While some were expecting President Joe Biden to stumble and trip through his State of the Union address, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) was hoping for the opposite.
“He delivered a pretty good speech,” Mr. Nehls told The Epoch Times. “I’m glad he did. I didn’t want him to stumble too much. I didn't want him to get distracted. I wanted him to try to speak as clear as possible. And I think he did a pretty good job of that.”
Why did Mr. Nehls, a Republican congressman, want the president to succeed on Thursday night?
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) commended President Joe Biden for his State of the Union address and highlighted the failed Border Bill when asked about the president’s comments regarding the crisis.
Mr. Ivey emphasized the need for “more Border Patrol agents, more judges to move these cases faster, [and] more resources to deal with the problem.”
“All of that’s in the Senate Bill,” he told The Epoch Times. “Let’s bring it to a vote. If we do, I think it’ll pass.”
After the end of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) confirmed with The Epoch Times that he walked out halfway through and went to the cloak room.
“I got up. Well, I had enough. I'd heard all I needed to hear of that speech,” he said.
“I came to hear the State of the Union. And I didn't hear anything, but a rah rah campaign speech, blaming Republicans for things that he actually had caused, as I said—open borders. crime waves, overspending, inflation, [and] foreign policy debacles,” Mr. Babin added.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) used her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to push back on claims that Republicans don’t support in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“We are the party of hardworking parents and families, and we want to give you and your children the opportunities to thrive. And we want families to grow,” the senator said. “It’s why we strongly support continued nationwide access to in vitro fertilization. We want to help loving moms and dads bring precious life into this world.”
Ms. Britt’s comments followed the president’s suggestion earlier in the night that Republicans would stand in the way of a law establishing a national right to IVF access.
While hammering President Joe Biden on his handling of the U.S.–Mexico border, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) shared the devastating story of a Texas woman who fell victim to the crisis.
The woman, Ms. Britt said, was sex-trafficked at the age of 12 by the Mexican drug cartels.
“She told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped. The cartels put her on a mattress in a shoebox of a room and they sent men through that door over and over again for hours and hours on end. We wouldn’t be OK with this happening in a Third World country.”
President Joe Biden's policies have diminished the American people's living standards, said Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) in the Republican Party's State of the Union response.
Massive federal spending in recent years has "sent the cost of living through the roof," resulting in 40-year-high inflation and the highest credit card debt in U.S. history.
"Hardworking families are struggling to make ends meet today," she said, alluding to rocketing mortgage rates and childcare costs.
In her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) slammed him on the issue of crime.
Despite what he tells you, our communities are not safer. For years, the left has coddled criminals, defunded the police,” she said. “All the while letting repeat offenders walk free. The result is tragic, but foreseeable.
“From our small towns to America's most iconic city streets. Life is getting more and more dangerous.”
In her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said “the American Dream has turned into a nightmare,” in part because of the crisis at the southern border.
“President Biden inherited the most secure border of all time. But minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations, he halted construction of the border wall, and he announced a plan to give amnesty to millions,” Ms. Britt said.
“We know that President Biden didn't just create this border crisis; he invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days.”
In the GOP response to President Biden’s State of the Union address, Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.) blasted his speech as the “performance of a permanent politician.”
Talking from the kitchen in her home in Montgomery, Alabama, she said, “The American Dream has turned into a nightmare.”
An example she gave is the crisis at the southern border.
President Joe Biden had a list of topics to tackle Thursday night, but for many his age and health were among the most important.
He said that when he was first elected to the U.S. Senate at the age of 29, people told him he was “too young.” The president joked that some in the Senate wouldn’t hold the elevator for him due to his age at the time.
“And I’ve been told I’m too old. Whether young or old I’ve always known what endures,” President Biden said. “The very idea of Americans that we’re all created equal, deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives. We've never fully lived up to that idea, but we've never walked away from it either.”
Republicans and many others have claimed that China is on the rise and America is falling behind, but they are wrong, according to President Joe Biden.
Speaking in his State of the Union address, the president stated that everyone is wrong.
"They've got it backward. America is rising. We have the best economy in the world," he said.
President Joe Biden announced a military operation that will expand a port on the Gazan coast with a new, temporary pier for aid amid the increasing humanitarian crisis there.
“Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier on the Mediterranean coast in Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters,” President Biden said.
“No U.S. boots will be on the ground. The temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.”
During discussions on his policies relating to crime, President Joe Biden said he wanted to expunge criminal records for those who are arrested for using or possessing marijuana.
The president said it's important to expunge these crimes because “no one should be jailed for simply using or having it on the record.”
