President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech for over an hour on Thursday night, delivering a number of highlights and key moments that elicited reactions from the crowd and on social media.
Biden used the first few minutes of the speech to talk about Putin’s aggression in Russia, the war in Ukraine, and Sweden’s entrance into NATO.
“What makes our moment rare is freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time,” Biden said. “Overseas, Putin’s Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.”
Biden went on to criticize those who are blocking funding for Ukraine and tout Sweden’s recent entry into NATO as proof Biden has made the alliance stronger.
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President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP)
Biden mentioned Trump several times during the speech — which drew criticism from conservative pundits who said the address sounded like a campaign speech — and often referred to him simply as “my predecessor.”
“My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th,” Biden told the audience near the beginning of his speech. “I will not do that.”
Biden leaned into the illegal immigration discussion and touted the merits of the failed bipartisan Senate immigration bill.
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President Joe Biden speaks during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators,” Biden said. “The result was a bipartisan bill with a tougher set of border security reforms than we’ve ever seen.”
That comment drew groans from Republicans in the crowd, who Biden went off script and addressed.
“Oh, you don’t think so?” Biden said. “Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh? That conservatives got together and said it was a good bill? I’ll be darned. That’s amazing.”
“Look at the facts, I know you know how to read,” Biden quipped when Republicans continued to voice their displeasure with his description of the failed legislation.
Biden later mentioned the name of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, which Republicans have been demanding he do.
“Laken Riley,” Biden said. An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. That’s right. But how many of thousands of people being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you. Having lost children myself, I understand.”
US President Joe Biden, during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Many on social media posted that they heard Biden incorrectly say “Lincoln Riley” instead of “Laken.”
Toward the end of his speech, Biden acknowledged those who have criticized him for his age and made the case that his age is an asset.
“I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” Biden said. “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. I know the American story again and again. I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation, between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future.”
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“I’ve been told I’m too old,” Biden added, “whether young or old, I’ve always been known, I’ve always known what endures.”
“I’ve known our North Star, the very idea of America, is that we’re all created equal and deserve 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, and I won’t walk away from it now. I’m optimistic.”
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.