Joe Biden's State of the Union address: Key Highlights

Biden's State of the Union address live: Biden's speech will be an attempt to assure the Americans that he is fit to continue his presidential duties next year.

Biden's State of the Union address live: US President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address tonight.(REUTERS)

Biden's State of the Union address live: This year's address gains significance as it marks Joe Biden's first address since announcing his candidacy for a second term. It also comes amidst mounting criticism and concern about his mental capability to run the country. It's expected that he will try to quell voter concerns about his job performance and make an election pitch against Donald Trump. ...Read More

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• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:28 PM

  State of Union live: Biden's fiery & forceful State of the Union speech features Israel, Trump & Laken Riley: Key takeaways

  

  WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: U.S. 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 on March 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. This is Biden�s last State of the Union address before the general election this coming November. Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)

  President Joe Biden on Thursday attacked former President Donald Trump's vision for America, criticized Israel and was challenged on immigration in his last State of the Union speech before the two men face off in the November U.S. election.

  Here are some takeaways from the State of the Union address on Thursday.

  Read More…

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:15 AM

  State of Union live: Biden campaign remarks Trump's Truth Social outage as ‘sad’

  The Biden campaign responded to Trump's Truth Social "rapid response" to the State of the Union, which experienced a brief outage, with a succinct one-word statement: "Sad."

  The statement bore a screenshot that appeared to capture Trump's Truth Social page buffering.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:12 AM

  State of Union live: Trump taps Britt's back

  Trump extended congratulations to Britt on her response, asserting that she provided a "great contrast" to an "angry" president.

  In a post on Truth Social, Trump remarked, "She was compassionate and caring, especially concerning Women and Women’s Issues. Her conversation on Migrant Crime was powerful and insightful. Great job Katie!”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:10 AM

  State of Union live: Hard fact checking tonight's Biden's speech

  During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden cited a 2021 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy think tank, stating that 55 of the country’s largest corporations had made $40 billion in profit in their previous fiscal year but hadn't paid any federal corporate income taxes.

  Biden claimed, “Remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income taxes. Zero. Not anymore. Thanks to the law I wrote and we signed, big companies have to pay a minimum of 15%.”

  Biden’s assertion of ‘not anymore’ is inaccurate

  While his 15% corporate minimum tax aims to reduce the number of major companies not paying federal taxes, it doesn’t guarantee that none of the previously mentioned companies will continue to do so. The minimum tax, applies to “book income” reported to investors, only applies to companies with at least $1 billion in average annual income.

  According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, only 14 of the 55 non-paying companies reported having US pre-tax income of at least $1 billion.

  Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, acknowledged the tax as a positive step but noted that it might not eliminate the phenomenon of zero-tax profitable corporations. He emphasized that the more accurate phrasing would be that the minimum tax will "help" ensure that "the most profitable" corporations pay at least some federal income tax.

  Fact checking Biden's Covid-19 address

  While addressing the pandemic time he suggested that more than 1 million American lives were lost to Covid-19 under the Trump administration. This statement requires context, as the US didn’t reach its millionth death until May 2022 when Biden was in office. While a huge numbers of lives were lost during the Trump administration, the official count surpassed a million deaths in May 2022 during Biden's presidency.

  As of February, over 1.18 million people in the US have died from Covid-19 according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:58 AM

  State of Union live: Sen Katie Britt slams Biden as 'perm politician' in SOTU rebuttal and says he is ‘out of touch’

  Alabama Sen. Katie Britt criticized President Joe Biden, lamenting that he is "out of touch" and lacks an understanding of the challenges confronting American families.

  In her GOP response to Biden’s State of the Union address, Britt remarked that the president’s statements were a “performance of a perm politician.”

  Britt, the youngest Republican woman elected to the US Senate, highlighted that Biden has been in office for “longer than I’ve been alive.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:44 AM

  State of Union live: Trump accuses Biden of delivering a 'significant misrepresentation' in Speech

  "Regardless of whether the Fake News Media is willing to admit it or not, there were significant misrepresentations and falsehoods in that speech," Trump stated on Truth Social. "However, the people of our country understand it, and they recognize that November 5th will be the Most Important Day in our Nation’s History!"

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:37 AM

  State of Union live: Trump directs personal slurs at Biden in Truth Social commentary

  

  Donald Trump marched March 6, 2024 towards a bitter rematch against President Joe Biden in November as his final Republican rival Nikki Haley thew in the towel after a thumping defeat in the "Super Tuesday" primaries. (Photo by TANNEN MAURY and Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (AFP)

  Former President Donald Trump's "play-by-play" response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address unfolded sporadically as Truth Social experienced a series of outages during the speech. Trump's reactions were often delayed as he observed Biden with a small group of advisers and aides from a war room set up at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

  During the brief intervals between outages, Trump posted messages mocking Biden's appearance, demeanor, and cough. Despite the personal attacks, Trump did address certain aspects of the speech, frequently steering the conversation back to immigration and the border. He also directly responded to Biden's comments on NATO.

