Transcripts For CNNW The 20240704

Warning in the dobbs decision, right, from the dissenters from the liberal justices. They said, look, this is a slippery slope. Republicans dispute this. Of course, we should note. But there are they do legislators here and there who have i mean, when you believe that fertilization that that life begins at conception, that there are some consequences there. And when you start to talk about the technologies, i mean, its entirely, you know, were seeing unintended consequences. Lets just put it that way. Just to note, i mean, how important this issue is, dozens of democrats have brought guests related to ivf and including The First Lady, including The First Lady. So thats another way that they show, you know, their priorities for this address. Thats from what weve gathered from the president s excerpts of his speech. Its going to be a big part of his remarks. Its also the most i mean, maybe second to democracy, if youre talking about base democratic voters, probably the most important issue for them is reproductive rights in this election. Kind of surprising, by the way, that none of the none of the democrats, as far as i know, brought anyone related to others. The first lady and President Biden. They have made it to the capitol. Lets listen in. Mr. President , how are you feeling . Great. Thats the second. How are you feeling . And great of the evening whoever Good To Great right. From Good To Great. Well he got to reinvigorate reinvigorated in the car with his grandchildren, but its kind of surprising that nobody brought a guest related at all to the prosecution of donald trump, because you could say i would not put it above any politician to bring, say, E Jean Carroll or anyone like that. Maybe they are in there, but thats something else. Thats a cloud over all of this is the fact that donald trump, who President Biden will be facing in november, has all these legal problems. Caitlin absolutely. And, you know, as mj lee reported earlier, that joe, joe biden, President Biden is not expected to say Donald Trumps name, but he wont have to. I mean, its going to loom over this entire situation. House republicans know that as well. And thats why, you know, when you talk to the white house, they say the headline from tonight, though, he will be talking about those other issues. Democracy is going to be the takeaway. And so when you see the Supreme Court justices and think about what a big role they are playing in this election that we are about to see in, when president , former President Trump is going to potentially face his trial for his attempts to overturn the election, its hard to ignore what a president s the Supreme Court is in this room and what dynamic and impact they are going to have on this election. And if you if you youve seen a couple familiar faces flashed in the last minute, one of them was jorge santos, another one in between. Right there in between john roberts, the chief justice, and sonia sotomayor, behind them. Thats Justice Kennedy, anthony kennedy, who resigned from the Supreme Court. I believe he was replaced by was it Brett Kavanaugh who took his place and so that that is its interesting, i suppose, as with jorge santos, he still enjoys privileges not to compare Justice Kennedy and congressman santos, but they are both formers. There we see, Lisa Murkowski and susan collins, both of whom in the last couple of weeks endorsed, nikki haley talking to, lindsey graham. Yes. Who did not endorse nikki haley. He is still with with donald trump. I just to go back to something that john king was mentioning earlier about the debate and things that are important. A number of centrist, democratic sources and frankly, moderate republican sources who want biden to win over trump said to me this afternoon, he better talk about crime. He better talk about immigration and the border. They see these as just along with reproductive rights, a critical message. And again, this is where you get this debate among democrats, because overall Violent Crime statistics are down nationally. They are down. So democrats bristle. They say, no, youre playing into the fox news argument. No, youre playing into the republican argument. But in major cities, the democratic governor of new york just mobilized the National Guard to deal with subway crime in new york city. And so this is, again, a debate in the party about, you know, do you if you talk about it, are you playing their game . But youre absolutely right. If you talk to democratic pollsters and the people who run the numbers among swing voters, suburban voters, the people who decide close president ial elections, they are very disappointed in the president S Performance on crime and immigration. Well, hes clearly going to try to flip the script on immigration, as hes been doing for the last several weeks. And to abbys point about reproductive rights earlier, it does totally energize and mobilize the base. But the reason its been so successful for democrats is because it goes far beyond the base. It actually we the that issue when it is on the Ballot Abortion Rights and a Post Dobbs World performs better than the generic democrat because its bringing in independents and some republicans to that issue as well. So its a double whammy. Its a base mobilizer, and it actually adds to the coalition. And if you talk to democrats about the bad polling for President Biden, the thing they will say is you can look at polls all you want. Were looking at elections and theyre talking about the fact that since the dobbs decision, since roe v wade was overturned in the Special Elections and referenda in states, whether red states like kansas and ohio and montana or the Special Election in new york, democrats have won. And the prochoice or proabortion rights side has won. Theres Congressman Matt Gaetz, and theyre hopeful that that will help joe biden, it will. And can we just talk for a second . Weve seen a lot of the Supreme Court justices who are down on the floor tonight and how what a what a unique, position they occupy this time. I mean, yes, they always theres always a cadre of them at these speeches. It has become increasingly political over the years. I mean, i was sitting in the gallery when samuel alito mouthed at President Obama that what he was saying about a Supreme Court decision about Election Funding was not true. And that was seen at the time as something that was, you know, very remarkably, a remarkably political statement from one of these justices. But they literally sit at the very heart of the election that joe biden, President Biden is up there tonight fighting for in a way that they have not been certainly since 2000, in Bush Versus Gore and possibly ever in terms of having to decide whether or not President Bidens opponent is going to be able to be charged in the, you know, for basically sending a mob to this very building on january 6th of 2020. So its important to point that out. But one thing i will say about the view from the Biden Campaign and from the white house is that they are not looking to these criminal cases against trump to play the role in this election. They do not think that that is going to be what this is going to turn on. And there are a lot of people out there talking about how it is obviously important for democracy, for the country, but they understand the prospects of these cases being concluded before the election, not great. The prospect of them being definitive and going in any particular way and moving voters in any particular way is, is too uncertain. And what they do know, though, and i think to jakes earlier point, theyre not wrong when they say that voters have been voting in a way that sometimes differs from what they say to pollsters about how happy or unhappy they are about joe biden or or even the direction of the country. The reason for that is abortion. But the reason for that is also because of choices that they have at the ballot box. And when republicans put up candidates who are on the far right and they dont choose their candidates properly, that has made a huge difference in these races. And they think thats how they see november at the top of the ticket. As well. Let me bring in evan osnos right now, who is who has been President Bidens biographer, just did an interview with him for the new yorker magazine. Evan, do you think this is the most important speech of President Bidens career . You