President Biden delivered his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress Thursday night, a speech coming in at just more than an hour. It was directed squarely at Republicans and, without naming him, former President Trump.
The address comes during a pivotal election year in which Biden is seeking a second term. The speech was considered by his campaign to be a launching pad toward the general election, where he is likely to face a rematch with Trump.
Following the president’s address, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) gave the Republican response from her home.
And after both, the commentary came flooding in.
Biden spars with Greene over immigration, Laken Riley during State of the Union
Speaker Johnson grimaces, shakes head through heavily political Biden address
5 takeaways from Biden’s State of the Union
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Stefanik: ’It was a failed speech’
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) slammed President Biden’s State of the Union speech.
The No. 4 House Republican criticized Biden’s address, saying “it was a failed speech.”
— Filip Timotija
Speaker Johnson: GOP hecklers responding to ‘overly partisan’ State of the Union
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said GOP lawmakers who heckled Biden were responding to an “overly partisan speech.”
Asked about the exchange between Biden and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Johnson said people listening to the address grew “very emotional” because of the “overly partisan” nature of Biden’s remarks.
“People got very emotional tonight because it was an overly partisan speech and it was filled, full of information that is just objectively not true. And so you saw the visceral reaction, I think, from people in the chamber and I suspect that a lot of people at home were feeling that same frustration,” Johnson told reporters.
— Mychael Schnell
Britt: Biden is ‘dithering and diminished’
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) on Thursday argued President Biden is a “dithering and diminished” leader who is taking the U.S. down a worrisome path.
Delivering the GOP response to Biden’s State of the Union from her own kitchen table, the freshman senator laid into the president for the border, crime, the economy and his work on the international stage.
“President Biden just doesn’t get it. He’s out of touch. Under his administration, families are worse off, our communities are less safe and our country is less secure,” she said from her home in Montgomery, Ala. “I just wish he understood what real families are facing around kitchen tables just like this one.”
Read more on her response here.
—Al Weaver
Maryland Democrat says Biden was ‘on fire’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said President Biden was “on fire” during his State of the Union address.
Raskin said the speech was a “game-changer politically.”
“He came out swinging and he was on fire,” he said.
Raskin also praised Biden’s promise to back Israel but also push the nation to get more aid into Gaza and reduce civilian casualties in the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“He established that he has been a champion of Israel’s security and survival and prosperity forever,” he said. “But he also was very clear that we have to pay attention to the terrible humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza.”
— Brad Dress
Florida Republican blasts Biden stance on Israel, Gaza
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) blasted President Biden’s plan to address the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas and raised questions about a proposal to build a port in Gaza to increase aid.
“I want to see some detail on this plan to put a port in a terrorist-run war zone,” he said. “How do we defend it? How do we sustain it?
“And how do we do all that without a boot on the ground?” he added. “I’ve got a lot of questions on how this militarily will get pulled off.”
Waltz also criticized Biden’s State of the Union address that called for a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel.
“They want to completely eliminate Israel,” Waltz said of Hamas, saying that complicates a two-state solution. “This is ISIS running Gaza.”
— Brad Dress
Waltz takes issue with Ukraine spending
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla) criticized President Biden’s calls for aid to Ukraine, arguing the president hasn’t done enough to define the parameters of U.S. assistance.
“We’re literally spending against ourselves and we have yet to hear: what does success look like? How long? How much? What’s it going to take? ‘Sign me another blank check and don’t ask questions or you’re pro Russia’ is a bunch of garbage, and they know it. We’ve had those conversations behind closed doors; in the open. We deserve some kind of strategy before we just keep shoveling money out the door,” Waltz said.
During his speech Thursday, Biden said aid was being “blocked by those who want us to walk away from our leadership in the world.”
“If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not,” Biden said.
“But Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. That is all Ukraine is asking.”
— Rebecca Beitsch
Klobuchar defends Biden opening with Ukraine
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) defended President Biden’s decision to kick off his State of the Union address by speaking about Ukraine, saying he successfully linked their struggle to the U.S. fight for democracy.
“He basically looked to the Republican side and said, ‘Look, I’m standing with democracy. We’re standing with Ukraine’ and challenged them to come with us. I thought that was very important to start with that moment because, yes, the speeches are about the economy and the comeback but also the work ahead,” she said.
