State of the Union Address: Annual speech becomes a Biden-Trump campaign face-off of sorts
President Biden delivered the State of the Union Address Thursday evening, but this year's annual speech to Congress was as much anti-Donald Trump talk as it was a review of the state of the country amid a presidential election year.
The president talked up efforts to cap prescription drug prices, generating more manufacturing jobs and addressing what he said were deficiencies in early childhood education. All topics often discussed by presidents, especially Democrats, in their yearly addresses to joint sessions of Congress.
But in a first for a State of the Union, Biden repeatedly upbraided, criticized and scolded his predecessor, Trump, who is poised to be his opponent in November.
Trump wasn't having it. The Make America Great Again Inc. PAC and his campaign press office issued a slew of rebuttals. And Trump repeatedly posted sharp responses on his social media platform, which reportedly went offline for lengthy time during the speech.
"That may be the Angriest, Least Compassionate, and Worst State of the Union Speech ever made. It was an Embarrassment to our Country!" the former president said in one posting.
Here are seven times Biden tore into Trump in his 2024 State of the Union Address, and some of Trump's counter-arguments.
1. Funding for Ukraine in its defense against Moscow's invasion
Biden chastised House Republicans for blocking military aid to Ukraine saying they "want us to walk away from our leadership in the world." He then reminded how Republican President Ronald Reagan thundered, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" in the final years of the Cold War and Soviet Union.
"Now, my predecessor, a former Republican President, tells Putin, “Do whatever the hell you want," Biden said. "A former American President actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable."
MAGA Inc. issued a response that listed dozens of points, including Trump "also "implemented the toughest sanctions against Moscow since the end of the Cold War." And, it added: "The Trump administration made NATO defense spending among allies a top foreign policy priority. As a result, NATO was in a far stronger position at the end of the Trump Presidency than it was under Barack Obama."
2. The violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6
Biden said that in the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, "insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy." He added: "January 6th and the lies about the 2020 election, and the plots to steal the election, posed the gravest threat to our democracy since the Civil War."
Then he called Trump out for, he said, misleading the American people about what happened on that dark day: "My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6th."
Trump's MAGA Inc. issued an email labeled "Joe Biden Threatens Democracy" and listed five different items including claiming Biden told Justice Department officials that "Mr. Trump posed a threat to democracy and should be prosecuted for his role in the events of Jan. 6."
Super Tuesday? Team Trump has eyes squarely on Joe Biden and the November election
3. Roe v. Wade, abortions and IVF treatments
Biden brought a guest, Kate Cox, a wife and mother from Dallas, and told how she and her husband had to leave Texas in order to get the health care she needed after the state restricted access to abortion.
"But my predecessor came to office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned," he said. "He’s the reason it was overturned. In fact, he brags about it."
4. The tax code and Trump tax cuts
Biden said the Trump administration ushered a $2 trillion tax cut that, as Democrats have complained, he said "overwhelmingly benefits the very wealthy and the biggest corporations and exploded the federal deficit."
He added: "They added more to the national debt than in any presidential term in American history ... 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? I sure don’t. I’m going to keep fighting like hell to make it fair!"
Trump's campaign shot back that the former president "reformed the tax code to better serve middle-class families" and "doubled the standard deduction, making the first $24,000 a married couple earns completely tax-free."
5. The blocked immigration bill
Biden took Trump to task for ordering Senate and House Republicans to torpedo support for bipartisan legislation to address the crisis at the border.
"If my predecessor is watching, instead of playing politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it," he said. "We can do it together."
He added: "I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoning the blood of our country. I will not separate them from their separate families. I will not ban people because of their faith."
MAGA Inc. issued a rebuttal blaming Biden for the border crisis saying he issued "an executive order on his first day in office to halt the construction of the border wall" and "announced a policy to halt deportations for 100 days."
6. Gun safety measures and legislation
Biden slammed Trump for his opposition to gun safety legislation, from banning assault weapons to strengthening universal background checks.
"My predecessor told the NRA he is proud he did nothing on guns when he was president," Biden said. "After another shooting in Iowa recently, when asked what do about it, he said 'Just get over it.' That was his quote, just get over it. I say stop it. Stop it, stop it stop it."
7. Character and vision in the presidency
Biden wrapped up the speech by stressing character and vision.
"Other people my age see it differently, the American story, of resentment, revenge and retribution," he said. "That's not me."
He then joked about his age, but got reflective and serious.
"It's not how old we are. It's how old are our ideas," he said. "Hate, anger, revenge and retribution are the oldest ideas. But you can't lead America with ancient ideas, only take us back. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what can and should be done. Tonight you've heard mine."
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: State of the Union Address: Speech was a Biden-Trump campaign face-off