  As Biden intensified his criticisms, Trump appeared to grow agitated, asserting that inflation under Biden was detrimental to America and taking credit for actions benefiting veterans and reducing pricing. Additionally, Trump claimed that Biden aimed to confiscate "everyone's gun."

  Trump extended his attacks to various lawmakers critical of him, including Republican Sen. Mitt Romney and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:25 AM

  State of Union live: Lookback just how Biden slams Trump at tonight's speech

  President Biden has once again criticized his predecessor in the White House, not taking the name Donal Trump on his lips once.

  In his remarks, Biden mentioned that his life has shaped his commitment to "embrace freedom and democracy" and to build a "future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, equality."

  "Now, some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution."

  "That's not me," Biden said.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:22 AM

  State of Union live: Trump's immigration critique echoes as Biden confronts heckling from Marjorie Taylor Greene

  One of the most notable moments of the evening unfolded as Joe Biden delved into the issue of immigration, a vulnerability evident in polls leading up to the November contest against Donald Trump.

  During his speech, the president faced disruption from Marjorie Taylor Greene, a rightwing antagonist, who insisted he say the name of Laken Riley, suspected to have been murdered by an undocumented migrant.

  Biden, typically avoiding interactions with Greene, chose to respond to her.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:18 AM

  State of Union live: Woman facing IVF halt in Alabama lauds Biden's stance on reproductive rights

  Emily Capilouto, residing in Alabama and eager to arrange an embryo transfer this month before her clinic halted IVF treatments following the recent state supreme court ruling, expressed her approval of the president's speech.

  “I was encouraged by the President’s call to protect IVF and reproductive rights as one of his first topics tonight, specifically his promise to restore Roe if Congress provides the opportunity,” she said. “I hope these protections continue to be a main focus for his campaign and administration.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:08 AM

  State of Union live: Biden wraps his speech

  Biden's address wrapped up shortly after 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

  He concluded with a forward-looking message for "all Americans." Reiterating a familiar phrase often used to conclude his speeches, he stated, "nothing" is beyond the U.S.' capacity when Americans work together.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:07 AM

  State of Union live: Can hear Biden's stumbling here and there, but ad-libbed smoothly

  Biden encountered moments of stumbling tonight, yet he also delivered some spontaneous ad-libs, which have been perceived as some of the most authentic moments.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:04 AM

  State of Union live: Biden wittily addresses age concern

  “I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” said the 81-year-old president, the oldest to ever hold the job.

  “You get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,” Biden continued. “I know the American story. Again and again, I’ve seen the contrast 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.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:01 AM

  State of Union live: Biden addresses Israel-Hamas conflict

  Biden's initial mention of the Middle East occurred 54 minutes into his speech. He addressed the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, acknowledging the family members of hostages present in the chamber. Some were guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who stood to applaud them.

  Biden proceeded to discuss Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:59 AM

  State of Union live: Biden addressed Israel-Hamas, but not a word on Aaron Bushnell

  While addressing the Israel-Hamas war, along with Yemen-Houthis, Biden refrained himself form mentioning Aaron Bushnell, the US Airman us set himself on fire in fornt of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:57 AM

  State of Union live: Biden avoids saying 'Donald Trump,' but mentions 'my predecessor' multiple times

  “My predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was president. After another shooting in Iowa recently, he said, when asked what to do about it, he said, ‘just get over it’. There’s his quote, ‘just get over it’,” Biden said.

  “I say, stop it”.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:54 AM

  State of Union live: The man who shouted ‘lies’ is Rep. Derrick Van Orden

  GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden is identified as the member who shouted "lies" when President Joe Biden criticized former President Donald Trump, as reported by two sources who heard him.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:51 AM

  State of Union live: Man shouting 'second battalion US Marines' removed from Biden's address

  A protester in the gallery, where guests sit, was removed from the speech while yelling about the Marines. "Second battalion US Marines," the man shouted. He was addressing murder rates. Biden did not acknowledge the individual.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:49 AM

  State of Union live: Biden compares Laken Riley to thousands of refugee children wanting to enter US

  Biden says Laken Riley is just like thousands of refugees trying to enter this country. But he can't help with this, or he will do wrong with those immigrants who are innocent and just trying to provide bread and butter for their families.

  “I will not demonize immigrants saying they are ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’” Biden said.

  “I will not separate families.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:46 AM

  State of Union live: Biden confuses the dead nursing student Laken Riley with Lincoln Riley, USC Head Coach
• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:44 AM

  State of Union live: President Biden speaks positively about border bill with bipartisan backing

  Biden condemned Republicans for obstructing the bipartisan border bill in the Senate, directly addressing skeptics within the chamber.

  Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., silently affirmed, "That's true," as Biden outlined the contents of his bipartisan border bill.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:42 AM

  State of Union live: Biden addresses Laken Riley and illegal immigrants

  Biden lifts and showcases Margery Green's pin while addressing Laken Riley case.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:35 AM

  State of Union live: Biden proposes 25% tax for American billionaires

  The Trump tax cuts are set to expire in the next term, whether it be during Biden's potential second term or Trump's return. This indicates Biden's intention to frame the expiring tax cuts as a negative aspect in the upcoming fall season.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:31 AM

  State of Union live: President goes off-book on education

  The final 30-45 seconds discussing education were entirely impromptu.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:26 AM

  State of Union live: Biden mocks drug companies

  Following the statement, "Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month!" Biden went off-script, remarking that drug companies continue to enjoy substantial profits despite this reduction. This unprepared commentary was not part of the initial remarks.

  Biden vows to lower costs for prescription drugs.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:22 AM

  State of Union live: Biden hits Republicans hard

  Joe Biden criticized Republicans who voted against the legislation he advocated for to revitalize the nation's infrastructure, despite accepting the money it authorized.

  “And by the way, I noticed some of you have strongly voted against it but they’re cheering on that money coming in,” Biden said, to applause, presumably from Democrats.

  “If you don’t want that money in your district, just let me know.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:20 AM

  State of Union live: Biden brings up Jan. 6 ‘twice’

  With a minimum of three references to "January 6" thus far, it seems that Biden has already brought up the Capitol riot more frequently this year compared to his previous addresses. In 2021, during his address to a joint session of Congress, which occurred over four months after the riot, Biden did not explicitly use the phrase "January 6." The same applies to his 2022 State of the Union address, as per transcripts of those speeches. Last year, he mentioned "January 6" twice.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:17 AM

  State of Union live: Error messages plague Trump's Truth Social during Biden's speech

  Former President Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, is currently experiencing intermittent outages. These issues arise following Trump's encouragement for supporters to use the platform for his "play-by-play" reactions to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

  The app intermittently shows an error message stating, "something went wrong," and the desktop version is sporadically failing to display posts.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:15 AM

  State of Union live: President Biden advocates his gov policies

  Biden hard sells his government policies, from clean water to getting jobs without even a college degree and decisions during his tenure at the State of union address

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:13 AM

  State of Union live: A Republican shouts 'lies' during Biden's IVF remarks

  During Biden's discussion on reproductive rights and the "duty of care," a Republican member audibly shouted "lies."

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:11 AM

  State of Union live: Biden links Roe to Trump appointed justices

  Biden pointed to the overturning of Roe to Trump, stating, "my predecessor," who appointed three Supreme Court justices. All three justices voted in favor of striking down Roe.

  The president highlighted Kate Cox, a guest of the first lady, as an illustration of the consequences of overturning Roe. Cox had to travel outside her home state of Texas for an abortion.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:09 AM

  State of Union live: Biden attacks Trump and invokes Jan 6 Capitol Hill attack

  Biden stated, "My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6. I will not do that." He urged lawmakers, regardless of party affiliation, to unite and protect democracy, emphasizing, "Remember your oath of office and defend us against all threats — foreign and domestic."

  "Political violence has absolutely no place, no place in America," he emphasized.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:06 AM

  State of Union live: Biden slams Trump's actions on Ukraine aid

  Minutes into his speech, the president's initial focus was on this assertion: Donald Trump bears responsibility for Congress's inability to approve additional aid for Ukraine.

  “Ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership,” Joe Biden said.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:04 AM

  State of Union live: ‘You can’t love your country only when you win,' Biden urges congressmen to join democracy

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:02 AM

  State of Union live: Biden's call to support Ukraine against Putin

  Biden begins his state of the union address with attack on Russia, says Putin won't stop with Ukraine. 'We need to stand up to Putin, history is watching. If US walks away, it will put Ukraine at risk, we will put Europe at risk. My message to Putin - we will not walk away'

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:01 AM

  State of Union live: Margery Taylor Greene's red dress shows slain Georgia college student Laken Riley

  

  Margery Taylor Greene (Getty Images via AFP)

  "Say Her Name Laken Riley" and "STOP THE BIDEN BORDER CRISIS." The initiative, spearheaded by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, advocates for more stringent border measures and aims to pay tribute to Riley.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:58 AM

  State of Union live: Biden starts his speech at 9:26 p.m. ET.

  The president initiated his speech at 9:26 p.m. ET.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:56 AM

  State of Union live: Democrats are chanting, 'Four more years!'

  As Biden approached the podium, Democratic members chanted, "Four more years! Four more years!"

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:49 AM

  State of Union live: Trump slams Biden for being late

  In a Truth Social post shared just minutes before the scheduled start of President Biden's State of the Union address, Trump criticized Biden for being "substantially late."

