State of the Union address: Biden calls out Trump; restates support for Ukraine; challenges China’s ‘unfair economic practices’; stability across Taiwan Straits, pacific states, others

U.S. President Joe Biden delivered the last State of the Union address of his first term on Thursday, March 7, 2024 before a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the Capital building in Washington, DC. This is his third and final address before the November general election.

The president came out fired up and gave an energetic starkly political speech that was a far cry from some of his more subdued efforts that have concerned supporters. He delivered much of the speech at high volume.

Biden highlighted in his speech his accomplishments in office, look ahead to a second-term agenda, allay concerns about his age and fitness and provide a contrast with Republicans, including his rival Donald Trump.

Biden who referenced “my predecessor” 13 times but did not mention Trumps name during his speech, took multiple swipes at Trump drawing a contrast with his Republican challenger Donald Trump ahead of a likely rematch in the November presidential election.

This is reflective of the extraordinary political moment Biden finds himself in, where the political norms of the past decades – ones Biden has openly pined for – have been largely swept aside.

In the very opening of his speech, he lambasted the former president for his statement about encouraging Russia to invade NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets.

Thereafter, he went after election lies following the 2020 election as the “gravest threat to democracy” since the Civil War.

Biden also criticized the former president over his remarks on immigration. “I will not demonize immigrants, saying they are poisoning the blood of our country. I will not separate families, I will not ban people because of their faith.”

When he was interrupted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was calling attention to the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant, Biden responded directly by picking up one of the pins the Georgia Republican had been passing out reading “Say Her Name: Laken Riley” and using the term “illegal,” which isn’t how Democrats ordinarily describe immigrants.

It was as clear a sign as any of how Biden views the upcoming general election campaign, with nothing less than the future of American democracy on the ballot. And even as he works to tout his own accomplishments, as important for Biden was warning what might happen should Trump return to office.

Biden in his Thursday night speech also called out Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

He said: “Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. Now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.’ A former American president actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable.”

And on China, Biden touted his policy toward the country by comparing it to Trump’s.

He said, “We’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices. And standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. I’ve revitalized our partnerships and alliances in the Pacific — India, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Pacific Islands. I’ve made sure that most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China, not allowing to trade them there. Frankly for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that.”

On the Hamas-Israel conflict, Biden announced a new US plan to bolster humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

“Tonight, I’m directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments, carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters. No US boots will be on the ground.”

On the economy, Biden in his speech, refers to “the greatest comeback story never told” — part brushback against what he views as persistently negative media coverage, part an acknowledgement he could do more to explain his agenda to everyday Americans.

Also, questions over Biden’s age and fitness for office have become one of the principal backdrops to the presidential campaign. So it was not surprising that Biden would face the issue during his State of the Union

His argument on that front – that Trump is almost the same age, but with an antiquated and vengeful outlook – sought to defuse the issue and turn it around on his opponent.

“When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,” Biden said in his speech, to some laughs.

He went on: “The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are,” adding later we “can’t lead with ancient ideas.”

The State of the Union was watched by what will likely be one of Biden’s largest audiences in the months leading up to Election Day.