He addressed the crisis at the US-Mexico border by attacking Trump for blocking a bill that could have reduced illegal crossings, telling him: “Instead of playing politics and pressuring members of Congress to block this bill, join me in asking Congress to pass it.” He. She”.
He outlined what he has done to try to ease cost-of-living pressures on Americans, such as cutting prescription drugs and canceling student debt, and called for raising the minimum corporate tax to at least 21 percent.
Someone interrupts President Joe Biden as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.credit: AP
He sought to address anger over the war between Israel and Hamas by outlining plans to build a pier on the Gaza coast to allow much-needed humanitarian aid into the Strip.
“I know that the last five months have been painful for a lot of people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and many here in America,” he said, admitting that seeing the massacre was heartbreaking.
“I say to the Israeli leadership: Humanitarian aid cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives must be the priority. As we look to the future, the only real solution is the two-state solution.”
However, arguably Biden's biggest challenge was not what he intended to say, but rather how he said it.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican from Georgia, heckles President Joe Biden during the 2024 State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.credit: Bloomberg
While we still have eight months until Election Day, nearly every poll shows the president trailing Trump, in part because voters are concerned about his age and ability to serve another four-year term.
In fact, ahead of the speech, Trump's Make America Great Again Committee sought to highlight Biden's mental acuity by releasing an attack ad filled with footage of him stumbling down the stairs and suffering strange memory lapses, before asking the question: “Can Biden last until… 2029? “
download
To that end, expectations were so low that it didn't take much for the president to exceed them. He seemed comfortable in the room, stumbling only a few times, and seemed to enjoy being mocked by Republicans.
They included far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who earlier greeted Biden wearing a MAGA hat as he entered the chamber.
During his speech, she interrupted him and insisted that he say the name of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old woman who was killed by an illegal immigrant in Greene's home state of Georgia. Biden did and acknowledged the tragedy.
State of the Union addresses are often a form of performative pageantry. The president enters a packed hall, and there is a standing ovation from his colleagues, a laundry list of policies, and special guests.
download
Guests this year included Latoria Beasley, whose IVF treatment was canceled after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered babies, along with Texas woman Kate Cox, who had to travel out of state to get abortion care that was… It is possible to get it. Able to obtain whether the Supreme Court did not overturn Roe v. Wade.
Also in attendance were Supreme Court justices, who Biden looked directly at as he lamented the way women's reproductive rights had been curtailed.
“With all due respect, judges, women are not without electoral or political power. “You're about to realize how much it means,” he told them.
Meanwhile, Trump pledged to hold a live critique of Biden's speech on his website Truth Social, but experienced some network outages.
The site appeared to be back up and running about an hour later, with Trump posting: “This may be the angriest, most compassionate, and worst State of the Union address ever. It was an embarrassment to our country!
Welcome to the 2024 presidential election.
Get a direct note from our foreigners Reporters About what's making headlines around the world. Subscribe to the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
