Biden warns of threats to democracy at home and abroad in State of the Union speech
President Joe Biden delivered his third State of the Union address on Thursday night, which critics derided as overtly political and angry at his perceived opponent, Donald Trump, and those who support him.
Biden, who arrived late to the House chamber, opened his speech by invoking Hitler and the Civil War to illustrate the seriousness of the threat he claimed was facing democracy both at home and abroad.
“Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have liberty and democracy been attacked here at home as they are today,” he said. “What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and abroad, at the same time.”
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Biden had harsh words for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of “sowing chaos across Europe and beyond,” and assured his audience that his territorial ambitions don't stop at Ukraine.
Biden quickly moved from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to domestic concerns such as the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol, suggesting that those questioning the 2020 presidential election and seeking to limit abortion rights pose a similar threat. He repeatedly referred to former President Donald Trump without naming him, calling him his “predecessor”.
“My predecessor — and some of you here — are looking to bury the truth about January 6th — I'm not going to do that,” Biden said. “This is a moment to tell the truth and bury the lies. This is a simple truth: you can't love your country only when you win.”
Biden then criticized the US Supreme Court for overturning it Roe v. Wadetaking the Lord's name in vain as he seemed to threaten the judges present who sat in silence while those around them stood and applauded.
“Many of you in this room and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom,” he said. “My God, what freedoms are you going to take away next?”
“Clearly, those boast upside Roe v. Wade have no idea about the power of women in America,” Biden said. “They found out though when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they'll find out again, in 2024.”
Biden introduced his guest Kate Cox, a mother he said had to flee Texas to get an abortion for a baby with a fatal condition that put her life in danger. He also promised to “restore Roe v. Wade“if American voters would provide him with a Congress controlled by Democrats.
Biden's comments against the Supreme Court drew backlash from Republican members such as Rep. Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., who tweeted“It is disgusting that Joe Biden threatened the Supreme Court to uphold the Constitution at the State of the Union. Joe Biden is a disgrace, a clear threat to democracy, and unfit for office.”
Biden also faced live heckling from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., when he reached the issue of illegal immigration and the border crisis about 40 minutes into his address.
Greene was decked out in a MAGA hat and a T-shirt emblazoned with “Say her name,” in reference to Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Christian nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant while jogging on the Augusta University campus. in Georgia.
Biden, who repeatedly responded to the hecklers in the audience, messed up Riley's name because he responded to Greene, calling her Lincoln Riley and acknowledging that she was “killed by an illegal” before asking, “How many thousands are killed by lawmen?”
Biden also boasted about his achievements regarding infrastructure and manufacturing and urged Congress to give more money to Ukraine, strengthen immigration laws and lower drug prices. He also urged his listeners to remember that he took office amid a pandemic and a weakening economy.
Biden's speech was panned by Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who was visibly irritated at various times as he sat behind the president, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
“[Biden] tried to suggest that we are in great shape and the state of the union is strong,” he told Fox News opinion host Sean Hannity. “We all know that's not true. The state of the Union is in decline in every measurable category — on the world stage, our sovereignty, our security, our economy. Everyone knows it.”
“Gas lighting the American people is not going to work,” he added.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the speech “amazing” and compared it to “an exceptionally bad campaign speech”.
“Joe Biden was angry, he was bitter, he was screaming all night,” Cruz said. “He was radical and extreme.”
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