President Joe Biden began and ended his State of the Union address with attacks on Donald Trump, coming out strong and aggressively against his Republican rival.
Biden never said Trump’s name but it was clear who was referring to on more than a dozen occasions when he compared their visions for America. The president was in feisty mood, repeatedly engaging with Republican lawmakers who heckled him.
He made only a few flubs but one was notable: he called murdered nursing student Laken Riley ‘Lincoln.’
In addition to his attacks on his rival, Biden also addressed one of voters’ biggest concerns about him, his age: ‘The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are.’
And he clearly mean Trumpwhen he noted ‘you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back
‘When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,’ he said.
Biden’s speech took place under the shadow of the 2024 presidential election and it was peppered with politics. When he talked about reproductive rights, he noted how it has proved a winning issues for Democrats.
‘We won in 2022 and 2020, and we’re winning again in 2024.’
President Joe Biden started off his State of the Union address by attacking Donald Trump
But the president spent the first 15 minutes of his speech attacking Trump, bringing up his predecessor when he talked about the Ukraine.
Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. And if anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.’
He then went on the attack.
‘Now, my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. That’s a quote, a former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader, I think it’s outrageous. It’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable,’ Biden said.
Speaker Mike Johnson has not brought up the bipartisan legislation, which the Senate approved, on the House floor. Trump opposes it. Johnson, sitting behind Biden, appeared to grimace during Biden’s attack.
It was the first of many attack lines Biden had on the former president.
‘You can’t love your country only when you win,’ he said, referring to Trump’s false claim he won the 2020 election.
Biden also implored Congress to act to help Ukraine.
‘I say this to Congress, we have to stand up to Putin,’ he noted. ‘We will not walk way. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.’
Biden’s goal was to use his speech, and its massive primetime television platform, to present a contrasting vision between himself and Trump.
‘I say to the American people, when America gets knocked down, we get back up. We keep going,’ he said to a standing ovation from Democrats. ‘That’s America.’
‘That’s you, the American people is because of you. America is coming back. It’s because of you. Our future is brighter. It’s because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong.’
Biden spent the first part of his State of the Union address attacking Donald Trump
Democratic members of Congress cheer President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address – many Democratic women lawmakers wore white to show their support for reproductive rights
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and other Democrats wore scarves to show their support for Gaza
Democrats were rowdy during President Biden’s speech, cheering often
Republican Representative of Texas Troy Nehls (center) wears a t-shirt with Donald Trump’s mugshot as President Joe Biden delivers his third State of the Union address
Democrats spent the evening cheering him on and shouting ‘four more years.’
Democrats in the chamber were a rowdy bunch, clapping and cheering frequently, a contrast to what some were saying before Biden’s speech, when they fretted he would make a mistake that could be politically fatal.
Biden walked into the House chamber to shouts of ‘Joe’ from Democrats and loud applause. Biden, a more than 30-year veteran of Capitol Hill, stopped to talk to several lawmakers as he walked down the aisle.
After his speech, he spent more than 30 minutes walking out of the chamber. He took selfies. He did face times with lawmakers’ families. He joked with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
But his first confrontation with Republicans happened on his way to the podium.
On his journey to the podium, one person shouted to him ‘look over here.’ Biden did and did a visible double take. Standing there was Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Georgia), wearing a shirt and button showing slain Georgia college student Laken Riley, and a red MAGA hat.
‘Say her name,’ Greene said to Biden. She handed him a Laken Riley pin, which he would bring out later in the night.
The president received good luck wishes and even shook hands with Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of his frequent critics. ‘Four more years,’ Democrats shouted as he made his way to the dais. It took his eight minutes to make his way down the aisle to the podium.
The president started his night with a joke.
‘If I were smart I’d go home now,’ Biden quipped as the chamber of lawmakers welcomed him with a standing ovation.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden depart the White House to travel to Capitol Hill
President Biden waves from The Beast
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive in the Capitol
In his remarks, Biden sought to show the stark differences between himself and his Republican rival. The speech kicked off his rematch with Trump and marked the start of the 2024 general election.
