KEY POINTS
- Biden once again urged lawmakers to stand with Ukraine so it can 'stop Putin'
- He called for expanded education provisions and higher taxes on the wealthiest
- Biden also addressed concerns about his age, saying the issue is more on 'how old are our ideas'
Father Time took a back seat Thursday night as U.S. President Joe Biden delivered an electrifying, final State of the Union address ahead of the 2024 presidential election, where he is expected to meet ex-President Donald Trump in a rematch of their turbulent 2020 rivalry.
Putin won't stop with Ukraine
The 81-year-old Democratic leader kicked off his speech with a warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin will "not stop at Ukraine." He noted that democracy is under threat due to Putin's war in Ukraine.
A significant number of the audience, comprising Republican and Democratic leaders alike, rose to their feet as he said, "Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that it needs to defend itself."
Higher taxes on the wealthiest
The president said that money from higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans could be used to continue implementing cuts to the federal deficit. He also suggested using the funds on other federal initiatives.
"No billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, or a nurse," Biden said as some members of the audience cheered.
The president noted that in 2020, "55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income taxes." However, this scenario will no longer be repeated, he said. "Thanks to the law I wrote and we signed, big companies have to pay a minimum of 15%.
A jab at the Trump administration
In a flashback to Jan. 6, 2020, Biden said his "predecessor and some of you here" want to bury the truth about the fatal riot. "Here's the simple truth, you can't love your country only when you win."
He also noted that his "predecessor" told Putin to "do whatever you want." It's "outrageous, it's dangerous and its unacceptable," he said to cheers from Democrats.
"I will not demonize immigrants by saying they are poison in the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not ban people because of their faith, unlike my predecessor," he said in a seeming reference to Trump's past comments about immigrants.
Biden calls out China's 'unfair economic practices'
America isn't "falling behind," as some Republicans and Democrats have been saying in the past few years, Biden said. The U.S. remains the top economy in the world, the president said, as he raised his voice to silence concerns about China on the rise.
"China is down to the lowest point in over a decade, and we're standing up against China's unfair economic practices. We're standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and we've revitalized our partnership and alliance in the Pacific."
Shoutout to abortion rights
The U.S. leader brought Democrats to their feet once more as he called out bans on IVF. He also praised Vice President Kamala Harris for defending Americans reproductive freedom.
Empowering American students through expanded education provisions
High-quality education is crucial in driving the U.S. forward, Biden said, noting that "to remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best education system in the world."
He said his administration wants to provide "high-quality tutoring and summer learning" for American students, while also increasing investments for historically Black colleges and universities. Public school teachers should also see their salaries raised, the president said.
Greene heckles Biden over nursing student's killing
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goaded Biden into mentioning the name of Laken Riley, who was allegedly killed by an undocumented Venezuelan. "Laken Riley was killed by an illegal," the president said as he held up a Laken Riley pin he received from the GOP lawmaker when he walked into the House chamber before his address.
Republicans have often trumpeted border security as a key vulnerability of the Democratic president.
Biden decries 'shrinkflation'
"Shrinkflation," or the manufacturing practice wherein the size of packages are shrunk in lieu of hiking prices, is becoming a real problem for the American public, the president said.
He urged Congress to pass an anti-shrinkflation bill that Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced.
Highlighting millions of new jobs
While Biden had been focusing on some of the issues the U.S. is faced with in the beginning of his speech, he also claimed that the American economy added 15 million new jobs in the first three years since he came to power.
Biden puts foot down on Gaza humanitarian crisis
The U.S. leader announced he is directing the American military "to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza" to allow for large shipments of humanitarian aid for the civilian public in the war-torn enclave.
Biden has shown increasing frustration over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to allow more aid into Gaza. He has also been pushing the Israeli government to agree to a ceasefire as hunger mounts in the Strip. "Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority."
Preserving Medicare and Social Security funding
To some booing and jeers from Republican lawmakers, Biden urged for the preservation of Medicare and Social Security funding. As he has repeatedly said in the past years, he argued that the U.S. can still invest without cutting the two safety net programs.
Response to age-related concerns
In what seems to be a response to growing concerns about his ability to run the government due to his age, the oldest president in U.S. history said he remains "optimistic."
"My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are; it's how old are our ideas."
Second term preview
As the U.S. moves closer and closer to the November 2024 elections, it's getting more apparent that the presidential race will be a rematch between Biden and Trump.
Biden then gave the audience a preview of what his second term will look like, pointing to the following priorities:
- AI legislation
- Gun-related laws
- Lowering the federal classification of marijuana
- More investments on mental health workers, police officers
- Ban on assault weapons
Other key takeaways:
- Biden doesn't mention "Donald Trump" and only repeatedly referred to the ex-president as his "predecessor."
- A huge chunk of Biden's speech was on U.S. foreign policy.
- Observers noted that the aged president was energetic and at times "fiery" in delivering points he wanted to emphasize.
- He emphasized the contrasts between his policies and the former administration: taxes, immigration, etc.
- Some Congress members wore "153" pins as the Israel-Hamas war rages on, 153 days since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre.
