As he approached reelection, President Joe Biden gave a boisterous third State of the Union address, which may be one of his most significant addresses to date. In his remarks to the joint session of Congress, Biden made many disparaging remarks about Donald Trump . While presenting his vision for the nation at the State of the Union address, the President faced criticism from Republican hecklers. Several Fox News analysts also condemned his speech.
Biden: I was watching on Fox News last night They were saying, you know, Biden is changing from trickle down economics to build from the middle out and bottom up, It’s going to ruin America. Ruin America? We have the strongest economy in the world right now. pic.twitter.com/7zgH3XOrZq
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 8, 2024
During a Friday campaign stop in Philadelphia, Biden stated his case for reelection while also criticizing an unidentified Fox News pundit who had accused him of allegedly attempting to ‘ruin America.’ As reported by Mediate , he said, “I was watching on television last night about two in the morning after he got back to the house. The house. The White House. Still hard to think of it as home. I had the TV on. There was a Fox News commentator saying, ‘You know, Biden is changing from trickle-down economics to build from the middle-out, the bottom-up. Gonna ruin America.'”
During interview with Mike Johnson, Fox News host Dana Perino admits that Biden had a strong performance last night. Johnson responds by trying go gaslight people about the state of the economy, which is actually very strong. pic.twitter.com/Le1Q7rYlp6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 8, 2024
The incumbent President further added, “Ruin America? We have the strongest economy in the world right now.” As per the outlet, a TV transcript database check of the network revealed no evidence a host accusing Biden of attempting to ‘ruin America’ despite the harsh criticism Fox received for its broadcast in Biden’s address.
Fox guest: Biden brought a lot of vigor, a lot of energy. He was successful. He was effective tonight pic.twitter.com/oq2cMwSSNN
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) March 8, 2024
Moreover, even though Biden did not mention his predecessor by name, it was clear that Trump was the focal point of this year’s State of the Union address, which made it more politically charged. Biden defended his age as a strength after his address, acknowledging some who had criticized him for it. Concerns about Biden’s age and suitability for government had, by this point, established themselves as one of the main themes of the presidential campaign. It’s a major factor in the claims made by several Democrats that they would have chosen a different candidate.
As reported by Time , Biden mentioned during his speech, “I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while. When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. 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. I’ve been told I’m too old, whether young or old, I’ve always been known, I’ve always known what endures.”
State of the Union addresses are often formal events with predetermined agendas. On Thursday, however, that was not the case as Biden repeatedly deviated from the plan to speak informally and engage with Republicans. The President’s easy banter with Republicans over immigration, social security, and taxation undoubtedly gave him more energy throughout his address. After last year’s speech, when his back-and-forth with Republicans in the audience stood out, Biden appeared to have incorporated those moments into his most recent speech.