His aim was to appear young and energized and voters prepare to choose between him and Trump for a second term in the White House.
Departing the White House to head to Capitol Hill, Biden said he was ‘feeling good.’
He also joked to the staffers up on the portico watching him depart: ‘Don’t jump, I need you.’
Speaking to a nationwide, primetime audience, Biden, 81, was combatting low approval ratings and questions about his fitness for office.
In his remarks, Biden directly confronted his and Trump’s ages, arguing he wants ‘honesty’ while his Republican rival wants ‘retribution.’
‘My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor,’ Biden said.
‘Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.’
He noted: ‘In my career, I’ve been told I was too young. By the way, they didn’t let me on the Senate elevator – not a joke. And I’ve been told I’m too old. Whether young or old, I’ve always known what endures. I’ve known our north star. The very idea of America is that we’re all created equal and deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I won’t walk away from it now.’
Biden has long called Trump, 77, a ‘threat to democracy’ – citing the former president’s actions during the January 6th insurrection.
He brought it up again during his speech.
‘My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that,’ he said as Democrats applauded.
Trump has hammered Biden on the age issue, calling him ‘Sleepy Joe.’ Even some Democrats have expressed concern about the 81-year-old president’s performance Thursday night, saying he needs to be energetic and not make any fumbles or stumbles.
Biden attacked Trump and his Republicans repeatedly, particularly when he defended the Affordable Care Act.
He announced a plan to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone.
Then he went off script – and almost made a mistake, which he quickly recovered from.
‘Folks, I’m gonna get in trouble for saying that. But any of you want to get in Air Force One with me and fly to Toronto? Berlin? Moscow? I mean, excuse me. And, well, even Moscow, probably. And bring your prescription with you. And I promise you, I’ll get it for you. For 40% of the cost you’re paying now. Same company, same drug,’ he said.
He then noted ‘my predecessor’ – he has not mentioned Trump by name all night – and ‘many in this chamber want to by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I’m not going to let that happen. We stopped you 50 times before and will stop you again. In fact, I’m not only protecting it, I’m expanding it.’
Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Georgia) wears a shirt and button showing slain Georgia college student Laken Riley ahead of the State of the Union address
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (right) and Vice President Kamala Harris (left) stand in the House of Representatives
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators block a street during a protest ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address
The night got rowdy.
When Biden talked about a bill to increase border security that was killed by Republicans after Trump came out against it, GOP lawmakers booed him. Greene, who was wearing a shirt with Riley’s name, shouted at Biden ‘say her name.’
‘Lincoln, Lincoln Riley,’ Biden said holding up the pin. ‘An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.’
‘But how many of thousands of people being killed by legals? To her parents I save my heart goes out to you having lost children myself, I understand,’ he said.
He flubbed the name of the Georgia nursing student, who was killed while out jogging, on the same day the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would mandate that migrants who enter the country without authorization and are accused of theft be taken into federal custody.
Biden then turned his comments on Riley to an attack on Trump, offering to work with him to pass a border security bill.
‘If my predecessor’s watching instead of paying politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it. We can do it together,’ he said.
He then added: ‘I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoned in the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not.’
Republicans tanked the border bill – which would provide more funding for technology and agents – after Trump came out against it.
Hammering Biden on the border has been a successful political issue for Trump. Two weeks ago, the men made dueling trips to the Southern border to examine the situation there. Biden went to Brownsville, Texas, where illegal crossings are down. Trump went to Eagle Pass, where it’s a huge problem.
‘We can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it,’ Biden said. ‘Send me the border bill. Now.’
It wasn’t the first time he clashed with Greene.
Last year Greene yelled at Biden he was a ‘liar.’
This year, ahead of Biden’s remarks, she handed out pins paying tribute to Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered. An illegal immigrant was charged with the crime.
Greene also wore a t-shirt paying tribute to Riley.
