08 March 2024 , 03:50
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Former President Donald Trump appeared desperate on his Truth Social account as he attacked President Joe Biden for his appearance during the State of the Union on Thursday, barely finding anything to say about the Democrat's delivery as Biden flawlessly and passionately spoke.
Trump's insults were crude in nature, coming after Biden's hair and even his passion, which the businessman referred to as "anger," calling Biden "crazy." "His hair is much better in the front than on the back!" Trump wrote in one Truth, as the posts are called. "He looks so angry when he's talking, which is a trait of people who know they are 'losing it.' The anger and shouting is not helpful to bringing our Country back together!" he added. "He is so angry and crazy!" Trump concluded.
Trump even took to making googly-eyed pictures of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, posting gifs of them to his Truth Social account as he poked fun at them both. Most posts, however, ragged on Biden's policies.
Just before the speech began and for several minutes after it started, Truth Social crashed, failing to load for users as thousands seemed to flood the site to look at Trump's live coverage of the event.
In the fiery address, Biden passionately advocated for many of the policies he and other Democrats have been advocating for during his time in office as he savagely attacked Trump, who he never actually named. From abortion rights and the overturning of Roe v. Wade to immigration policy, Biden discussed a wide range of issues that have become hot-button topics ahead of the November election that will likely see him pitted against Trump in a repeat of the 2020 election.
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Biden was about 15 minutes late to his speech, but he was met with rapturous applause and chants of "four more years!" (SHAWN THEW/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Biden arrived at the Capitol Building at approximately 9.15pm ET, 15 minutes late for his speech. As he walked around the chamber, greeting Democrats and some Republicans, the Democrats — from both the House of Representatives and the Senate — began cheering, "Four more years!" All the Democratic women wore white in support of abortion rights.
Trump was quick to criticise the president, taking to his Truth Social account — as he said he would be making live updates from the entire night — to write: "The President is very substantially late. Not a good start, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure he had very important things to do, but he is just now getting into the car. They will have to drive very, very quickly, you just don’t want to be late to the State of the Union. They will need Mario Andretti to be at the wheel of the Limo."
But, throughout the speech, Biden seemed to make no major gaffes, speaking clearly, strongly and passionately throughout the speech, pausing only three times: when Republican congresspeople booed him when he discussed immigration statistics; when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georiga, rose to advocate for Laken Riley, the college student who was slaughtered as she ran by an "illegal" immigrant; and when a protestor in the back of the room began screaming something unintelligible, seemingly about the U.S. Marines.
During the first of the pauses, Biden told Republicans: "You're saying no. Look at the facts. I know you know how to read." During the second, he shocked Democrats and Republicans alike when he called Riley's killer an "illegal" immigrant. And during the third, he simply stumbled over his words for a second before regaining his composure as the cameras showed security leading the man out of the chamber.
This year's State of the Union was a much-anticipated event — it is the last before the November elections that will determine whether Biden will earn himself another four years in office or if he will be replaced by Trump, who is currently the GOP frontrunner and only candidate left in the race for the presidency.
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President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol (Getty Images)Trump, in an unprecedented campaign move, has said he will provide live "fact checks" of the president's speech on his Truth Social page, which likely means he will be spending much of the evening bashing the president for the benefit of his own campaign.
It was expected that Biden would use the speech on Thursday to try and bolster his campaign and win support across the board for his bid for reelection — drawing voters away from Trump and toward him. And that's exactly what he did.
The State of the Union is an annual event dictated by the U.S. Constitution, which requires the sitting president to every year "give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
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But many have concerns about the president's ability to deliver an effective speech, with one worrying that he'll simply drive home rumours that he suffers from mental afflictions due to his old age. Biden is currently 81 and is the oldest sitting president in American history. He would also become the oldest-ever president elected if he wins reelection in November.
The president is expected to address his age during the speech, with excerpts shared with CNN revealing that he sees his age as. source of his wisdom and that he'll tell the nation that. He did just that.
"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor," Biden said. "Now, some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge and retribution. That's not me."
