Witty, energetic and cheerful. If US President Biden is concerned about the rest of his term in office – with a majority of the Republican opposition in the House of Representatives – it was not reflected in his annual speech to the assembled state of the Union on Tuesday.
There was hardly a trace of the seething Biden who, on the eve of the November election, lashed out against what he believed were extremist supporters of former President Trump. He congratulated the new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, and the two warmly shook hands three times before Biden opened his speech. He started off with a joke: “Mr. Chairman, I don’t want to jeopardize your reputation, but I look forward to working with you.” McCarthy has sharpened his knives under pressure from a far-right minority in his faction. Biden praised Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. He kept dropping words like “together,” “in cooperation,” “in good consultation,” “both parties,” “Republican friends.”
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In the hour and 15 minutes that the speech lasted, Biden constantly reiterated the good cooperation he has had with Republican members of Congress over the past two years. He listed laws passed with bipartisan support — 300 in the past two years, the president said — with the effect of drawing regular applause from all sides of the room, even standing ovations. He thanked the Republicans who voted for his infrastructure bill. And he thanked the Republicans who voted against it. “I’ll probably see you again when roads or bridges are opened,” he chuckled.
Capitol storming
Biden twice briefly reflected on the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, more than two years ago. He did that, among other things, by addressing Paul Pelosi, husband of the previous Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Her husband was badly injured with a hammer in November by a man who “uttered the same language as the rioters who walked these corridors on January 6”.
He emphatically listed topics on which both sides can agree: the excessive cost of medicines, the need for well-trained police, the importance of fossil fuels to the American economy. “We will continue to use oil and gas for at least another ten years,” he said, deviating from the text his press department had put online. Republicans started booing; in the election campaign they often claim that Biden wants to ban oil drilling. In recent weeks it has often been about “Democrats coming to take your gas stove”.
On all of those points, he looked to his left, where the Republicans sat, and called for cooperation. “We’ve done so much together,” Biden said. “Let’s get the job done.”
At times when he broached topics that Republicans feel decidedly different from Democrats, Biden seemed to enjoy the political game while doing so. He had the Republicans tucked into a trap no doubt prepared, but again unscripted. He said that “some Republicans” want to abolish Social Security and the health insurance fund for the elderly. Passionate boos from the Republican trade. “Really, I can show you the proposal,” Biden continued. “Liar!” it sounded now. “Well, great,” said the president with a smile. “Then we seem to agree on that.”
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‘Forgotten Americans’
He boldly copied former President Trump’s rhetoric when he said that “the forgotten Americans” will no longer be forgotten. And there were Trumpian echoes in comments about protectionist measures. He promised that infrastructure works carried out with federal money will only use American construction materials. Buy American goods. I’m sure I’ll be punished for that,” Biden said with a nod to criticism from his European allies about what they consider unfairly favoring American companies in greening the economy. “This is all within the trade agreements,” Biden said.
For example, America saw on all major TV channels how the Democratic president was applauded by an opposition that has promised to pull out all the stops to force his ministers to resign and prevent his government investments. In addition, the opposition’s traditional response this year pales in comparison.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former spokesman for President Trump and now governor of Arkansas, attacked Biden as an over-aged, frail leader “being held hostage by a woke mob.” The most notable moment in her speech was when she said it’s time for “a new generation of Republicans”—which unintentionally sounded like a disqualification of the only 2024 Republican presidential candidate so far, her old boss.