know, hes had a very long career, jake, as you know. But i think it is a credible case to make. Look, this is an unusual moment because it is both a chance for him to try to talk about what hes done, and then he is also making his biggest pitch to the largest audience hes going to have before november. You know, i was talking to somebody whos very close to him and i said, how do you think he handles the pressure of a moment like this . And they said, look, to be honest, hes been dealing with pressure like this his entire adult life. The weirdest moment for him was when he wasnt under pressure, when he was in that period after his first, after the. Evan, let me just interrupt for one second. Im sorry. Ill come right back to you. But there we see the second gentleman, doug emhoff, the husband of the Vice President , kamala harris, who you see there on stage doing doug emhoff, who has become one of the administrations leading voices on the rise of antisemitism in the United States. Doug is jewish there. He just waved at his wife, and she seems to be smiling at her, at her goofy husband, in an affectionate way. Evan, back to you. Well, you know, i was just saying that i think in some ways, a lot of us look at what a president is going through at a moment like this, the pressures theyre under. Weve been talking tonight all about the many issues he has to cover. And in some ways, you saw him get into that car and he is projecting the spirit of a guy who is relishing this moment. I dont think that is fake. I will tell you, my impression from being in the oval office with him recently was, this guy doesnt have a whole lot of doubts about what hes doing. You know, were having a big National Conversation about this, and theres a lot of people who wonder whether he should have done this. Hes not wondering that you dont come away from a conversation with him saying, is he you know, staring at the ceiling at night . Hes thats not the moment hes in, jake. And it can be hard to capture that, i think, from far away there is The First Lady of the United States, doctor jill biden, taking her seat, next to the second gentleman or near the second gentleman, surrounded by by what are called skutniks, that is, special guests of the president of the United States there to illustrate various Policy Points and ways that what the administration has been doing has affected them. Theres a former house speaker, nancy pelosi. President biden is running late. We should note, he is in a holding room right now, and he is there is the Speaker Gaveling in the session, should we listen in . Lets listen in the president s cabinet. The president s cabinet. Walking in right now, obviously, there is the secretary of state, antony blinken, who has been rather busy these days, what with all sorts of crises in ukraine and The Middle East followed by the secretary of the treasury, janet yellen, Secretary Of Defense lloyd austin, whos Health Issues became something of a problem for the administration when he failed to disclose them, even though he had been hospitalized. Thankfully, his health is good. Evan osnos, it is quite a balancing act for President Biden. And as we David Chalian outlined all the things, all the things he needs to achieve with this speech, you see other members of the president s cabinet there, the secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack, the secretary of commerce, gina raimondo, and on and on. Is it deb haaland, who is the designee, voted no or we do not know yet. We just saw a picture of her. Oh, so its not her picture of deb haaland. She just posted a picture with the many members of the cabinet. So its not one we dont see is gina raimondo. Im not saying its her. No, we just saw her on the floor. We just saw gina raimondo. We are sorry, folks at home. Were trying to figure out a nerdy d. C. Parlor game, which is, theres the secretary of the interior, deb haaland. So not her. Who is the designated survivor . Kind of a dark, thing. A dark tradition in this, in this country about who will maintain the continuity of government should the worst possible thing in the history of the known universe happen to this building that were looking at right now, there is always somebody from the cabinet who does not attend. Theres the secretary of the department of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who was a, impeached, by the House Of Representatives for, in their view, the republicans in the house not carrying out his duties at the border. The border, obviously a huge issue there. Secretary of transportation, i believe its the education secretary, miguel cardona. Miguel cardona is the secretary of education, we believe is his designated survivor waiting for. But but john king, the issue of the border, you see Alejandro Mayorkas right there, the secretary of the department of homeland security, who was impeached, although the senate is not going to take up that that issue. So he will not be, removed from office. And even if they were to take it up, the votes would not be there, how like what . Whats a say if you are President Biden and this is such a huge issue, immigration and the and the problems at the border, and obviously republicans have been talking about the border problems for quite some time. Republicans gave him the perfect framing by walking away from the bipartisan deal, a deal that had Many Border Security pieces in it that the president personally does not favor, and that many in his party dont like even more than him. The progressives in the party dont like even more, so hes going to say, tonight i was about to do something big, something you republicans have been asking for, for two decades or more. And donald trump told you to walk away. And so youre putting donald trump ahead of the urgent needs of the country. Its a Strong Political argument because it happens to be true. You know, that could have been passed and it could have been done. And trump called Speaker Johnson and other republicans and said, do not do this. Dont help joe biden. It might help him in the campaign. Do not do this. Its a powerful argument. The flip side of republicans is going to be youve been president for 142 days. So you were president for about, you know, more than 1000 days before you started these negotiations. Where were you for the first three years . And thats a perfectly valid argument, too, because the terms of the illegal crossings and the apprehensions at the border and other issues, theyre way, way up. So this is a its a giant policy divide about what biden was unwilling to do in his first three years. But trump has given him potentially, if they can craft it and play it right, a gift in essentially telling republicans, you know, dont do what you have tried to do for years because it might hurt my campaign. And if youre wondering who gets those great seats in the by the aisle so that they can shake hands with, for instance, the United Nations ambassador, the those seats are coveted quite a bit. People come early, manu raju, who is in congress right now, and manu, how did joe manchin get that sweet spot . He probably had someone saving it for him. Jake in fact, a lot of these members this is thats actually kind of unusual. In the past, people had been here for hours and hours and hours holding the seats. This time they had people saving them. But i want you to key in on when joe biden enters the room. Hell be greeted by some of his fiercest critics in the house gop, some republican hardliners who are sitting right as he enters Congresswoman Lauren Boebert sitting near the entrance next to Congressman Matt Gaetz and his congressman, Marjorie Taylor greene, also sitting very close to the aisle. Both boebert and Marjorie Taylor greene told me earlier today that they would not be afraid to yell back at joe biden if they feel like that. You know, in their view, he is saying something untruthful or something that they dont like. And Marjorie Taylor greene, of course, was someone who said that joe biden was a liar during last years state of the Union Address, something that the speaker, mike johnson, absolutely does not want to see. So how will they greet the president when he enters . Thats a question. When jill biden was just introduced, The First Lady, Marjorie Taylor greene, was seated while the rest of the chamber was just half giving a standing ovation. Jake. Yeah, we should point out just for fairness sake, that, joe biden was not lying about what he brought up when congresswoman Marjorie Taylor greene yelled, liar, he had been saying that there were republicans proposing sunsetting Services Like medicare and Social Security, and there, in fact, were, but that was a deft moment for President Biden. Concerns about his acumen and alacrity notwithstanding, he was able to take that moment and ad lib and say, oh, so members of the republican party, you agree with me . Lets listen in for this big, big, big moment for President Biden, for the president of the United States. I dont want to hear that this way. All right, mr. President. Thank you. Look over here, mr. President. Joe mr. President , good to see you, mr. President. This is about you. This is about the soul of the nation. American soul. Elevation. Mr. Barbara. Mrs. Barbara lee, right here. Barbara lee. Okay. Now. Bless you, sir. Mr. President , let me closest behind. Hey. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You saved democracy. President tom suozzi, fani willis. Love you, mr. President. I know. I knocked it over. Thank him. Right. Mr. President. Can i get a picture here . Mr. President . All right. Here is mr. President. Thank you, thank you. Yeah how are you . How are you doing . Today is a 59th anniversary. Oh, god. Good, good good. Comedy show. All right, mr. President , here we go. Oh, no. Come here. You got it. Okay, i cant. Give you a winning. Thank you. Winning. Good to see you. The democrat side now, everybody. This guy has completed 70. Works all right. Thank you. Thank you for that. Thank you for everything. Youre the best. You gotta get a good selfie here. Jim. Helmet, president. Yeah. Thank you. Great. Tonight. When you look out for your wife, you will be wearing it. Oh, god. Whoa, whoa. Thank you, thank you. Im your last member. Of my first novel. All right. Youre gonna do great. Thank you. Were gonna be yelling loud. Theyre gonna be yelling too. Take him out. There we go. La la la la la la la la la la la la la. Here here. La la la la. Ha ha ha ha how are you . Good to see you. All right, im going this way. Yes, sir. So, President Biden making his way down the aisle, greeting, all sorts of Members Of Congress. You saw, some people trying to say hi affectionately, some people challenging him, for various reasons. He is. Greetings. Greeting his, the joint chiefs of staff. Now this is one of the great moments in american politics. Watching the president , whoever he is, come down. We see all the branches of government. You see people in both Major Political parties, there is a common purpose, no matter what the nastiness that has been said, there is some degree, even during harsh political times of fellowship and camaraderie. Jamie gingell so casey was just talking earlier, and weve all been watching all of these people on the floor greeting him. And casey made the comment that even in these polarized times, you see that kind of enthusiasm. I was just told that many House Republicans on the escort committee, those are the people who come in with the president , declare time to have their photo taken in the traditional photo line. Yeah, no, this obviously very harsh times and look, we saw him walk in and one of the more, more, loud members of the republican party, Marjorie Taylor greene, congresswoman from georgia, put on a maga hat, which is not allowed. Which is not allowed. Youre not allowed to do that. And i mean, according to the rules of the of the house, the house, senate and, she was wearing a pin, referring to bidens border crisis, quote unquote, and challenging him to say the name of lincoln riley. The university of Georgia Student killed recently in a tragic accident. A tragic incident, rather, a murder by an undocumented venezuelan immigrant. Here he is presenting copies of his state of the Union Address, to the Vice President and, of course, to the speaker of the house. Lets listen in. Tony. Thank you. To joe. Good evening. Good evening. If i were smart, id go home now. Mr. Speaker, madam Vice President , Members Of Congress, my fellow americans. In january 1941, Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation and he said, i address you at a moment on precedented in the history of the union. Hitler was on the march. War was raging in europe. President roosevelts purpose was to wake up congress and alert the American People that this was no ordinary time. Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world. Tonight, i come to this same chamber to address the nation. Now its we who face unprecedented moment in the history of the union. And yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the congress and alert the American People that this is no ordinary moment either. Not since president lincoln and The Civil War Have Freedom and democracy been under assault at home, as there are today. What makes our moment rare is the freedom of democracy are under attack both at home and overseas , at the very same time, overseas. Putin of russia is on the March Invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout europe and beyond. And if anybody in this room thinks putin will stop at ukraine, i assure you he will not. But ukraine. Ukraine can stop putin. Ukraine can stop putin if we stand with ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. That is all. That is all ukraine is asking. Theyre not asking for american soldiers. In fact, there are no american soldiers at war in ukraine. And im determined to keep it that way. But now assistance to ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership wasnt long ago when a republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered, mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall now. Now, my predecessor, a former republican president , tells putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. Thats a quote, a former president actually said that bowing down to a russian leader, i think its outrageous. Its dangerous, and its unacceptable. America is a Founding Member of nato, the Military Alliance of democratic nations, created after World War Two. Prevent to prevent war and keep the peace. And today, weve made nato stronger than ever. We welcome finland to the alliance. Last year, and just this morning, sweden officially joined and their minister is here tonight to stand up. Welcome, welcome welcome, welcome. And they know how to fight. Mr. Prime minister, welcome to nato, the Strongest Military alliance the world has ever seen. I say this to congress. We have to stand up to putin. Send me a Bipartisan National Security bill. History is literally watching. History is watching. The United States walks away. It will put ukraine at risk. Europe is at risk. The free world will be at risk, emboldening others to do what they wish to do us harm. My message to president putin, who ive known for a long time, is simple. We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down. In a literal sense, history is watching. History is watching. Just like history watched three years ago on january sixth, when insurrectionists stormed this very capitol and place a dagger to throat of american democracy. Many of you are here on that darkest of days. We all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots. Theyd come to stop the peaceful transfer of power to overturn the will of the people. January 6th lies about the 2020 election and the plot to steal the election posed a great gravest threat to us democracy since the civil war. But they failed. America stood. America stood strong, and democracy prevailed. We must be honest. The threat to democracy must be defended. My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about january 6th. I will not do that. This is the moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Heres the simple truth. You cant love your country only when you win or. As ive done ever since being elected to office, i ask all of you without regard to party, to join together and defend democracy. Remember your oath of office, of defending against all threats, foreign and domestic respect, respect, free and fair elections, restore trust in our institutions and make clear Political Violence has absolutely no place, no place in america, zero place. Again. Its not its not hyperbole to suggest history is watching or watching your children or grandchildren will read about this day and what we do. History is watching another assault on freedom. Joining us tonight is latoya beasley, a social worker from birmingham, alabama. 