The White House points out how well Biden handled himself at last year’s speech, when he quickly clapped back at Republicans’ booing him for his claim they wanted to cut Social Security and Medicare.
As GOP lawmakers started heckling him, Biden quickly pivoted to say: ‘As we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now.’
In fact, House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has asked his lawmakers to keep it reined in this year during the president’s remarks.
Johnson, at a closed-door GOP conference meeting Wednesday, called for decorum but Greene has said her district didn’t mind her call out to the president last year.
And Biden went back to that tactic when Republicans heckled him throughout the night.
Biden accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy.
Republican lawmakers quickly booed him and yelled ‘liar.’
‘Oh, no?,’ Biden responded. ‘You guys don’t want another $2 trillion tax cut. I kind of thought that’s what your plan was. Well, that’s good to hear. You’re not going to cut another $2 trillion for the super wealthy. That’s good to hear.’
And, a few minutes later, Biden hit back at Republicans again.
He brought up the bipartisan border bill that Speaker Johnson has not brought to the House floor.
Biden called the ‘toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.
Republicans booed him.
‘Oh, you don’t think so? Oh, you don’t like that bill, that conservatives got together and said it was a good bill. I’ll be. Darn. That’s amazing,’ Biden told them.
President Joe Biden holds up a Laken Riley button
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) calls out to Biden to ‘say her name,’ referring to murdered nursing student Laken Riley
Greene spoke to Biden as he walked into the House chamber to give his State of the Union Address
Former Rep. George Santos is in the House chamber for the State of the Union Address
The president headed into the speech with a 56% disapproval rating, per the Five Thirty-Eight polling average.
Biden has spent the past five days preparing for his State of the Union address, trying to cover all the possibilities: tea to keep his throat smooth, a print out of his remarks – with giant type – in case the teleprompter goes out, and hours of practice sessions.
In his remarks, he offered a positive view of the nation, focusing on a unity agenda that contains overall popular items like dealing with the mental health epidemic, curbing opioid abuse, aiding veterans and improving cancer care.
He also portrayed the upcoming an election as a choice on personal freedoms such as reproductive rights. He vowed to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land if Americans give him a Democratically-controlled Congress.
‘In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote ‘Women are not without electoral or political power.’ No kidding. Clearly those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America,’ he said.
‘But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024. If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again.’
He then addressed the six Supreme Court justices who were in the audience.
‘With all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral power,’ he said.
Democrats are using the abortion issue to rally their voters after it proved successful motivation in getting their supporters to the polls in the 2022 midterm.
Biden also bragged about his own record as president, particularly on the economy, which voters give him low marks for when it comes to his stewardship.
‘I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history. And we have. It doesn’t make the news, but in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.’
‘So let’s tell that story here and now. America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up – not the top down, investing in all of America – in all Americans – to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind.’
He also noted the popularity of infrastructure act, noting Republicans may not have voted for it but were bragging about the money it brought to their districts.
‘If any of you doesn’t want that money in your district, let me know,’ Biden joked.
The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a security fence that was put in place for the State of the Union
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, sat together during the speech
Biden addressed the war between Israel and Hamas in his remarks, calling it ‘heartbreaking.’
‘I’ve been working nonstop to establish an immediate cease fire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released, all the hostages released,’ he said.
He announced that he’s directing the military to build a port on the Gaza coast to bring relief to the population there.
‘The United States is a leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance to Gaza,’ he said.
That does not mean U.S. military personnel will be on the ground in the war torn region.
White House officials offered no time line for when the pier will be built or where exactly it will be located but said its construction will allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items to be delivered to the 2.2 million Palestinians.
They said the White House will coordinate with the Israelis regarding security on the ground and with the United Nations and humanitarian groups on getting aid delivered.
The temporary pier will allow for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day, the officials said. It will be an additional route for humanitarian aid, which is currently limited to two land crossings into the southern part of Gaza.
Other countries will be involved in its construction but it’s unclear if Israel will be.
The project could take more than 30 to 60 days to construct and would involve hundreds or thousands of U.S. troops on ships just off shore. It will also require armed escorts and other protective measures.
