(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden appeared comfortable and energetic as he delivered his third State of the Union address before Congress. His loud and emphatic speech was sprinkled with humor and attacks on his presumed opponent, former President Donald Trump, in the upcoming election.
The address drew on familiar themes for Biden, focusing on growing the economy from the bottom up, reproductive rights and threats to democracy domestically and abroad.
“The state of the union is strong and getting stronger,” Biden said, to chants of “four more years” from Democrats.
New policies introduced in the speech included a proposed minimum 25% tax for billionaires, efforts to cap the price of prescription drugs for everyone and tax credits to help homeowners with the burden of high mortgage rates. He also used the speech to demand actions from Congress on immigration, calling on lawmakers to pass a bipartisan border compromise that was blocked by Republicans, pass gun control laws to protect children and raise the minimum wage.
Biden broke from his speech several times to address Republicans who booed his answers, despite GOP members having reportedly been warned by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to behave with decorum. The president heckled them back as he spoke on cuts to Social Security and a failed Senate bill that would have funded efforts to address the crisis on the southern border.
The speech came after Super Tuesday’s results led to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dropping out of the GOP primary, setting the stage for a rematch between Biden and Trump.
“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,” Biden said. “Now, other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution.”
Polling shows voters have concerns over the age and mental status of both candidates. A special counsel report highlighted incidents involving the president’s memory, a characterization Biden pushed back against. Many were watching carefully tonight to see how Biden’s tone and energy were during the speech given the work of governing and the potentially grueling campaign trail still to come.
Biden did stumble briefly during the closing of his speech, which he followed with a lighthearted remark about his age in which he said he’s been told he is both too young and too old for politics at varying points in his career. But he vowed to continue his work in service of the country.
“The very idea of America: that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives,” he said. “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 also seen a rise in criticism for his border policies after the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. The suspect in Riley’s death entered the U.S. illegally, leading Republicans to ramp up criticism toward the president for what they consider a crisis at the border. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., said he would honor Riley by reserving an open seat for her during the address. A number of Republicans also wore large buttons saying “Biden’s border crisis.”
Biden addressed Riley’s death while holding a pin given to him by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“Laken Riley, an innocent woman who was killed by an illegal, that’s right, but how many of the thousands of people being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you having lost children myself,” he said.
Biden began by joking that if he was smart, he would go home immediately, to mixed reactions from the gallery. He then looked back to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the threat of Adolf Hitler and a world on the brink of war, comparing it to the menace of Russia under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.
“If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop in Ukraine, I assure you he will not,” Biden said.
He used the topic to criticize Republican lawmakers who have tried to block aid to Ukraine and attacked Trump for his comments about allowing Putin to do what he likes to NATO members who aren’t paying their “fair share.” Biden welcomed Sweden and Finland to NATO.
“My message to President Putin, who I’ve known for a long time, is simple: We will not walk away,” Biden said.
From Russia, Biden moved to threats to democracy at home, calling out lawmakers and candidates who “refuse to acknowledge the truth of January 6.”
“We all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots,” Biden said of the rioters.
He also condemned those who continue to spread false information about January 6 and the 2020 election, which resulted in a shout of “you lie” from one of the Republican lawmakers in attendance.
“You can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden said.
The president came out in defense of reproductive rights, calling for a guaranteed right to in vitro fertilization after an Alabama Supreme Court decision declared embryos count as life and those destroying them were liable under state laws regarding the death of a minor.
Biden also vowed to return Roe v. Wade as the law of the land if reelected, referencing a presidential guest who sought a medically necessary abortion but was put at risk by strict abortion laws in Texas.
“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.”
Biden repeatedly criticized Trump during the speech, lamenting the country’s state after Trump’s presidency before touting his own achievements, including a 50-year-low unemployment rate, 15 million new jobs in three years and more people having health insurance.
“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,” Biden said. “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.”
Biden vowed to make America the manufacturing capital of the world, talking about buying American-made goods and creating good jobs that don’t require a college degree for American workers.
Biden stood up in support of workers, welcoming United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, declaring his support for unions and saying that Wall Street didn’t build the economy — the middle class did.
“When America gets knocked down, we get back up,” Biden said. “We keep going.”