This follows President Biden’s previous marijuana policy announcements, including the decision in 2023 to have the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) recommend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Biden addressed a highly-anticipated matter: the latest conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
He blasted Hamas for, as he noted, conducting on Oct. 7 the greatest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. He pledged to not stop until all hostages are released by Hamas.
Family members of hostages were in the gallery watching the speech.
President Joe Biden demanded a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and urged Congress to support universal background checks.
"None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners," he said during his State of the Union speech.
President Biden claimed that his predecessor refrained from tackling the gun issue. Instead, the president stated that he beat the National Rifle Association (NRA) by signing "the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years."
President Joe Biden apparently sought to head off criticism on the crime rate from Republicans, conservatives, and others.
“Last year, the murder rate saw the sharpest decrease in history, and violent crime fell to one of the lowest levels in more than 50 years,” he said. “But we have more to do.
“Give communities the tools to crack down on gun crime, retail crime, and carjacking,” he said.
During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden championed his war on junk fees.
He told the House chamber that he is eliminating hidden fees "at the end of your bills without your knowledge."
The White House recently announced that it is slashing credit card late fees from $32 to $8.
President Joe Biden’s mention of the failed Senate deal to tie border security funding to aid for Ukraine and other foreign nations drew loud boos and groans from Republican members of Congress.
“Oh, you don’t like that?” the president responded to the interruption. “The conservatives got together and said it was a good bill. I’ll be darned. That’s amazing.”
The bill in question would have authorized $20 billion in funding for border enforcement and more than triple that amount in aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Heckled by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), President Biden incorrectly said “Lincoln Riley” instead of Laken Riley, the University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered, allegedly by an illegal alien.
Ahead of the address, Ms. Greene posted a video on social media calling on President Biden to “Say her name.”
"Lincoln Riley? An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal! That's right? But how many of thousands of people being killed by illegals?!" said President Biden.
President Joe Biden urged wealthy Americans and corporations to "pay their fair share."
In his State of the Union address, he proposed cutting the federal deficit by $3 trillion by "making big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their fair share."
He argued that creating a fair tax code rather than handing out $2 trillion in tax breaks is how the federal government will invest in defense, education, and health care.
President Joe Biden touted his climate push, and shared his goals of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030, and building 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles.
“I’m taking the most significant action on climate ever in the history of the world,” he said.
But former President Donald Trump rebutted it on Truth Social, saying, “Other Countries are laughing at our stupidity on ‘Climate.’ The Green New Scam is destroying our Economy and our Country!”
President Joe Biden said he wanted to provide universal pre-school access for all children during his State of the Union address.
“To remain the strongest economy in the world we need to have the best education system in the world,” he said.
In pushing for universal pre-school, President Biden said studies show children who go to preschool are 50 percent more likely to finish high school.
President Joe Biden criticized former President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“A raging virus that would take more than 1 million American lives and leave millions of loved ones behind,” he said. “A president, my predecessor, who failed the most basic duty. Any President owes the American people the duty to care.
“That is unforgivable.”
Former President Donald Trump posted his comments on the tone of President Joe Biden’s address.
“He looks so angry when he’s talking, which is a trait of people who know they are ‘losing it.’ The anger and shouting is not helpful to bringing our Country back together!”
The former president also pointed out Biden’s verbal fumbling, saying, “He just screwed up his primary line of the evening, having to do with Roe v. Wade, while looking at the Highly Respected Justices of the Supreme Court, for whom it was intended!”
President Joe Biden vowed to block any attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which was enacted when he was vice president, calling it a “big [expletive] deal.”
He railed against Big Pharma, lamenting that the United States has the most expensive prescription drug prices globally.
“With a law I proposed and signed, and not one Republican voted for, we finally beat Big Pharma,” he said.
President Joe Biden spent much of his time Thursday night highlighting “comeback stories” from various places in the country that were hit by economic hardships.
He mentioned an auto plant in Belvedere, Illinois, saying the plant was on its way to closing its doors and laying off thousands of workers prior to the start of his presidency.
“Wall Street didn’t build America,” President Biden said. “The middle class built the country, and the unions built the middle class.”
President Joe Biden touted his economic record, claiming that U.S. inflation is now "the lowest in the world."
"Wages keep going up and inflation keeps coming down!" President Biden said in his State of the Union address.
"Inflation has dropped from 9 percent to 3 percent–the lowest in the world! And trending lower."
Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to rebut President Joe Biden’s comments regarding NATO and the war in Ukraine.
“Now, my predecessor, a former Republican President, tells Putin, ‘Do whatever the hell you want,’” President Biden said of President Trump. “A former American President actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable.
“America is a founding member of NATO, the military alliance of democratic nations created after World War II to prevent war and keep the peace.”