During that section of Biden’s speech, Democratic Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Alyanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Cori Bush held up ‘lasting cease-fire now’ signs.
The president has seen a concerning number of Democrats vote ‘uncommitted’ in primaries in key battleground states like Michigan and Minnesota, most of whom are unhappy with his treatment of Palestinians.
In Minnesota on Tuesday, nearly 20 percent of Democratic voters in the state voted uncommitted. The week before, more than 100,000 voters in Michigan voted the same.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) (left) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) (right) hold up signs calling for a cease fire in Gaza
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) prior to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address
Pro-Palestine protesters are in the street to block President Joe Biden’s motorcade between the White House and Capitol for his State of the Union address
Supplies are dropped out of an airplane down onto Gaza
Several hundred Pro-Palestinian protesters sat in the street to block Biden’s motorcade between the White House and Capitol before he headed to the Capitol to deliver his remarks.
A massive Palestinian flag was unfurled on the street with demonstrators sitting and standing around it and others held a banner with the message: ‘Biden’s legacy is genocide.’
The protesters held bullhorns, held ‘ceasefire’ signs, wore black shirts with messages demanding Biden get tough on Israel and were surrounded by law enforcement officials from all sides.
But Biden’s motorcade did not go by the group in route to the Capitol, according to the pool of reporters traveling with him.
In his remarks, Biden also cracked down on private jets as part of his plan to hike the taxes on the super rich as he tries to win over voters upset with his stewardship of the economy.
Biden proposed that billionaires would need to pay a minimum of 25% in federal taxes on their income as he targets the super wealthy like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Another person who will be affected by his plans is Trump, who relies on his private jet – Trump Force One – to campaign across the country. Biden uses the military jet Air Force One for his travel.
The sweeping tax increases are targeted at bringing down the U.S. deficit but also raising Biden’s poll numbers as he heads into the November election. Polls show Trump in the lead – by a narrow margin – with eight months until Election Day.
Voters give Biden low marks for his handling of the economy. And Trump has hammered Biden repeatedly on the high rate of inflation that has raised food and fuel prices for consumers.
The president’s proposals will also affect some of his allies: John Kerry, his former climate adviser, uses a private jet. So do celebrities like Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio, who support the president.
Biden proposed increasing the fuel tax on corporate and private jet travel and changing depreciation rules. The White House declined to say how much the fuel tax would be increased.
A protester in the House gallery yelled at Biden and was removed from the chamber
Biden’s new tax plan will affect his rival, Donald Trump (above), who uses his private jet Trump Force One for campaign travel
Biden’s plan will also affect his supporters, such as Taylor Swift (above) who uses a private jet
The president will also target corporations, proposing to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 25 percent.
Most of Biden’s tax proposals have little chance of enactment. Even when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress early in his presidency, Biden could not get the corporate tax rate raised.
The tax plans, however, are expected to form a core part of Biden’s re-election campaign, contrasting markedly with Trump whose 2017 ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ slashed taxes on companies and the wealthy.
Biden would use some of the revenue to pay for expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which would help lower-income families. And he is seeking to permanently make health insurance premiums lower for those who receive their medical coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
The increased tax rate also is intended to cut the deficit by $3 trillion over the next decade.
Additionally Biden pushed for a massive housing initiative as more and more young adults say they can’t afford to buy their first home.
Amid record-high inflation and rising mortgage interest rates, Biden will urge Congress to alleviate mortgage interest rates by offering first-time homebuyers a $5,000 credit each year for their first two years of home ownership to equate a total of $10,000.
The White House says this should equate to essentially knocking off 1.5 percent of homeowners’ interest rate for the medium home in the U.S.
Biden urged Congress to help free up some of the housing market by offering a one-year credit of up to $10,000 for families who sell their starter homes.
The average mortgage interest rate for a $300,000 loan is 7.9 percent for a 30-year fixed term. Meanwhile, the average cost of a home in the U.S. is upwards of $400,000.