwide who unlawfully crossed into the U.S. in September 2022.
Biden appeared eager to engage with his critics. "Say her name," Greene chewed out the president. "Laken Riley," Biden reacted, calling her an "innocent young woman who was killed by an unlawful." He expressed acknowledgements to her family, stating his heart goes out to them.
Alabama Senator Katie Britt offered the main Republican reaction later on Thursday night, berating the Biden administration for what she calls "welcoming" a southern border crisis. Though Britt also discussed the economy, saying that "Bidenomics aren't working.".
" We've become a nation in retreat," Britt said.
Biden went into the speech with work to do shoring up his standing. Simply 38% of U.S. grownups approve of how he is handling his task as president, while 61% disapprove, according to a recent survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The same survey found that more than 6 in 10 (63%) say they're not really or not at all confident in Biden's psychological ability to serve efficiently as president. A similar however somewhat smaller sized share (57%) state that Trump lacks the memory and acuity for the job.
The currently extreme examination of Biden's age was magnified when unique counsel Robert Hur raised concerns about the president's psychological acuity in his report last month on Biden's handling of classified info. Hur is set to affirm Tuesday before lawmakers about his investigation.
Following the speech, Biden was set for a weekend of campaign travel, holding occasions in Pennsylvania on Friday and Georgia on Saturday. Trump, too, will be marketing in Georgia that day. The president's Cabinet likewise will fan out throughout the nation to magnify his message.
The Associated Press added to this report.
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