Staff Reports
Republicans were left feeling like they had stumbled into a raucous campaign rally rather than a dignified State of the Union address after President Joe Biden’s speech. They described the atmosphere in the House chamber as akin to a chaotic high school gymnasium. The GOP lawmakers wasted no time in criticizing Biden for exploiting the historic annual address to boost his chances for reelection, declaring it shameful.
State of the Union 2024: House Republicans blast Biden’s ‘campaign rally’ as political theater https://t.co/Y8Ud4KYM7U via @dcexaminer
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Representative Derrick Van Orden, a Wisconsin Republican, scoffed at the President’s speech, deeming it a Democratic campaign rally and implying that Biden should have handed out contribution forms to the networks as if they were donation buckets at a charity event. He lambasted Biden for using the address to disparage former President Donald Trump and boost his own image. Van Orden was not alone in his criticism. Representative Stephanie Bice from Oklahoma also denounced Biden for relentlessly tossing out campaign one-liners throughout his speech, particularly on issues such as inflation, Social Security, and Ukraine.
The GOP was particularly agitated by Biden’s failure to directly address the border crisis, an issue that is of critical importance to Republicans. They were keen to hear solutions from the President and were bracing themselves for a session of blame-shifting. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a firebrand from Georgia, even went as far as to heckle Biden to highlight the tragic killing of Laken Riley, who lost her life at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Although Biden eventually acknowledged Riley’s death after persistent badgering, some Republicans believed he did so reluctantly and without sincerity.
Furthermore, the Republicans took issue with the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who failed to give the customary introduction to Biden before his address. This breach of tradition caused a stir, with Representative Monica De La Cruz from Texas dismissing it as mere D.C. drama, comparing the capital to a soap opera. The chamber was filled with a cacophony of cross-party chatter, with Democrats booing and hushing Republicans who voiced their dissent during the speech. Despite the occasional outburst, Representative Van Orden contended that Republicans conducted themselves more civilly than their Democratic counterparts during the address.
Biden’s State of the Union address was nothing more than a thinly veiled partisan performance, replete with political jabs and lacking in substance. They viewed the evening as a missed opportunity by the President to unite the country and address crucial issues in a bipartisan manner.