Another issue Biden invoked was health care and the cost of prescription drugs. He talked up his administration’s efforts to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients and vowed to continue to work to cap the cost of prescription drugs for everyone. He also announced his intention to expand a series of tax cuts that would allow people to save on the cost of health care instead of allowing them to expire.
“Folks, Obamacare, known as the Affordable Care Act, is still a very big deal,” Biden said
The president hit on several of what he often calls “kitchen table issues,” including the cost of housing and education. While inflation has lowered and the economy has improved under Biden’s tenure, many average Americans have different perceptions of economics as they struggle with increased costs of living.
Biden announced his intention to provide an annual tax credit that would give homeowners $400 a month for the next two years as they wait for mortgage rates to come back down from recent highs as well as eliminating title insurance fees for federally backed mortgages that can cost homeowners trying to refinance.
For the many Americans who cannot afford home ownership, Biden promised to crack down on landlords who break antitrust laws by price fixing to drive up rents and reduce red tape to allow more affordable housing to be built.
On education, Biden vowed to provide access to preschool for three- and four-year-old children, make college more affordable, invest in high-quality tutoring and pay public teachers more.
Biden also called out the tax cuts passed under the Trump administration for disproportionately benefiting the wealthy and corporations while raising the national deficit. He called for a fair tax system.
“For folks at home, does anybody really think the tax code is fair? Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion in tax breaks?” he asked, to replies of “No!” from Democrats. “I sure don’t. I’m going to keep fighting like hell to make it fair!”
He vowed to increase taxes for those making over $400,000 a year, especially billionaires, proposing a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires. He also pledged to raise taxes on corporations and enforce laws that would require them to pay.
Republicans booed and shouted “liar” as he spoke about stopping efforts to change Social Security and raise the retirement age. Biden broke from his script, addressing them directly with pointed comments about proposed tax cuts for the wealthy and cuts to Social Security.
When it came to the border, Biden offered his condolences to the family of Laken Riley, again departing from his script, speaking to the value of immigrants and refusing to lay blame for one person’s actions on the entire group.
“We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new. Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Home to people from every place on Earth. Some came freely. Some chained by force. Some when famine struck, like my ancestral family in Ireland. Some to flee persecution. Some to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in America. That’s America, where we all come from somewhere, but we are all Americans,” Biden said.
Invoking the late Rep. John Lewis, Biden touted his administration’s record on civil rights, climate change and public safety.
He called on Congress to act on passing legislation that would have added funds for border security and also demanded bans on assault weapons and universal background checks for gun owners.
Few Republicans joined in the applause from Democrats as Biden called on Israel to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. He announced a plan to build a port in Gaza to get humanitarian aid to people in the territory while also assuring lawmakers it would not mean American boots on the ground in the conflict.
Biden pointed to his own longstanding relationship with Israel as he called for a two-state solution, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as a possibility following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
In another pointed barb at Trump, Biden also talked about his efforts to stand up to China’s unfair practices and mentioned policies he’s enacted to prevent advanced U.S. technology from being used in China, something he noted Trump had not done.
As is often the case, lawmakers used their clothing and their choice of guests to send a message about policies important to them. The Democratic Women’s Caucus wore all white to demonstrate their support for reproductive rights. Wearing white is a call back to clothing worn by suffragettes when demonstrating for the right to vote. The caucus has worn white during previous State of the Unions for the same reason.
Another visible sign of a contentious issue was the families who have loved ones being held hostage in Gaza. They wore yellow scarves, attending as guests of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, in a visual reminder of those still held captive. Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war has been a source of political divide in the U.S., with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party as well as younger voters and voters of color becoming increasingly critical of Israel’s actions and the support offered to the country by the U.S.
Lawmakers who used the speech to make a point included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who wore a T-shirt reading, “Say Her Name,” a reference to Laken Riley. An unexpected attendee was former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was expelled due to ethical violations. Former House members have floor privileges for life unless they are convicted of a crime.
Biden also faced several interruptions during the speech from Republicans booing his policies or his characterization of policies the GOP promotes, and one person had to be escorted from the gallery after repeatedly screaming, “United States Marines!”
He closed with his vision for America, summing up the key issues from his speech and painting an optimistic picture of a future based on promises of fairness and progress instead of grievances and revenge.
Biden exited the chamber to cheers from his party, shaking hands and stopping to talk with those in attendance.
Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., will give the Republican rebuttal to the speech, delivered to the media after Biden’s address.