14 months ago, 14 months ago, she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of ivf, she scheduled treatments to have that second child. But the alabama Supreme Court shut down ivf treatments across the state, unleashed by a Supreme Court decision Overturning Roe V Wade. She was told her dream would have to wait. What her family had gone through should never have happened. Unless congress acts, it could happen again. So tonight, lets stand up for families like hers. To my friends across the aisle. Dont keep this waiting any longer. Guarantee the right to abortion. Guaranteed nationwide. Like most americans, i believe roe v wade got it right. I thank Vice President harris for being an incredible leader defending Reproductive Freedom and so much more. Thank you. My predecessor came to office determined to see roe v wade overturned. Hes the reason it was overturned. And he brags about it. Look at the chaos that has resulted. Joining us tonight is kate cox, the wife and mother from dallas. Shes become pregnant again and had a fetus of a fatal condition in her doctor told kate that her own life and her ability to have future children in the future were at risk if she didnt act because texas law banned her ability to act, kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed, and what her family had gone through should have never happened as well, but its happening in too many others. There are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need. Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on Reproductive Freedom. My god, what freedom else would you take away . Look its a decision to overturn roe v wade. The Supreme Court majority wrote the following. And with all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral electoral power. Excuse me . Electoral or political power . Youre about to realize just how much you brought about. Clearly. Clearly. Those bragging about Overturning Roe V Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out when Reproductive Freedom was on the ballot. We won in 2022 and 2020, and were winning again in 2024. If you if you, the American People send me a congress that supports the right to choose, i promise you, i will restore roe v wade as the Law Of The Land again. Folks america cannot go back. Im here to tonight to show what i believe is the way forward. Because i know how far weve come. Four years ago, next week, before i came to office, the country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century. Remember the fear record losses. Remember the spikes in crime and the murder rate . Raging virus and took more than 1 million american lives of loved ones. Millions left behind a Mental Health crisis of isolation and loneliness. A president my predecessor failed the most basic president ial duty that he owes to American People. The duty to care. I think thats unforgivable. I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in the nations history. We have. It doesnt make new, but in news and a thousand cities and towns, the American People are writing the greatest Comeback Story. Never told. So lets tell the story here. Tell it here and now. Americas comeback is building a future of american possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Not the top down. Investing in all america and all americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot. And we leave no one, no one behind. The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccine that saved us from covid are now being used to beat Cancer Turning Setback into comeback. Thats what america does. Thats what america does. Folks. I inherited an economy is on the brink now. Our economy is literally the envy of the world. 15 million new jobs in just three years, a record a record. Unemployment at 50 year lows. A record 16 million americans are starting Small Businesses. And each one is a literal act of hope. With a historic job growth and Small Business growth for black and hispanics and asianamericans, 800,000 new Manufacturing Jobs in america and counting. Where is it written . We cant be the manufacturing capital of the world. We are, and we will. More people have Health Insurance today. More people have Health Insurance today than ever before. The racial wealth gap is as small as its been in 20 years. Wages keep going up. Inflation keeps coming down. Inflation has dropped from 9 to 3, the lowest in the world. And tending lower. The landing is and will be soft. And now, instead of importing importing foreign products and exporting American Jobs, were exporting American Products and creating American Jobs right here in america, where they belong. And it takes time. But the American People are beginning to feel it. Consumer studies show Consumer Confidence is soaring. Buy america has been the Law Of The Land since the 1930s. Past administration, including my predecessor, including some democrats as well in the past, failed to buy american. Not any more on my watch. Federal projects that you fund like helping build american roads, bridges and highways, will be made with American Products and built by american workers. Creating good paying American Jobs. And thanks to our chips and science act, the United States is investing more in research and development than ever before. During the pandemic, a shortage of Semiconductor Chips that drove up the price of everything from cell phones to automobiles. And by the way, we invented those chips right here in america. Well, instead of having to import them instead of we, private companies are now investing billions of dollars to build new Chip Factories here in america, creating Tens Of Thousands of jobs, many of those jobs paying 100,000 a year and dont require a college degree. In fact, my policies have attracted 650 billion in private Sector Investment in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, creating Tens Of Thousands of jobs here in america. And thanks. And thanks to our bipartisan infrastructure law, 46,000 new projects have been announced all across your communities. And by the way, i noticed some of you strongly voted against it, or theyre cheering on that money coming in. I like it, im with you. Im with you. If any of you dont want that money in your district, just let me know. Modernize our roads and bridges, ports and airports, Public Transit systems. Removing poisonous lead pipes so every child can drink clean water without risking brain damage. Providing affordable, affordable, high Speed Internet for every american, no matter where you live. Urban suburban or Rural Communities in red states and blue states Record Investments in tribal communities. Because of my investment in family farms. Because i invested in Family Farms Led by my secretary of agriculture. Who knows more about this than anybody i know were better able to stay in the family for those farms and their children and grandchildren. We wont have to leave. Leave home to make a living. Its transformative. The great Comeback Story is belvidere, illinois, home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years before i came to office, the plant was on its way to shutting down thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods. Hope was fading. Then i was elected to office and we raised the belvidere repeatedly with auto companies, knowing unions would make all the difference. The uaw worked like hell to keep the plant open and get these jobs back, and together we succeeded. Instead of Auto Factories shutting down, Auto Factories reopened in a new State Of The Art Battery Factories being built to power those cars there. At the same. Folks. The folks at belvidere, i say, instead of your town being left behind, your community is moving forward again because instead of watching auto jobs in the future, go overseas. 