President Biden delivered his 2024 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Thursday night, promoting the accomplishments of his first three years in office and offering a spirited defense of his vision for the nation’s future. The president’s speech was followed by the Republican response from Alabama Sen. Katie Britt. If you missed watching the State of the Union live, you can see a replay in the video player above.
The address came as Mr. Biden prepares for a likely reelection matchup against former President Donald Trump. Though he did not mention Trump by name, he made several references to “my predecessor,” issuing sharp criticism of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Trump’s opposition to a bipartisan immigration and border security bill that stalled in Congress last month.
In the video excerpt below, Mr. Biden calls out Republicans for rejecting the border legislation:
The president spoke extensively about his economic record, job growth and the impact of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package to revitalize the nation’s roads, bridges and public transit, as well as legislation aimed at boosting domestic production of semiconductor chips. Watch that section of his speech in the video below:
Mr. Biden also focused on reproductive rights and abortion, which Democrats see as a winning issue at the ballot box.
“My predecessor came into office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned. He’s the reason it was overturned, and he brags about it. Look at the chaos that has resulted,” Mr. Biden said. He called on Congress to pass legislation protecting access to IVF nationwide, after an Alabama court ruling led clinics there to temporarily halt treatments over concerns about legal liability.
See that part of his speech in the video below:
In his closing remarks, the president confronted a topic that polls show is on the minds of many voters: his age. (Mr. Biden is 81 years old and Trump is 77.)
“I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” he quipped. “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever before. 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.”
Watch that portion of his address here:
In the official Republican response, Britt presented a very different view of Mr. Biden’s record and priorities. Speaking from the kitchen table at her home in Montgomery, Britt said, “What we saw was the performance of a permanent politician who has actually been in office for longer than I’ve been alive. One thing was quite clear though: President Biden just doesn’t get it.”
Watch her full remarks in the video below:
Caroline Linton, Stefan Becket, Melissa Quinn and Kaia Hubbard contributed reporting.
