Washington: In his State of the Union address on Thursday, President Joe Biden launched a blistering attack on his “dangerous” November presidential election rival, Donald Trump, warning that US democracy is under “assault.”
Biden began his speech with a dramatic statement, saying he wanted to “wake up the Congress and alert the American people” to the danger.
“Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War, have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today,” he went on to say. “What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack at both at home and overseas.”
Then, focusing on Trump, he claimed the Republican was “bowing down” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He vowed, to Democratic cheers, “I will not bow down.”
Letting the punches fly, Biden never said Trump’s name, instead referring to him as “my predecessor, a former Republican president.”
The annual set-piece presidential speech provided Biden with a unique opportunity to pitch his reelection message in front of his closest political allies and foes, as well as a national television audience.
At just over an hour, it was also a high-stakes test of his ability to think on his feet at the age of 81, making him the oldest president in US history.
Republicans frequently booed and heckled Biden, but he fired back every time, peppering his delivery with jokes mocking his opponents for everything from planning to cut billionaires’ taxes to refusing to take climate change seriously.
Biden arrived on the Capitol floor, which was packed with congressional members, Supreme Court justices, and government leaders, to loud cheers and chants of “four more years.”
Protesters against Biden’s support for Israel’s war on Hamas attempted to block the motorcade from the White House to Congress, highlighting the multiple challenges he faces, including from the Democratic left.
Greatest Comeback
In his speech, Biden slammed Republican abortion opponents, saying they have “no clue about the power of women in America,” on what Democrats see as a critical vote-winning issue.
And he praised the booming US economy, despite the fact that Americans remain dissatisfied with high prices, and polls show that many believe their economic fortunes have not improved.
Vice President Biden stated that “in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.”
“I inherited an economy that was on the brink,” he went on to say. “Today, our economy is the envy of the world. A record number of fifteen million new jobs created in just three years. Unemployment is at 50-year lows.”
The Democrat took on the Gaza war, which has infuriated leftists and the Arab-American community, who are outraged by Biden’s strong support for Israel’s attempt to crush Hamas.
He announced that he has directed the US military to establish a port on Gaza’s coast to bring in more aid for Palestinians, reflecting intense political pressure from many within his own party.
Ahead of his speech, Trump accused Biden of “horrific devastation” during his three years in office, focusing on the record number of migrants crossing the Mexican border.
However, in his speech, Biden attempted to turn the tables on Republicans on the issue, criticizing them for refusing to pass legislation that would have significantly increased controls.
“We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it,” he responded to Republican right-winger Marjorie Taylor Greene’s heckling. “I am ready to fix it. “Send me the border bill right now.”
Making Light of Age
Many of the millions of Americans who watched the spectacle were more interested in how Biden sounded than in what he said.
Clearly wanting to counter the Republican narrative that he is too old to serve in the White House, Biden responded with more jokes, claiming that age has given him clarity.
“I know it doesn’t look like it, but I’ve been around for a while,” he said, causing laughter.
But “when you reach my age, certain things become more clear than ever. “I know the American story.”
In keeping with tradition, First Lady Jill Biden welcomed a number of guests selected to highlight the White House’s priorities.
This year, they include a Texan woman who was forced to leave the state for an abortion, a woman whose IVF treatment was halted by an Alabama court ruling, and Sweden’s prime minister, who joined NATO on Thursday.