President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address to tout his economic agenda–from infrastructure investments to the CHIPS and Science Act.
”On my watch, federal projects like helping to build American roads, bridges, and highways will be made with American products built by American workers, creating good-paying American jobs,” he said.
“During the pandemic, a shortage of semiconductor chips drove up prices for everything from cell phones to automobiles.”.
President Joe Biden came out swinging against former President Donald Trump in his March 7 State of the Union address.
He said President Trump “failed the most basic presidential duty that he owes to American people–the duty to care.”
“I think that's unforgivable. I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in the nation's history,” President Biden said.
President Biden pledged to restore Roe v. Wade as law, were such a bill sent to his desk. There is no chance of that happening in this divided Congress, where the GOP controls the House.
He slammed his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, for bragging about Roe v. Wade being overturned thanks to the justices he appointed–Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
He thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for leading the way on abortion rights.
President Joe Biden called attention to growing concerns surrounding the availability of in vitro fertilization (IVF) services during his State of the Union remarks.
The controversy stems from a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling in which the court found that frozen embryos should be considered children. Although the court ruled in favor of a couple that had used IVF, some clinics in the state have since paused services for fear of potential liability issues regarding the destruction of embryos.
Decrying the court’s decision, President Biden pointed to a guest in the gallery as an example of how the ruling had affected some hopeful parents.
President Joe Biden was met with both applause and jeers after mentioning the events of Jan. 6, 2021, during his State of the Union address.
“Many of you were here on that darkest of days. We all saw with our own eyes. The insurrectionists were not patriots. They came to stop the peaceful transfer of power to overturn the will of the people,” President Biden said.
He charged former President Donald Trump with trying to “bury the truth about Jan. 6.”
President Biden attacked former President Donald Trump’s stance on Ukraine and continued his antagonism over the ongoing war in Europe.
"Now my predecessor, former Republican President, tells Putin 'do whatever the hell you want.'"
"It's outrageous. It’s dangerous. And it’s unacceptable."
After about 10 minutes working the floor, the president has taken the podium.
As President Joe Biden walked toward the podium for his State of the Union address, many Democrats in the House chamber shouted, "Four more years!"
Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were among those joining in the chants.
The Squad, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), sat silent and did not join their Democratic colleagues.
President Joe Biden entered the House Chamber at 9:17 p.m. to a chorus of cheers and applause, much of which came from Democratic lawmakers in the room.
However, some on the Democratic side were holding their applause for the president.
“The Squad,” which includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), did not clap for President Biden when he entered the House Chamber.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told President Joe Biden to “Say her name,” referring to Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered, allegedly by an illegal alien a couple weeks ago.
Ms. Greene gave President Biden a pin.
The House earlier passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal aliens accused of breaking the law. All Republicans voted in favor, while all but 37 Democrats voted against.
President Joe Biden entered the House chamber at 9:17 p.m.
Both sides of the chamber stood to applaud the entrance.
The first lady entered the chamber balcony earlier to similar warm cheers. The president’s cabinet followed, joining the lawmakers on the main floor.
President Joe Biden appeared in the Capitol to give the annual State of the Union Address on March 7, with all but one member of his cabinet.
The "designated survivor," as he or she is known, has a traditional role in the night's activities that goes back to the early years of the Cold War, with the intent to ensure the presidential line of succession in case of a catastrophe befalling the House of Representatives chamber while it hosts the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, and several others in line.
Tonight, the designated survivor is Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Among the crowded room in the House Chamber on March 7, five Supreme Court Justices could be seen standing with lawmakers waiting for President Joe Biden to arrive.
The Supreme Court Justices present on March 7 were Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is also present.
President Joe Biden entered the Capitol shortly after 9 p.m. ET.
A reporter in the hallways asked, “Mr. President, how are you feeling?”
The president answered, “Great!”
President Joe Biden left the White House shortly after 8:45 p.m. ET and made his way to the Capitol Building. He is scheduled to begin his speech at 9 p.m. He is riding
As lawmakers began filing into the House Chamber on Thursday night for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, many of the Democratic congresswomen were seen wearing white attire.
The move, which was also adopted during the 2019 and 2020 State of the Union addresses, is a show of solidarity towards the women’s suffragette movement. Some of the earliest advocates for extending voting rights to women wore white clothing as a sign of purity, sometimes with green for hope and purple for dignity.
White was also worn during the women’s suffragette movement to reassure others that the protests were intended to be non-aggressive.
Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has returned to the House–for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.
He told a reporter that it is his first time back in the House since being expelled from the lower congressional chamber on Dec. 1, 2023, following a damning report by The House Ethics Committee that included allegedly misusing campaign funds for personal use. He said he came back because it’s the “State of the Union. Why not?”
