President Joe Biden delivered a fiery State of the Union address on Thursday, taking repeated swipes at Donald Trump -without mentioning him by name -and covering the broad themes of his re-election campaign.
Biden used the term “my predecessor” to refer to Trump 13 times in a speech that lasted more than an hour. He accused his likely election opponent of “bowing down” to Russia and criticized him over the Capitol riot.
“My predecessor failed the most basic duty any president owes the American people – the duty to care,” he said about Trump’s handling of the Covid pandemic. “That is unforgivable.”
He criticized Trump for the Supreme Court decision to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling which guaranteed abortion rights and for blocking bipartisan immigration reforms.
Biden also covered immigration, abortion, the economy and Gaza in the House chamber where the atmosphere was raucous at times, with loud cheering from Democrats and heckling from some Republicans.
One of the most striking moments of the night happened when Joe Biden addressed the topic of immigration – which polls show is a major weakness of his going into the November contest against Donald Trump.
As he spoke, the president was heckled by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a rightwing antagonist. Greene demanded he say the name of Laken Riley, who is suspected to have been murdered by an undocumented migrant.
Biden, who usually wants nothing to do with Greene, took her up on the offer. Here’s what happened:
In unscripted moment, Biden holds up Laken Riley button that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) gave him, using it as an opportunity to again call for the bipartisan border bill:
“How many thousands of people being killed by illegals? … Get this bill done. We need to act now.” pic.twitter.com/lkOzRF1Gd8
— The Recount (@therecount) March 8, 2024
After seemingly mispronouncing her name as “Lincoln” Riley, he said she was murdered by an “illegal” – a term criticised by immigrant-rights groups.
Biden went on to call for Republicans to support the bipartisan immigration legislation passed by the Senate and accused Trump of “playing politics” by opposing the bill for electoral gain. The damage, however, may have been done.
Biden also called on the Americans to pay their “fair share” in taxes.
JUST IN: President Biden tells Americans to pay their "fair share" in taxes during his State of the Union speech.
America has some of the worst tax laws in the entire world and politicians are still calling on people to pay their "fair share."
The United States is the only… pic.twitter.com/7f5lqSuwTw
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 8, 2024
Biden rarely discusses his age, but did so directly as he closed his State of the Union address. “I’ve been told I’m too old,” he said, continuing:
“Whether young or old … I’ve always known what endures. I’ve known our north star, the very idea of Americans, that we’re all created equal, deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea. We’ve never walked away from it either. And I won’t walk away from it now.”
Trump reacts to Biden’s State of the Union address
Trump, meanwhile, had promised to react in real-time to the speech on his Truth Social platform. “Biden is on the run from his record and lying like crazy to try to escape accountability for the horrific devastation he and his party have created,” he wrote.
“They continue the very policies that are causing this horror show to go,” he said.
President Donald J. Trump's Prebuttal to Joe Biden's State of the Union pic.twitter.com/IF9uS7ZsYq
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) March 7, 2024
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