During his third and final State of the Union address before the 2024 US Presidential Elections, incumbent US President Joe Biden aggressively slammed Republican rival Donald Trump.
Joe Biden observed, in response to Trump’s accusations of a stolen election and his followers’ Jan 6 US Capitol revolt, “You can’t love the country only when you win”.
He also discussed several themes, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, immigration, student loan debt, and more. Here are the most important lessons from Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address.
Sweden joined NATO
Joe Biden began his remarks by welcoming Sweden to the NATO alliance with the words, “Welcome, welcome, welcome!”
During the speech, he welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and remarked, “Mr Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever known.”
“Today, we’ve made NATO stronger than ever,” he said.
On Putin and the Ukraine-Russia war
Biden reiterated his calls for military aid to Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop there. Still, Kyiv can stop him “if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.” That is all Ukraine is requesting. They’re not asking for American soldiers.”
“Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop in Ukraine, I assure you, he will not,” he warned.
He stated that there are “no American soldiers at war in Ukraine, and I am determined to keep it that way,” but added that the support Ukraine requires is “being blocked by those who want us to walk away from our leadership in the world.”
“It wasn’t that long ago when a Republican President, Ronald Reagan, thundered, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall’. Now, my predecessor, a former Republican President, tells Putin, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.’ A former American President actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader.”
Slamming Trump, he said, “It’s outrageous. It is risky. “It’s unacceptable.”
On the Israel-Hamas war
Talking about the crisis abroad, Joe Biden said, “I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and so many here in America.”
He promised not to rest until all of the Hamas hostages were returned home.
He issued a harsh warning to Israel’s leaders, telling them not to withhold humanitarian aid from Palestinians for political reasons.
“Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”
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“This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined,” he added.
He also revealed that he would be directing the US military “to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.”
However, he emphasized that no military will be deployed on the ground.
“No US boots will be on the ground,” he said.
“This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day. But Israel must also do its part,” he added.
“Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire.”
He cautioned Israel’s leaders that “humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
In his State of the Union address, Joe Biden emphasized the importance of abortion rights, promising to reinstate Roe v. Wade provided Congress “supports the right to choose.”
Joe Biden highlighted the chaos of overturning Roe v. Wade
Drawing a contrast with his “predecessor,” he said, “My predecessor came to office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned. He’s the reason it was overturned. He brags about it. Look at the chaos that has resulted.” He did not mention Trump by name.
“My God, what freedoms will you take away next? In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote the following, and with all due respect Justices, ‘Women are not without—electoral or political power.’ Excuse me, electoral or political power. You’re about to realise how right we are about that.”
Joe Biden emphasized his support for abortion rights, promising to make them the law of the land if elected.
Republicans respond to Joe Biden’s State of the Union
US Senator Katie Britt of Alabama presented the Republicans’ formal answer to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. She criticized Biden on subjects such as immigration and the status of the US economy while delivering the GOP’s rebuttal to the status of the Union address.
“There is no doubt we’re at a crossroads and it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Britt, adding, “We all feel it. But here’s the good news: we the People are still in the driver’s seat. We get to decide whether our future will grow brighter, or whether we settle for an America in decline. Well, I know which choice our children deserve – and the choice the Republican Party is fighting for.”