“But fundamentally, it was about those last lines when he said, we stood for freedom, we defend freedom.”
— Rebecca Beitsch
Biden, Nadler quip about ‘cognitive impairment’
Biden, who spent roughly an hour mingling with lawmakers after his speech, was greeted with praise from Rep. Jerry Nadler (R-N.Y.) during an exchange along the aisle.
“No one’s gonna talk about cognitive impairment now,” the New York congressman joked.
“I kinda wish sometimes I was cognitively impaired,” Biden responded.
— Brett Samuels
Graves on Santos: ‘The guy’s a moron’
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La) criticized former Rep. George Santos for observing the speech on the House floor, calling him a “moron” who left the rest of the New York delegation incensed.
“The guy’s a moron. He shouldn’t be here,” Graves told reporters after the State of the Union.
“I’m guessing that the New York delegation hand wrote a new rule in the House where he’s not allowed to come because those guys were irate,” Graves added, saying he does not think the former lawmaker should retain his floor privileges.
“They were very bothered by him being there and just the sensationalism or attention,” that Santos is seeking, Graves added.
— Rebecca Beitsch
GOP congressman says Biden delivered ‘angry’ speech
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said President Biden’s State of the Union address was an “angry” speech.
“He was like an angry man yelling at people to get off his lawn,” said Good. “He started screaming from the very beginning.
“He was very backward-looking, there was just a lot of, again, anger,” Good added. “There was very little in the way of hope or vision for the country.”
— Brad Dress
CNN poll finds most viewed Biden’s speech positively
A CNN instant poll of individuals who watched Biden’s State of the Union found 64 percent viewed his speech somewhat or very positively, compared to 29 percent who viewed it negatively.
The poll also found 62 percent of speech watchers feel Biden’s policies will move the U.S. in the right direction, up from 45 percent who felt that way before the speech began.
— Brett Samuels
Hannity calls Biden ‘jacked up Joe’ after SOTU speech
Fox News pundit Sean Hannity dubbed Biden “jacked up Joe” after his speech.
“And that’s being charitable,” Hannity said. “He sounded like an hyper caffeinated angry old man.”
Biden team calls Trump’s State of the Union reaction ‘sad’
Biden’s reelection campaign responded with a short statement to react to Trump’s reaction to the State of the Union address.
“Sad,” Ammar Moussa, Biden director of rapid response, said in a statement.
Trump shared on Truth Social that he thought Biden’s address was “an angry, polarizing, and hate-filled Speech” and added, “he did not do a very good job!”
— Alex Gangitano
White House hits Britt for her response
The White House on Thursday hit Alabama Sen. Katie Britt (R) over her stances on the bipartisan border deal and reproductive rights issues after her State of the Union response.
Britt, in her response, criticized President Biden for the situation at the U.S. southern border, for high prices at the grocery store and gas station, and for crime in cities.
“President Biden’s border policies are a disgrace, this crisis is despicable, and the truth is, it is almost entirely preventable,” she said.
The White House called her out for opposing the bipartisan border deal, which was negotiated by a group of senators and endorsed by the White House. Biden blamed Republicans in his address for killing that legislation, calling on them to pass it.
Read the full story here.
— Alex Gangitano
To recap: Biden goes after Trump in strikingly political State of the Union address
President Biden drew a sharp contrast with former President Trump and Republican lawmakers in Thursday’s State of the Union address, using the bully pulpit to harp on issues that will shape the general election campaign and sell voters on his first three years in office.
Biden’s remarks, which lasted just over an hour, could at times be mistaken for a campaign address. The president did not refer to Trump by name at any point, but he said “my predecessor” 13 times throughout his speech, according to prepared remarks provided by the White House.
Just minutes into the speech, he referred to Trump’s suggestion that he would let Russian President Vladimir Putin “do whatever the hell he wants” if NATO allies had not spent enough on defense, calling those remarks “dangerous and unacceptable.”
In short order, Biden spoke about threats to democracy, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which drew eye rolls from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and threats to abortion access and reproductive health care, all of which are key pillars of his reelection bid.
— Brett Samuels and Alex Gangitano
Farah Griffin knocks ‘bizarre’ staging of Britt response to Biden
CNN pundit Alyssa Farah Griffin knocked what she called “bizarre” staging for Sen. Katie Britt’s response to Biden’s speech.
