TO UPDATE: Joe Biden mentioned China’s spying balloon in his speech, telling lawmakers: “Make no mistake: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country.” And that’s what we did.”
He was referring to the military’s balloon attack off the coast of South Carolina. But Republicans criticized the move as too late, as it came after the balloon toured the continental United States.
His comments again elicited some excitement from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who shouted something about China.
Biden continued. “To put it bluntly, to win the competition with China, we should all unite. We face great challenges worldwide.”
EARLIER: In some cases, President Joe Biden has been dogged by calls of “liar” from some Republicans.
One instance occurred when Biden attacked some in the GOP as a threat to Social Security and Medicare. “Instead of making the rich pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to go away. I’m not saying that’s the majority,” Biden said.
Among those who shouted “liars” were Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), wearing a fur collar coat.
EARLIER: President Joe Biden opened his State of the Union address by touting his administration’s accomplishments — even vowing to veto Republican efforts to reverse some of them.
Biden opened his speech with some gestures to the GOP, congratulating Kevin McCarthy on his speech. Members from both sides cheered.
But he was especially determined to block the GOP’s efforts to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Like my old football coach used to say, good luck in your senior year,” Biden said.
He received some of the biggest cheers from fellow Democrats when he called for a minimum tax on billionaires.
“No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter,” Biden said.
He received some boos from Republicans when he addressed the deficit. “Because of these record deficits, no president in four years has increased the national debt more than my predecessor,” he said.
EARLIER: As a potential confrontation looms over raising the debt ceiling, President Joe Biden plans to use part of his State of the Union address tonight as a call for unity.
“To my Republican friends, if we were able to work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason why we couldn’t work together in this new Congress,” Biden plans to say, according to the White House remarks. “People sent us a clear message. Fighting for fighting, power for power, fighting for conflict will get us nowhere.”
The comments are straight from a typical SOTU playbook, but they take on new resonance amid fears that a prolonged standoff over the debt ceiling could shake markets and send the economy into a tailspin.
Biden met with new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last week as Republicans called for yet-to-be-defined cuts before raising the cap again. The Democrats want no conditions on raising the debt limit as a repayment of spending already incurred.
Much of today’s speech is expected to be devoted to the administration’s performance, as Biden is bolstered by a recent hit jobs report.
“The jobs are coming back, the pride is coming back because of the decisions we’ve made over the last two years,” Biden plans to say, according to released comments. “It’s a blue-collar blueprint for rebuilding America and making a real difference in your life.”
He also plans to declare that “Covid no longer controls our lives” and that democracy “remains unbending and unbroken”. The latter refers to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
“The history of America is a history of progress and resilience,” Biden plans to say. “We are the only country that has come out of every crisis stronger than we entered it. We will do it again.”
Biden also plans to talk about progress on a number of issues that enjoy broad bipartisan support, including cancer research, support for veterans, mental health support and a crackdown on the fentanyl trade. He will also address social media platforms, calling for the protection of children’s online privacy and safety and a ban on advertising aimed at children and young people. He also plans to set general limits on the personal data that companies collect for targeted advertising.
Also worth mentioning is Biden’s proposal, unveiled last week, to limit so-called “junk fees,” including concert ticket surcharges and early cancellation fees for cable, television and Internet. And the planned presence of U2’s Bono hints at some of his most important issues, including HIV/AIDS and global poverty.
Biden’s speech, expected to be re-elected, will be one of his best chances of the year to appeal to large television audiences, although viewership has declined in recent years.
Over the next few days, Biden will travel across the country to drive home some of the talking points, particularly government performance.
POTUS is said to sit down with the former PBS News Hour Host Judy Woodruff on Wednesday during his trip to Wisconsin, while other members of the administration will fan out for appearances and interviews around the country. With more certainty, Vice President Kamala Harris should for an interview CBS in the morning On Wednesday.
It is still unclear whether Biden will traditionally do a sit-down interview with the Super Bowl host network as part of the pregame coverage. But this year, that network is Fox, not exactly pro-Biden territory, and the network hasn’t announced its plans. A spokesman for the White House said so when he was asked about it in a press interview today. But Fox News anchor Shannon Bream was among those attending another tradition this afternoon: the president’s pre-SOTU lunch at the White House with network anchors.
Biden’s speech will be his first as president before a divided Congress, evidenced by the presence of McCarthy, who sits behind him with VP Harris. While there are signs that Biden will tone down rhetoric toward so-called “extreme MAGA Republicans,” pundits will scrutinize the speech for lines that suggest how the president plans to frame a potential re-election campaign.
Less easy to predict is the ultimate impact of the State of the Union speeches themselves.
Most read like laundry lists of accomplishments and goals and fade into memory. However, a few deliver memorable lines, such as George W. Bush’s use of the “axis of evil” in 2002 to characterize Iraq, Iran and North Korea, or memorable moments, such as Donald Trump’s highly visual, tear-jerking speech by the then spokesperson for the… United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. in 2020.
Pelosi has stepped down from the leadership, but she will be in attendance, and her husband Paul Pelosi, who was brutally injured in an attack on their home in San Francisco, is one of First Lady Jill Biden’s guests. Pelosi herself is interviewed in CNN’s post-speech coverage and beyond Good morning Joe on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who provides the Republican State of the Union response, plans to attack the Biden administration over inflation and wake up.
According to prepared remarks, Sanders plans to tell viewers, “As you reap the consequences of your failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in fueling fantasy than the harsh realities Americans face every day.” Most Americans just want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are being attacked in a leftist culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.
“Every day we are told to participate in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols… while big government works with big technology to take away the most American thing there is – your freedom of speech. “
At the Capitol, security fences have returned to the grounds, a legacy of the attack on the complex on January 6, 2021. Inside, there is a heightened security presence, as is the case for any SOTU, while caterers ran at full speed to provide that they provide meals in various offices of the House and Senate. TV stations set up cameras around Statuary Hall.
Similar to last month’s Speakers’ Vote Marathon, viewers will get a more open look at the House and individual members. This is because media cameras are allowed to resume recording the event and not the typical stationary cameras controlled from home. But this time Fox is the pooler for SOTU, not C-SPAN, as networks usually shift layers.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