As a former member of Congress, Mr. Santos has the privilege of going onto the House floor. He said, “It’s different” being back.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) will respond to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address with a call for a change in leadership at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., excerpts from her speech reveal.
“The true, unvarnished State of our Union begins and ends with this: Our families are hurting. Our country can do better,” the freshman senator will say.
First and foremost, Ms. Britt will hit the president hard over his management of the southern border, which millions of illegal immigrants have crossed since the start of his administration.
As the American people wait to hear President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is convinced that nothing said tonight will be able to deter the damage that is being done at the U.S. southern border.
“He’s refusing to enforce laws already passed by Congress and is actually acting contrary to those laws,” he said in an interview on Fox News’s “Special Report” with anchor Bret Baier. “Again, there’s no word that could be articulated by the president tonight that will overcome the facts of the way that he has unilaterally destroyed the United States of America.”
The laws passed by Congress, Mr. Abbott said, empower the president to deny illegal entry, to detain those who illegally, and build border barriers, including walls and razor wire fences. And, meanwhile, President Biden is “aiding [and] abetting illegal entry,” and trying to tear down the border barriers that Texas has been building.
"The State of the Union is Laken Riley," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
Sporting a Make America Great Again hat and a "Say Her Name Laken Riley" T-shirt, the outspoken Republican representative said the United States is under attack because of President Joe Biden's "open border policies" as more than 10 million illegal immigrants are "invading our country."
"There's two million gotaways, and among them, we know there are terrorists," she said. "America has a national security crisis because of Joe Biden.
Demonstrators calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas are blocking a route from the White House ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.
With numerous routes to the Capitol, however, the protest is not likely to cause the president’s motorcade to be late for the speech. Additionally, the Secret Service can easily clear the protesters with the resources the president’s protective service has at its disposal.
President Biden is expected to announce that the U.S. military will be building a port outside Gaza in order to get humanitarian assistance into the Hamas-controlled strip.
Members of Congress are able to bring one guest to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.
Here’s a list of some of those guests:
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.): Gabriel Shipton, brother of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
Excerpts from President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address show he will look to draw a contrast between himself and his Republican rival for the presidency, former President Donald 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. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor,” reads one excerpt released by the White House.
“Now, some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.”
President Joe Biden is expected to use his State of the Union address on Thursday to showcase the reasons he feels voters should grant him another four years in the White House.
Topics he intends to highlight as part of that appeal include abortion and reproductive issues, the economy, aid for foreign nations, gun control, and student loan forgiveness, among others.
President Biden and Democrat lawmakers have invited several guests to help drive his points home. Featured heavily on the list are women and abortion providers affected by restrictions on the procedure in their states, as well as those concerned about the availability of in vitro fertilization after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos can be considered children.
In anticipation of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7, several Republican lawmakers shed light on key areas of focus by sharing their expectations and concerns.
Lawmakers told reporters for The Epoch Times and sister media group NTD News that they were concerned about the president attempting to misrepresent what his administration has done for the country and how the crisis at the border should be fixed. Several lawmakers also pointed to the speech as a possible indication of the president’s failing health.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said he had debated whether to attend but felt an obligation to his constituents to do so. He emphasized the importance of scrutinizing politicians’ records and raised concerns about President Biden’s mental acuity, going so far as to suggest potential elder abuse.
President Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address before Congress—and millions of viewers watching at home—at the U.S. Capitol tonight.
The event always carries the promise of political theater. But in a pivotal election year when the president is facing low approval ratings and intensifying scrutiny over his age, tensions will only be that much higher.
The speech is set for 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live across all major networks. Viewers can also tune in online to NTD’s special coverage starting at 8 p.m.
First Lady Jill Biden is set to host 20 guests at the annual State of the Union Address on Thursday night, each of whom is meant to personify themes central to President Joe Biden’s address.
“Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people,” the White House said on Thursday.
Abortion and Reproductive Issues
President Biden appears set to focus on abortion policy and the legal fallout from the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, handing the ability to regulate abortion back to individual states.President Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address on March 7, using the opportunity to allay concerns about his age and persuade Americans that he can serve a second term as the country barrels toward a high-stakes election in November.
Viewers will mostly be evaluating President Biden based on his performance, not just his message. Is he making mistakes? Will there be any verbal blunders? Is he appearing energetic and in control? How will he confront hecklers? His actions will be carefully monitored. Hence, it will be a crucial address for the 46th president as he works to restore public trust in his age and mental acuity.
“It’s going to be an incredibly important moment, and the president takes that very, very seriously,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on March 6.