4000 union jobs with higher wages are building the future in belvidere right here in america. Here tonight is uaw president sean fein, a great fan and a great labor leader. Sean, where are you . Stand up. And. And dawn. And dawn. Simms a Third Generation worker, uaw worker at belvidere. Sean, i was proud to be the first president to stand in the picket line. And today, dawn has a good job in her hometown, providing stability for her family and pride and dignity as well. Showing once again, wall street didnt build america. Theyre not bad guys. They didnt build it though. The middle class built the country and unions built the middle class. I say to the American People, when america gets knocked down, we get back up. We keep going. Thats america. Thats you, the American People is because of you. America is coming back. Its because of you. Our future is brighter. Its because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. Tonight tonight, i want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together. A future where the days of trickle down economics are over. And the wealthy and the biggest corporations no longer get all the tax breaks. And by the way, i understand corporations. I come from a state that has more corporations invested than every one of your states in the state, United States combined. And i represented for 36 years. Im not anticorporation often, but i grew up in a home where trickle down economics didnt put much on my dads kitchen table. Thats why i determined to turn things around. So middle class does well. When they do well, the poor have a way up and the wealthy still do very well. We all do well, and theres more to do to make sure youre feeling the benefits of all were doing. Americans pay more for Prescription Drugs than anywhere in the world. Its wrong and im ending it. With a law that i proposed and signed, not one of your republican buddies voted for it. We finally beat big pharma instead of paying 400 a month or thereabouts for insulin with diabetes, and it only cost ten bucks to make, they only get paid 35 a month now and still make healthy profit. And i want to. What to do next . I want to cap the cost of insulin at 35 a month for every american in egypt. Everyone. For years, people have talked about it, but finally we got it done and gave medicare the power to negotiate lower prices on Prescription Drugs. Just like the va is able to do for veterans. Thats not just saving seniors money, its saving taxpayers money. We cut the federal deficit by a 160 billion. Because medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to big pharma this year, medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs in the market to treat everything from Heart Disease to arthritis. Its now time to go further and give medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade. Were making a lot of money, guys. And theyll still be extremely profitable. Well not only save lives, it will save taxpayers another 200 billion starting next year. The same law caps total Prescription Drug costs for seniors on medicare at 200 to 2000. A year, even for expensive cancer drugs that cost 1012, 15,000. Now, i want to cap Prescription Drug costs at 2,000 a year for everyone. Folks. Im gonna get in trouble for saying that. But any of you want to get in Air Force One with me and fly to toronto. Berlin moscow . I mean, excuse me. And, well, even moscow, probably. And bring your prescription with you. And i promise you, ill get it for you. For 40 of the cost youre paying now. Same company, same drug, same place, folks. The Affordable Care act, the obamacare air. Its still a very big deal. Over 100 million of you can no longer be denied Health Insurance because of preexisting condition. But my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take this Prescription Drug away by repealing the Affordable Care act. Im not going to let that happen. We stopped you 50 times before and will stop you again. In fact, im not only protecting it, im expanding it. We enacted tax credits of 800 per person per year, reduced Health Care Costs for millions of Working Families. That tax credit expires next year. I want to make that savings permanent. To state the obvious, women are more than half our population. But research in Womens Health has always been underfunded, and thats why were launching the first ever White House Initiative on Womens Health research, led by jill, doing an incredible job as first lady. But. The pass my plan for 12 billion a transfer of Womens Health research and benefit millions of lives all across america. I know the cost of housing is so important to you. Inflation keeps coming down. Mortgage rates will come down as well. And the fed acknowledges that. But im not waiting. I want to provide an annual tax credit that will give americans 400 a month for the next two years, as Mortgage Rates come down to put toward their mortgages when they buy their first home, or trade up for a little more space just for two years. And my administration is also eliminating Title Insurance on federally backed mortgages. When you refinance your home, you can save 1,000 or more as a consequence, for millions of renters. Were cracking down on big landlords who use Antitrust Law using antitrust, who break Antitrust Laws by price fixing and driving up rents. Weve cut red tape, so builders can get federally financing, which is already helping build a record 1. 7 million new Housing Housing units nationwide now pass. Now pass and build and renovate 2 million Affordable Homes and bring those rents down. To remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best Education System in the world. And i, like, i suspect, all of you want to give a child, every child, a good start by providing access to preschool for three and four years old. You know, i think i pointed out last year. I think i pointed out last year that children coming from broken homes where theres no books and not read, do not spoken to very often, start school, kindergarten or first grade hearing, having heard a million fewer words spoken well, studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50 more likely to finish high school. Go on to earn a two and four year degree, no matter what their background is. I met a year and a half ago with the leaders of the business roundtable. They were mad that i. They were angry. I said, well, they were discussing why i wanted to spend money on education. I pointed out to them as Vice President , i met with over eight, i think it was 182 of those folks. Dont show me the exact number. And i asked them what they need most. The ceos, and youve had the same experience on both sides of the aisle. They say a better educated workforce right . So i looked at them and i say, i come from delaware. Dupont used to be the eighth Largest Corporation in the world, and every New Enterprise they bought, they educated the workforce to that enterprise. But none of you do that anymore. Why are you angry with me providing you the opportunity for the best educated workforce in the world . And they all looked at me and said, i think youre right. I want to expand high quality tutoring and Summer Learning and see that every child learns to read by third grade. Im also connecting local businesses in high schools so students get hands on experience and a path to good paying job whether or not they go to college. And i want to make sure that college is more affordable. Lets continue increasing the pell grants to working and middle class families and increase Record Investments in hbcus and minority serving institutions, including hispanic institutions. And i was told i couldnt universally just change the way in which we dealt with student loans. I fixed two student loan programs that already existed to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 4 million americans, including nurses, firefighters, and others in public service. By kenan jones, a public educator from minnesota, whos here with us tonight. Kenan, where are you . Kenan . Thank you. Hes educated hundreds of students so they can go to college. Now hes able to help after debt forgiveness, get his own daughter to college. And folks, look. Such relief is good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home. Start a business, start a family. While were at it, i want to give Public School teachers a raise. And by the way, the first couple of years we cut the deficit. Now, let me speak to the question of fundamental fairness for all americans. Ive been delivering real results in fiscally responsible ways. Weve already cut the federal deficit. Weve already cut the federal deficit over 1 trillion. I signed the bipartisan deal to cut another trillion dollars in the next decade. Its my goal to cut the federal deficit another 3 trillion by making Big Corporations the very wealthy, finally beginning to pay their fair share. Look im a capitalist. If you want to make or can make a million or millions of bucks, thats