  "The President is very substantially late. Not a good start, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

  "I’m sure he had very important things to do, but he is just now getting into the car."

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:48 AM

  State of Union live: Biden enters the House chamber 15 minutes late

  The President has stepped into the House chambers for this evening's speech.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:46 AM

  State of Union live: Biden campaign raised $1 million in donation

  As Deputy Campaign Manager Rob Flaherty reported on X, tonight the Biden team has amassed $1 million in donations.

  "We’ve already raised $1 million online today, and POTUS is still an hour away from hitting the stage! Our million+ person grassroots donor community (a third of whom are new to the campaign since ‘20!) is strong and getting stronger!” Flaherty wrote shortly ago.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:44 AM

  State of Union live: Pro-Palestinian protestors are blocking the road between Capitol and White House, Biden 10mins late

  Biden is currently running 10 minutes behind schedule for his State of the Union address. His motorcade opted for a reroute, taking a longer path from the White House to the Capitol to dodge the protesters encamped along the regular route.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:35 AM

  State of Union live: Where to watch tonight's address

  Watch here

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:31 AM

  State of Union live: Biden's motorcade just spotted at the Capitol

  The presidential motorcade has reached the Capitol, and the President is scheduled to commence his address at 9 p.m. ET.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:30 AM

  State of Union live: The Supreme Court Justices have just entered the chamber

  Justices of the United States Supreme Court have entered the chamber to participate in President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:28 AM

  State of Union live: Why are women wearing white tonight

  An eye-catching trend is apparent as legislators and officials convene in the House of Representatives.

  Large nos of female representatives have chosen to wear white, but why?

  The Democratic Women’s Caucus has announced that its members are sporting the hue, complemented by pins that proclaim “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom”.

  Lois Frankel, the chair of the caucus, articulated their stance: “Our message is clear: women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures. That means women, not politicians, should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families. That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF.”

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:10 AM

  Biden's State of the Union address live: Jill Biden invites Alabamian mother affected by IVF ruling tonight

  Latorya Beasley, an Alabama resident impacted by the state’s Supreme Court decision on embryos, is among the guests invited by Jill Biden for tonight’s event.

  After successfully welcoming their first child via IVF in 2022, Beasley and her spouse were preparing for another IVF cycle when the transfer of their embryo was halted due to the court’s ruling. This development was highlighted by the White House while revealing the first lady’s guest roster.

  In response to the backlash from the court’s decision, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation last evening to safeguard IVF procedures.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 06:51 AM

  Biden's State of the Union address live: Points Biden will address tonight

  • Strong Democracy: Biden will stress the critical nature of a robust democracy. He will also advocate for unity in preserving the strength of American democracy.
  • Repeated phrases: The phrase “finish the job” will be a recurring theme in his address.
  • Representing all of America: He will stress the importance of bipartisanship and moving beyond unnecessary conflicts and power struggles.
  • Linking deficit reduction to tax on the wealthy: Biden will connect deficit reduction efforts to his plans for taxing the wealthy more. The President is expected to propose an increase in the minimum tax rates paid by major US and multinational corporations to 21%. He will make a case for continued investment without cutting Social Security and Medicare.
  • Immigration bill: Biden is likely to urge Republican lawmakers to pass a bipartisan immigration bill, a that was previously blocked by Trump’s allies in Congress.
  • Middle-class messiah: The White House aims for the public to recognize Biden’s understanding and active efforts to improve their lives.
  • “Restoring the soul of the nation”: Biden will revisit his campaign theme to advocate for-Police reform, Gun law revamp, protecting abortion rights.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 06:44 AM

  Biden's State of the Union address live: X users are slamming Biden for posting video with Morgan Freeman, Geena Davis and more

  President Biden sought counsel from Hollywood’s A-listers who have portrayed U.S. presidents on screen, in preparation for his State of the Union address.

  The president’s official X account posted a video on Thursday showcasing a virtual roundtable with stars such as Morgan Freeman, Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Michael Douglas, and Tony Goldwyn.

  Biden met with these actors to gain insights from their experiences in fictional presidential roles, aiming to add a touch of cinematic wisdom to his upcoming speech.

• Fri, 08 Mar 2024 06:30 AM

  Biden's State of the Union address live: Some State of the Union facts

  • Barack Obama is the only Black American to have addressed a joint session or meeting of Congress.
  • Other notable Black speakers at joint meetings of Congress include Nelson Mandela (1990, 1994) and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2006).
  • Woodrow Wilson holds the record for most speeches before Congress (26), while Franklin Roosevelt has the most State of the Union/annual message addresses (12).
  • Due to their early deaths, William Henry Harrison and James Garfield did not deliver any State of the Union or annual message.
  • The first State of the Union/annual message streamed live on the Internet was by George W. Bush in 2002.

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