Biden delivers forceful State of the Union address

President Joe Biden strode to the dais in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday night and delivered a fiery speech to a joint session of Congress and the nation. While the State of the Union address typically details executive actions over the past year and goals for the next, Biden went a different route.

The president opened his speech with a visual that the nation grapples with “assaults on democracy” at home and abroad. Throughout each point, he accused “my predecessor,” in a nod to former President Donald Trump, his likely opponent in November. Biden accused the Republican front-runner of promoting attacks on democracy. Speaking quickly and loudly, and at times engaging directly with GOP lawmakers who yelled out verbal jabs, Biden also focused heavily on all of the major accomplishments of his term thus far. As the Democratic incumbent seeking reelection, he took the opportunity to showcase his plans for the future and rebutted claims that he was too old to seek a second term.

“I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” Biden said to laughter. “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. … What matters isn’t how old we are, but how old are our ideas. You need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. You’ve heard mine. I see a future where we’re defending democracy.”

Ahead of the nighttime address, protesters displayed black-and-white cease-fire banners along major roadways throughout the country, including in Washington, D.C. Pro-Palestine activists gathered in Lafayette Square, right outside the White House and accused Biden of funding a genocide against Gaza. They then blocked off streets outside the Capitol chanting, “Genocide Joe” and “Cease-fire now.”

Gaza

The speech: Nearly an hour into his address, President Biden lamented the murders of innocent people killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Family members of current Israeli hostages sat in the gallery. “We will not rest until we bring your loved ones home,” he told them, prompting one of the only instances of a bipartisan standing ovation. Biden said he has worked “nonstop” toward a cease-fire, which Hamas could accomplish by surrendering everyone responsible for the initial attacks. He also said Israel is responsible for protecting civilians in Gaza. Biden said the only way to achieve lasting peace is through a two-state solution. In the meantime, he announced he is ordering the U.S. military to open a humanitarian port in Gaza to receive aid.

The situation: Egypt and Qatar convened talks this week to discuss a 40-day truce during the Islamic holiday period of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday. The Hamas delegation left negotiations today, angry that Israeli officials would not agree that any truce would lead to a long-term statehood deal. The Israel Defense Forces have consistently attacked Hamas strongholds in Gaza, including a vast network of tunnels, and vow to continue until Hamas is destroyed. But civilian casualties remain high while Hamas blocks exit routes for its citizens. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that Israel allowed its aid missions access to only six of 24 northern Gaza locations in the past month. Aid organizations estimate at least 100 hostages from the Oct. 7 attacks are still alive somewhere in Gaza.

Abortion

The speech: With the Supreme Court justices sitting in the front row, President Biden turned his attention to abortion within the first 20 minutes of his speech. He said the court “got it right” with Roe v. Wade in 1973. With a brief glare at the justices, he accused former President Trump—“my predecessor”—as the reason a federal right to abortion was overturned in 2022. He then pointed to the justices and said, “Women have electoral and political power, and you’re about to find out.” Biden promised to restore Roe as “the law of the land” if voters send him “a Congress that supports the right to choose.” Biden also attacked the Alabama Supreme Court for a recent ruling that qualifies embryos as children, leading to confusion about its effect on in vitro fertilization.

The situation: Since the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion to the states, several have passed legislation adding “a right to abortion” to state constitutions. Other states, like Colorado, have similar initiatives on the ballot this November. Twenty-one states, including Indiana, have passed protections for unborn children, though pro-life lawmakers continue to debate exceptions and week limits. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., sponsored a federal abortion law last year, but it has no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled House.

The economy

The speech: President Biden didn’t wait long before addressing the economy, claiming wages are going up and prices are going down, framing the outset of his presidency as a country “on the brink.” He pointed to several legislative wins he’s racked up under his administration, such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the 2021 infrastructure bill. He claimed that, as a result of those and other policy changes, he had invited as much as $650 billion of investment in the private sector. As a way to continue economic growth, Biden asked Congress to extend tax credits set to expire in 2025 and called for new tax credits, such as ones that could be implemented for housing development and purchases. Biden also criticized companies that have shrunk the size of their products while maintaining the same prices.