Biden has been making loads of gaffes over the past several months, leading many to believe he is incompetent, but made none on Thursday (Getty Images)It is believed that the president going on the offensive about the sensitive topic could help bolster support for him as he is transparent about it to voters. But professor Inderjeet Parmar, head of the Department of International Politics at City, University of London, told TheMirror.com that he isn't so certain addressing it will have that effect.
Instead, Parmar believes the speech could do "further harm" to his campaign, making him as even more "unpopular" than he already is. He told The Mirror US: "Given concerns about Biden's age and health, ... a good, clear performance will help. But the fact is that Biden is unpopular, as is Trump, and I doubt the speech will change anything very much. But it could do further harm."
Parmar's concerns ended up being just that — concerns. The president was strong as he spoke and gave no indication, save the occasional cough and slurring of a few words, that he's 81 and that his health is on the decline like any other 81-year-old.
Biden, in an interview with late-night comedian Seth Meyers, said it matters not how old a candidate is but "how old [their] ideas are." Ironically, Trump has bashed Biden for his age despite being just four years younger than him. Biden is 81 and will be 82 by January when he may or may not stay in office, and Trump is 77 and will be 78 by January.
Among the most anticipated topics Biden was slated to discuss were home prices, immigration, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called out Biden about the death of Laken Riley, the student who was killed (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)The president discussed the prices of homes, just as an adviser said he would, telling CNN: "He knows that the American people, American families, need a break here. ... So, yes, he'll talk very directly about housing tonight."
Parmar told The Mirror US that more economic discussion will likely occur as well, stating: "The economy is doing well at the moment and will probably [continue to do well] into November. Bidenomics has delivered a massive boost to national infrastructure and industrial policy — one of the largest government interventions in the economy for generations, perhaps going back to the New Deal in the 1930s." He did just that.
Discussions on immigration and policies surrounding the southern border with Mexico also took place — both hot-button issues ahead of the election that could make or break the campaigns of either Biden or Trump, one of whom many believe is too soft and the other they believe is too harsh.
Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision from the 1970s that guaranteed the right to an abortion, was overturned in 2023, and Biden addressed that as well in his speech.
In an excerpt shared by the White House just before the State of the Union, Biden was slated to say (and later did say): "In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote, 'Women are not without electoral or political power.' No kidding. Clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America. But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024. If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again."
Biden received standing ovations from Democrats every few minutes for the things he said (AFP via Getty Images)On the war in Ukraine, Biden touched on his unwavering support for increased aid for Ukraine as it battles Russia, which invaded in February 2022. He attacked Trump and GOP congresspeople who opposed bills that included aid for the country, highlighting the dangers of a victory by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said: “Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and we provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.”
And finally, the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, who invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and killed 1,200 innocent Israelis and captured another 250, was another major topic of conversation in the State of the Union — especially as many of Biden's voter base take issue with the president so strongly backing Israel in the conflict (though he has backed down on that in recent months and put pressure on Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu ).
Hamas still holds 100 hostages — but in the months since Oct. 7, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have slaughtered nearly 31,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The IDF, in its retaliatory strikes, has been bombing hospitals, refugee camps and areas designated safe by the Israeli government.
Parmar noted the alienation of Arab and Muslim voters by the Biden Administration, which could prove detrimental in a few key states as Biden attempts to win a second term. He told The Mirror US: "Young voters who backed Biden in 2020 are alienated by the President for his stand on an immediate ceasefire; expect some messaging on this; this also applies to Muslim and Arab American voters – who though a tiny percentage of the electorate could make the difference in tight races in Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, for example, if they abstain from voting in November."
Biden seemed to almost call a spade a spade, however, as he addressed the slaughter of innocent Palestinians by Israeli forces, emphasising that Israel has a responsibility to protect them and that it hasn't been doing so.
He ended his speech by talking about how much he believes in America, tooting his own horn for all the things he spoke about that he said he did well while in office. Throughout the address, Democrats rapturously applauded him, giving him numerous standing ovations.