Britt appeared in the kitchen at her home as she delivered her rebuttal to Biden’s remarks.
— Domenick Mastrangelo
Biden lingers in Capitol
President Biden lingers in the Capitol, talking with lawmakers after his State of the Union address, while the Republican response is on TV. (Greg Nash/The Hill)
Britt offers GOP perspective
Speaking from her Alabama home, Sen. Katie Britt is giving the Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union address.
Psaki: Biden showed how ‘mad he is’ at SCOTUS
Former White House press secretary turned MSNBC pundit Jen Psaki said Biden’s ad lib attacking the Supreme Court over its rulings on abortion rights show how “mad” he is at the court.
“Joe Biden is an institutionalist,” she said, noting the president’s tone toward the high court was markedly different than when he was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
George Santos announces surprise congressional run during State of the Union
Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced Thursday he will run for Congress just a few months after being expelled from the House.
He is set to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.).
His surprise announcement came during President Biden’s State of the Union address. Santos attended the speech, his first time back in the Capitol since his expulsion.
— Nick Robertson
Van Jones: Biden showed GOP ‘he’s not afraid’ to spar
CNN pundit Van Jones praised Biden’s speech and willingness to spar with GOPers during his remarks.
The president shouted back and forth with Republicans who were heckling him on issues of immigration, crime and the economy.
Brit Hume calls Biden ‘angry old man’
Fox News pundit Brit Hume said Biden came across as an “angry old man,” during his speech.
Hume said the president did little to quell concerns among voters about his age and stamina during the more than hour long speech.
Biden concludes speech
Biden wrapped up his remarks after just more than an hour.
Biden: Honor late Rep. John Lewis with voting rights protections
Biden called on Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and commended the late representative for marching with 600 other protesters to demand the right to vote exactly 59 years ago.
His comments were met with applause, including a standing ovation from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — the first time the Speaker stood during the president’s speech.
“But 59 years later, there are forces taking us back in time. Voter suppression. Election subversion. Unlimited dark money. Extreme gerrymandering,” Biden said.
“John Lewis was a great friend to many of us here, but if you truly want to honor him and all the heroes who marched with him, then it’s time for more than just talk. Pass and send me the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and stop denying another core value of America!”
— Cheyanne M. Daniels
Biden quips about his age
Biden made a self-deprecating crack about his age as he prepared to wind down his speech.
“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” said Biden, who is 81.
“And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before,” he added. “I know the American story.”
— Brett Samuels
Biden says he’ll triple Climate Corps jobs program
Biden said he would, in a decade, triple the size of his American Climate Corps program, which seeks to employ thousands of people in conservation and climate-friendly jobs.
“Patterned after the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, I launched the Climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work in the forefront of our clean energy future,” Biden said during his State of the Union address.
“I’ll triple that number in a decade,” he added.
Biden created the program last year — to much fanfare from progressives, who had pushed for the establishment of a climate jobs initiative.
Administration officials said at that time that the program would employ 20,000 people, so tripling the size would bring its ranks up to 60,000.
The officials described the program as creating jobs for people that restore lands and waters, deploy clean energy and implement energy efficiency technology, among other roles.
— Rachel Frazin
Biden calls for ban on AI voice impersonation
Biden called on Congress to ban voice impersonation using artificial intelligence (AI) and “harness the promise of AI and protect us from its peril.”
In January, a message impersonating the president went out to New Hampshire residents ahead of the Granite State’s primary election, urging them not to head to the polls.
— Julia Shapero
Republicans cheer as Biden prepares to close speech
“Let me close with this,” Biden said, prompting claps and laughs from Republicans in the chamber.
– Mychael Schnell
Biden issues warning to China
President Biden said he has strengthened alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China and that the U.S. was standing up for Taiwan.
“We’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against China or anyone else for that matter,” Biden said.
He added the U.S. wants “competition with China, but not conflict.”
— Brad Dress
White House spokesperson mocks GOP lawmakers leaving early
A White House spokesperson mocked Republican lawmakers who left the chamber less than an hour into Biden’s remarks.
“Guess they just don’t have the energy or stamina for the job huh,” Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, wrote on X, a jab at Republicans’ suggestions Biden doesn’t have the energy for the presidency.
— Brett Samuels