The situation: The country continues to struggle against persistent inflation. Although rates have come down since their 9.1 percent peak in June 2022, the country’s 3.1 percent rate in January remained stubbornly above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Despite expectations of a small recession and a slight drop in consumer retail activity in January, the job market remained resilient into 2024 with unemployment rates hovering around 3.7 percent for the third month in a row. Economists contacted by WORLD have cautioned that elements like rising food prices could cut into consumer purchases in the coming months.

The border

The speech: President Biden went on the offensive concerning border issues. He quickly tore into Republicans for shooting down a recent bipartisan Senate bill, prompting a slight nod from Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., a chief negotiator of the bill. Biden highlighted the many measures in the bill designed to hire additional personnel, set aside more funding for the border, and grant new powers to enforce asylum policies. At one point during his address, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shouted that the president should “say her name,” referencing Laken Riley, a murder victim allegedly murdered on the University of Georgia campus by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant last month. Biden obliged, although calling her “Lincoln” instead of “Laken,” and held up a button with Riley’s name on it. He called on Republicans to pass the Senate bill, arguing that it would go a long way toward disincentivizing further illegal immigration.

The situation: Republican lawmakers have strongly called for an overhaul to the country’s asylum and detention policies, which they claim have enabled thousands of potentially dangerous immigrants to walk free in violation of U.S. law. On Thursday, ahead of the president’s address, representatives in the House passed the Laken Riley Act to highlight their displeasure with the Biden administration’s performance at the border. It would further empower states to remove immigrants who have harmed American residents or committed a theft or burglary. The act, however, is not expected to be taken up by the Democrat-controlled Senate. In fiscal year 2023, the Customs and Border Protection Agency recorded more than 2.4 million border crossing encounters—a 42 percent increase over totals from 2021 when Biden first took office.

Gun violence

The speech: President Biden boasted about the creation of his administration’s gun violence prevention office. Citing a major gun safety bill passed in 2022, he said he was proud to “beat the NRA,” referring to the National Rifle Association. He demanded a ban on assault weapons and expansions of background security checks, to loud boos from some members in the chamber. Biden insisted that the bans he seeks do not violate the Second Amendment or harm responsible gun owners.

The situation: On Thursday afternoon, South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signed the state’s first constitutional open carry law. The Supreme Court is slated to issue a decision on whether the Biden administration may impose a ban on bump stocks, which can turn rifles into weapons that can shoot more rapidly. Late last year, an Army reservist opened fire in various locations in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people. In February, a gang altercation at a Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City, Mo., turned violent, with gang members wounding 33 people with gunshots.

China

The speech: President Biden didn’t spend much time on China’s adversarial relationship with the United States. He argued that the United States isn’t in danger of losing its global leadership role to the Chinese Communist Party. “We have it backwards,” he said, noting that the United States still has the strongest economy in the world, the trade deficit between the two rival nations is down, and his administration has pushed back on Chinese intellectual theft. Biden attempted to further reassure Americans by saying that under his administration, the United States has revitalized alliances with India, Japan, and the Pacific Islands, among other key strategic partners in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The situation: Relations with China have remained frosty as the war in Ukraine and a congressional push to provide more funding for Taiwan continue to drive a wedge between the United States and the CCP’s international strategic interests. On both fronts, China has been publicly critical of what it sees as U.S. interventionism in other country’s domestic matters. Back on Capitol Hill, lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party have renewed efforts to ban TikTok, the popular short-video social media platform, on suspicions that its parent company may share sensitive user data with Chinese officials. The effort is emblematic of a growing bipartisan desire to lessen American economic, cultural, and strategic reliance on China.

The response

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., delivered her party’s rebuttal from her kitchen table in Montgomery, Ala. She said that in watching President Biden’s speech, she witnessed “the permanent politician” who is out of touch with Americans. She painted a bleak picture of economic downturn and safety issues resulting from Biden’s leadership thus far.

“Tonight the American family needs to have a tough conversation,” Britt said. “The American dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. Our families are hurting, our country can do better. And you don’t have to look any further than the crisis at our southern border to see it.”

Britt criticized Democrats for delaying to address record migrant surges at the border. She also accused the Biden administration’s foreign policy actions like withdrawing from Afghanistan of “making us a punchline on the world stage.”

Britt insisted that prices at the gas pump and the grocery store remain high because of Biden’s economic policies. She also promised viewers that she would support nationwide access to in vitro fertilization.