A perky President Joe Biden provided a fiery, partisan State of the Union address on Thursday, suitable for an election year with immensely high stakes in a divided country.
“Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today,” Biden stated early in the speech.
“What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and overseas, at the very same time,” he stated.
“Overseas, [President Vladimir] Putin of Russia is on the march, getting into Ukraine and sowing turmoil throughout Europe and beyond. If any person in this space believes Putin will stop at Ukraine, I ensure you, he will not,” the president stated to cheers from Democrats and a applause to smattering ofRepublicans
“My message to President Putin is simple. We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down,” Biden stated.
The president likewise commemorated Sweden’s ascension into NATO previously in the day, as Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson sat to the left of First Lady Jill Biden in her visitor box.
United States First Lady Jill Biden together with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson waves throughout United States President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7,2024
Mandel Ngan|Afp|Getty Images
On domestic policy, Biden was much more confrontational than he was on foreign affairs, consistently calling out Republicans and sparring live on television with a few of the loudest voices in the GOP caucus.
As a coterie of conservative Supreme Court justices sat simply feet far from him, Biden excoriated them for reversing the reproductive rights preserved in Roe vs. Wade.
“In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote that, ‘women are not without…electoral or political power’,” Biden stated.
Then he stopped briefly and stated to them, “You’re about to realize just how much.” With that, Democrats in the chamber leapt to their feet and clapped and cheered.
Biden likewise went toe to toe with Republicans over a border security expense.
“In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators. The result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen in this country,” statedBiden
U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) chews out U.S. President Joe Biden as he provides the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 7,2024 REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Evelyn Hockstein|Reuters
As Republicans booed the expense that they accepted in the Senate, however then sunk in the House, Biden turned to his left, where Republican members were seated.
“Oh, you don’t think so? You don’t like that bill, huh? Darn, that’s amazing,” he stated.
“Because that bipartisan deal would hire 1,500 more border security agents and officers, 100 more immigration judges to help tackle a backload of 2 million cases.”
Again and once again, Biden satisfied Republican disruptions and boos in genuine time with quips and jabs that appeared to deactivate them.
Overall, the speech was a clear, and efficient, effort to communicate to the general public and to his celebration that he is a prospect prepared for a battle inNovember
