It was one of the most bizarre State of the Union addresses in modern memory. President Joe Biden delivered an angry, hyperpartisan 68-minute rant to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday night that left Republicans in shock and his Democratic colleagues in awe.
Speaking to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham prior to the speech, Vivek Ramaswamy predicted that Biden would be well-rested and “cognitively enhanced.” And the president did not disappoint. He displayed a level of energy we haven’t seen from him in quite some time, leading Fox News’ Sean Hannity to call him “Jacked up Joe.”
Despite his “cognitive enhancements,” Biden often slurred his speech – particularly when he tried to speak fast – making his words difficult to understand at times.
While the Associated Press described his remarks as “feisty,” Republicans found them to be unhinged, divisive, and detached from reality. But Biden wasn’t trying to win over members of the GOP, or even independents. Rather, his aim was to satisfy his base that he is capable of serving a second term.
Biden began by evoking the memories of former Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, perhaps hoping that some of their greatness would magically attach itself to his disastrous presidency.
He said, “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today.” And he blamed it on former President Donald Trump and the Supreme Court.
Refusing to reference Trump by name, Biden referred to him only as his “predecessor.” The attacks began right out of the gate. Biden pounded Trump on the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol “insurrection,” which he disingenously called “that darkest of days.” He said, “Insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy.”
He shouted, “As I’ve done ever since being elected to office, I ask you all, without regard to party, to join together and defend our democracy!” Because nothing says democracy quite like indicting your political opponent on 91 contrived criminal counts and encouraging the efforts of an overzealous state attorney general to bring false fraud charges against him.
Biden also took aim at the Supreme Court justices, sitting just feet away. He called their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade an “assault on freedom” and asked, “My God, what freedoms will you take away next?”
He likely thought this breach of political etiquette was okay, because there had been a precedent. Angry over the Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, former President Barack Obama had insulted the justices during his 2010 State of the Union address.
Biden told many out and out lies. For example, he blamed Republicans for the border crisis.
He also claimed he “inherited an economy that was on the brink” and said it is now “the envy of the world!” He even said that the crime rate has fallen.
Speaking to Hannity following the speech, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fl., referenced Biden’s remarks about a two-state solution in Israel. He said, “Let me tell you what he means by a two-state solution. It’s not Israel and Palestine. His two-state solution … are Michigan and Minnesota. Those are the two states that he’s most worried about because he’s afraid he’s gonna lose them.”
Noting that Biden was trying to prove to his base that he is still up to the job, he accurately characterized the address as a “proof of life” speech. It was.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board was highly critical of Biden’s address. In an op-ed titled “Biden’s Partisan State of Disunion,” they wrote: “State of the Union speeches are eminently forgettable, but President Biden’s address on Thursday was memorable for all the wrong reasons. His address was one long, divisive pep rally for Democrats, goading Republicans throughout the speech, and targeting multiple and various villains for partisan attacks. It really was extraordinary.
The editors noted that most presidents at least try to reach across the aisle in their State of the Union speeches. They criticized Biden for not doing so, “not even on the issue of aid to Ukraine where he most needs Republican support.”
They were surprised that he offered nothing to Nikki Haley’s supporters or independents who might be swayed to vote for Biden. And they concluded that, “In its divisiveness, it could have the effect of encouraging the No Labels movement to go ahead with a third-party candidacy.”
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, a rabid anti-Trumper who calls herself a Republican, had a very different take on the speech which she believes showed energy and focus. “There’s life in the old boy yet,” Noonan wrote.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., delivered an emotional – and powerful – Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union. The freshman senator, a 42-year-old mother of two, torched Biden over his angry and dishonest remarks, saying, “The country we know and love seems to be slipping away.”
On immigration, she 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.”
Summing up Biden’s speech, Britt said, “Our commander in chief is not in command.”
The general consensus was that Biden delivered a campaign speech rather than a state of the union address. While it may have reduced the fears of those who already support him, it repelled Republicans. And it failed to offer anything of interest or value to the independents whose votes decide elections. So, in all likelihood, it will do little to move the needle.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY., caught up to Biden on his way out of the Capitol on Thursday night to say no one would question his cognitive ability after his successful speech. Oddly, Biden joked, “I kinda wish sometimes I was cognitively impaired.”
Actually Mr. President, you are.
A previous version of this article appeared in the Washington Examiner.
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