great. Just pay your fair share in taxes. A fair tax code is how we invest to make this country great health care, education, defense, and so much more. But heres the deal. The last administration enacted a 2 trillion tax cut overwhelmingly benefit the top 1. The very wealthy and the biggest corporations, and exploded the federal deficit. They added more to the National Debt than any president ial terme in american history. Check the numbers, folks at home. Does anybody really think the tax code is fair . Do you really think the wealthy and Big Corporations need another 2 trillion tax break . I sure dont, im going to keep fighting like hell. To make it fair, under my plan, nobody earning less than 400,000 a year will pay additional penny in federal taxes. Nobody, not one penny. And they havent yet. In fact. The Child Tax Credit i passed during the pandemic cut taxes for millions of Working Families and cut Child Poverty in half. Restore that Child Tax Credit. No child should go hungry in this country. The way to make the tax code fair is to make Big Corporations, the very wealthy, begin to pay their fair share. Remember, in 2020, 55 of the Biggest Companies in america made 40 billion and paid zero in federal income tax, zero. Not any more. Thanks to the law i wrote and we signed. Big companies have to pay a minimum of 15, but thats still less than working people pay in federal taxes. Its time to raise corporate minimum tax to at least 21. So every Big Corporation finally begins to pay their fair share. I also want to end tax breaks for big pharma. Big oil, private jets, massive executive pay when it was only supposed to be a million, 1 million that could be deducted. They can pay him 20 million if they want, but deduct a million. End it now. You know there are 1000 billionaires in america. You know what the average federal tax is for those billionaires . No theyre making great sacrifices. 8. 2. Thats far less than the vast majority of americans pay. No billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher. A Sanitation Worker or a nurse. I propose a minimum tax for billionaires of 25. Just 25. You know what that would raise . That would raise 500 billion over the next ten years. And imagine what that could do for america. Imagine a future with affordable child care. Millions of families can get. They need to go to work to help grow the economy. Imagine a future with paid leave because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of their sick family member. Imagine. Imagine the future of home care and elder care and People Living with disabilities so they can stay in their homes and Family Caregivers can finally get the pay they deserve. Tonight, lets all agree once again to stand up for seniors. Many of my Friends On The Other Side of i want to put Social Security on the chopping block. If anyone here tries to cut Social Security, medicare, or raise the retirement age, i will stop you. The working people, the working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do. Its not fair. We have two ways to go. Republicans can cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy. I will. Thats the proposal. Oh, no. You guys dont want another 2 trillion tax cut. I kind of thought thats what your plan was. Well, thats good to hear. Youre not going to cut another 2 trillion for the super wealthy. Thats good to hear. Ill protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share. Look. Too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less. Thats why were cracking down on corporations engage in Price Gouging and deceptive pricing, from food to health care to housing. In fact, the snack Companies Think you wont notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot fewer. The same size bag. Put fewer chips in it. No, im not joking. Its called shrinkflation pass bobby caseys bill and stop this. I really mean it. You probably all saw that commercial on snickers bars. You get, you get charged the same amount and you got about, i dont know, 10 fewer snickers in it. Look, im also getting rid of junk fees. Those hidden fees at the end of your bill, theyre there without your knowledge. My administration announced were cutting credit card late fees from 32 to 8. Banks and Credit Card Companies are allowed to charge what it would cost them to instigate the collection, and thats more a hell of a lot like 8 and 30 some dollars. They dont like it. Credit Card Companies dont like it. But im saving American Families 20 billion a year with all the junk fees im eliminating. Folks at home. Thats why the banks are so mad as 20 billion in profit. Im not stopping there. My administration has proposed rules to make Cable Travel Utilities and Online Ticket sellers tell you the total price up front, so there are no surprises. It matters. It matters. And so does this. In november, my team began serious negotiations with a Bipartisan Group of senators. The result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of Border Security reforms weve ever seen. Oh, you dont think so . Oh, you dont like that bill, that conservatives got together and said it was a good bill. Ill be. Darn. Thats amazing. That bipartisan bill would hire 1500 more Security Agents and officers. 100 more Immigration Judges to help tackle the backlog of 2 million cases, 4300 more Asylum Officers and new policies so they can resolve cases in six months instead of six years. Now. What do you against . 100 more high tech drug Detection Machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop vehicles smuggling fentanyl into america. Thats Killing Thousands of children. This bill would save lives and bring order to the border. And also give me and any new president , new Emergency Authority to temporarily shut down the border when the number of migrants at the border is overwhelming, the Border Patrol union has endorsed this bill. The federal Chamber Of Commerce is. Yeah. Youre saying lo, look at the facts. I know. I know you know how to read. I believe that given the opportunity for a majority in the house and senate would endorse the bill as well, a majority right now. But unfortunately, politics has derailed this bill so far. Im told my predecessor called Members Of Congress in the senate to demand they block the bill. He feels the political wind. He viewed it as a be a political win for me and a political loser for him. Its not about him. Its not about me. Id be a winner, not really. I. Lincoln. Link and riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. Thats right. But how many of the thousands of people being killed by illegals to her parents, i say my heart goes out to you. Having lost children myself, i understand. But look, if we change the dynamic at the border where people pay people, people pay these smugglers 8000 bucks to get across the border because they know if they get by, if they get by and let into the country, its 6 to 8 years before they have a hearing, and its worth the taking the chance of the 8,000. But but if its only six months, six weeks, the idea is its highly unlikely that people will pay that money and come all that way knowing that theyll be able to be kicked out quickly. Folks i would respectfully suggest my friend, my republican friends over to the American People get this bill done. We need to act now. And if my predecessors watching instead of paying politics and pressuring Members Of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the congress to pass it. We can do it together. But thats why they apparently. Heres what he will not do. I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoned in the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not ban people because of their faith, unlike my predecessor. On my first day in office, i introduced a comprehensive bill to fix our immigration system. Take a look at it as all these and more secure the border, provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers and so much more. But unlike my predecessor, i know who we are as americans, and were the only nation in the world with the heart and soul that draws from old and new home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years, home to people of every place, from every place on earth. They came freely. Some came in chains, some came when famine struck, like my ancestral family in ireland, some to flee persecution, to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in america. Thats america, and we all come from somewhere. But were all americans. Look, folks, we have a simple choice. We can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. Im ready to fix it. Send me the border bill. Now. A transformational moment in history happened 58, 59 years ago today in selma, alabama. Hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the Edmund Pettus bridge, named after the grand dragon of the ku klux klan, to claim their fundamental right to vote. They were beaten. They were bloody and left for dead. Our late friend and former colleague john lewis was on that march. We miss him. Mark, joining us tonight. Our other marchers, both in the gallery and on the floor, including betty mae fikes, known as the voice of selma, the daughter of Gospel Singers and preachers. She sang songs of prayer and protest on that Bloody Sunday to help shake the nations conscience. Five months later, the Voting Rights act passed and was signed into law. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. But 59 years later, her forces taking us back in time. Voter suppression, election subversion , unlimited dark money, extreme gerrymandering. John lewis is a great friend to many of us here. But if you truly want to honor him and all the heroes who marched with him, then its time to do more than talk. Pass the freedom to vote act, the john lewis Voting Rights act. And stop, stop denying another core value of america. Our diversity across american life. Banning books. Its wrong. Instead of erasing history, lets make history. I want to protect fundamental rights. Pass the equality act and my message to transgender americans. I have your back. Pass the pro act for workers rights. Raise the federal minimum wage because every worker has a right to a decent living. More than a seven bucks an hour. Were also making history by confronting the Climate Crisis, not denying it. I dont think any of you think theres no longer Climate Crisis. At least i hope you dont. Im taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world. Im cutting our Carbon Emissions in half by 2030, creating Tens Of Thousands of Clean Energy Jobs like the ibew workers building, installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Conserving 30 of americas lands and waters by 2030. And taking action on environmental injustice. Fenceline communities smothered by the legacy of pollution and pattern. After the peace corps and americorps i launched the Climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work in the forefront of our clean energy future. Ill triple that number in a decade. To state the obvious, all americans deserve the freedom to be safe and america is safer today than when i took office. Year before i took office, murder rates went up 30, 30. They went up three. The biggest increase in history. It was then through no, through my American Rescue plan, which every american voted against, i might add. We made the largest investment in Public Safety ever last year. The Murder Rate Saw the sharpest decrease in history. Violent crime fell to one of its lowest levels in more than 50 years. But we have more to do. We have to help cities invest in more Community Police officers, more Mental Health workers, more Community Violence and intervention give communities the tools to crack down on gun crime, retail crime and carjacking. Keep building trust, as ive been doing, by taking Executive Action on Police Reform and calling for it to be the Law Of The Land. Directing my cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana and expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession because no one should be jailed for simply using or have it on their record. Take on crimes of domestic violence. Im ramping up the federal enforcement of the Violence Against Women Act that i proudly wrote when i was a senator, so we can finally, finally end the scourge against women in america. The other kinds of violence i want to stop with us tonight is jasmine, whos nine year old sister jackie was murdered with 21 classmates and teachers in Elementary School in uvalde, texas. Very soon after that happened, jill and i went to uvalde for a couple of days. We spent hours and hours with each of the families. We heard their message. So everyone in this room, in this chamber, could hear the same message, the constant refrain. And i was there for hours meeting with every family. They said, do something, do something. Well, i did do something by establishing the First Ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the white house, that the Vice President is leading the charge. Thank you for doing it. Mr. Meanwhile. Meanwhile my predecessor told the nra hes proud he did nothing on guns when he was president. Oh, after another shooting in iowa recently, he said when asked what to do about it, he said, just get over it. There was his quote, just get over it. I say, stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it. Im proud we beat the nra. When i signed most significant Gun Safety Law in nearly 30 years. Because of this congress, we now must beat the nra again. Im demanding a ban on Assault Weapons and high capacity magazines. Pass universal background checks. None of this. None of this. I taught the Second Amendment for 12 years. None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners. You know, as a man whos challenged his home, were also managing crisis abroad, including in The Middle East. I know the last five months have been Gut Wrenching for so many people, for the israelpeople, for the palestinian people, and so many here in america. This crisis began on october 7th with a massacre by a Terrorist Group called hamas. As you all know, 1200 innocent people, women and girls, men and boys, slaughtered after enduring sexual violence. The deadliest day of the for the jewish people since the holocaust. And 250 hostages taken here in this chamber tonight. Our families whose loved ones are still being held by hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home. We also know. We will also work around the clock to bring home evan and paul, americans being unjustly detained by the russians and others around the world. Israel has the right to go after hamas. Hamas entered this conflict by releasing hostages, laying down arms could end it by by releasing the hostages, laying down arms and surrendering those responsible for october 7th. But israel has a excuse me, israel has a added burden because hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards. Under hospitals, Day Care Centers and all the like. Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in gaza. This war. Has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in gaza combined, and more than 30,000 palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not hamas. Thousands and thousands of innocents, women and children, girls and boys also orphaned. And nearly 2 million more palestinians under bombardment or displacement homes destroyed neighborhoods in rubble, cities and ruined families without food, water, medicine. Its heartbreaking. Ive been working nonstop to establish an immediate cease fire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released, all the hostages released. We get the hostages home and ease the intolerable and humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring a more something more enduring. The United States is a leading International Efforts to get more humanitarian assistance to gaza. Tonight im directing the us military to lead an Emergency Mission to establish a temporary pier in the mediterranean on the coast of gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters. No us boots will be on the ground. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance. Getting into gaza every day. And israel must do its part. Israel must allow more aid into gaza to ensure humanitarian workers arent caught in the crossfire, and theyre announcing theyre going to theyre going to call have a crossing in northern gaza. So the leadership of israel, i say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a Bargaining Chip Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. As we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two state solution. Over time. And i say this as a lifelong supporter of israel, my entire career, no one has a stronger record with israel than i do. I challenge any of you here. Im the only american president to visit israel in wartime, but there is no other path that guarantees israels security and democracy. There is no other path that guarantees palestinians can live in peace with with peace and dignity. And theres no other path that guarantees peace between israel and all of its neighbors, including saudi arabia, with whom im talking. Creating stability in The Middle East also means containing the threat posed by iran. Thats why i built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend International Shipping and freedom of navigation in the red sea. Ive ordered strikes to degrade the Houthi Capability and defend us forces in the region. As commander in chief, i will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and our military personnel. For years, ive heard many of my republican and democratic friends say that china is on the rise and america is falling behind. Theyve got it backwards. Ive been saying it for over four years. Even when i wasnt president , america was rising. We have the best economy in the world. And since ive come to office, our gdp is up. Our Trade Deficit with china is down to the lowest point in over a decade. And were standing up against chinas unfair economic practices. Were standing up for peace and stability across the taiwan straits. Our revitalized our partnership and alliance in the pacific, india, australia, japan , south korea, the pacific islands. I made sure that the most advanced American Technology cant be used in china. Not allowing the trade them. Theyre, frankly, for all his tough talk on china, it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that. I want competition with china, not conflict. And were in a stronger position to win the conflict of the 21st century against china than anyone else. For that matter, than any time as well. Here at home, ive signed over 400 bipartisan bills, but theres more to pass. My unity agenda strengthened penalties on fentanyl trafficking. You dont want to do that, pass bipartisan privacy legislation to protect our children online. Harness harness the promise of ai to protect us from peril. Ban ai voice impersonation and more, and keep our truly sacred obligation to train and equip those we send into harms way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they dont. Thats why the song support and help of dennis of the va. I signed the pact act, one of the most significant laws ever, helping millions of veterans exposed to toxins who now are battling more than 100 different cancers. Many of them dont come home, but we owe them and their families support. We owe it to ourselves to keep supporting our new Health Research agency called arpah, and remind us, remind us that we can do big things like end cancer as we know it, and we will. Let me close with this day. I know you dont want to hear any more, lindsey, but i got to say a few more things. I know it may not look like it, but ive 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. Ive 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. My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that are defined america honesty, decency, dignity, equality to respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot, to give hate. No safe harbor to. No other people my age see it differently. The american story of resentment, revenge and retribution. Thats not me. I was born amid World War Two when america stood for the freedom of the world. I grew up in scranton, pennsylvania, and claymont, delaware, among Working Class people who built this country. I watched in horror as two of my heroes, like many of you did, doctor king and bobby kennedy, were assassinated, and their legacies inspired me to pursue a career in service. I left a law firm, became a public defender because my city of wilmington was the only city in america occupied by the National Guard. After doctor king was assassinated because of the riots and i became a county councilman almost by accident, i got elected to the United States senate when i had no intention of running at age 29, then Vice President was our first black president , now a president to the first women Vice President. In my career, ive been told i was too young. By the way, they didnt let me on the senate elevators for votes. Sometimes not a joke. And ive been told im too old. Whether young or old, ive always been known. Ive always known what endures. Ive known our north star. The very idea of america is that were all created equal and deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives. Weve never fully lived up to that idea, but weve never walked away from it either. And i wont walk away from it now. Im optimistic. I really am. Im optimistic. Nancy. My fellow americans. The issue facing our nation isnt how old we are. Its how old are our ideas. Hate, anger, revenge, retribution, or the oldest of ideas. But you cant lead america with ancient ideas that only take us back. You lead america, the land of possibilities. You need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. Yes tonight youve heard mine. I see a future where defending democracy. You dont diminish it. I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms, not take them away. I see a future. For the middle class as finally has a fair shot. And the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes. I see a future for where we save the planet from the Climate Crisis and our country from gun violence. Above all, i see a future for all americans. I see a country for all americans, and i will always be president for all americans. Because i believe in america. I believe in you, the American People. Youre the reason weve never been more optimistic about our future than i am now. So lets build a future together. Lets remember who we are. We are the United States of america, and there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we act together. God bless you all and may god protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All right. A very forcefully delivered speech by President Biden. Only a few hundred words into it when he made his first of at least a dozen references to donald trump, though not by name. He referred to him as, quote, my predecessor, which he did over and over. And like it or not, i have never heard a state of the Union Address that had so many references to the man the political opponent, President Biden, the president will face on the ballot this november. He started in fact, with two issues that can be quite awkward for republicans to talk about issues that separate trump from much of his party, the middle of his party, for sure, such as the need to support ukraine versus putin, the need to oppose the january six insurrectionists he himself was the one to invoke reagans question to the country in 1980. Are you better off than you were four years ago . He brought up the economic and Health Crisis of covid in 2020. He accused trump of failing what he called the duty to care about the American People of course, much of the speech was, you know, other issues, such as is the norm for such a speech, areas where polls show real weakness for him. He offered a new proposal to help americans with high housing costs. He talked about the need for humanitarian relief in gaza. There was a discussion of his record, of course, infrastructure projects, Prescription Drug benefits, his presentation, his enunciation, of course, is not as clear as it once was. A decade or two ago. His mind did seem fairly sharp. He ad libbed a response to a pretty harsh moment, as some heckling about the tragic murder of uga student lake. And really, he got her name wrong. He called her lincoln riley, but as a general note, he condemned her murder, which was something that people were talking about, dana bash, what did you think . Youve been to a lot of state of the Union Addresses. Do you think that President Biden met the moment . He certainly met the moment that his member, members of his party, those who are really upset and worried about this coming Election Year and frankly, what would happen if he didnt win another time because of their concerns about whos on the other side of the ticket . They wanted him to be a fighter and boy fight. Did he deliver . Now, there is some criticism already that were hearing from some republicans that it was too political. And the retort already is compared to what . I mean, you saw mayor Marjorie Taylor greene sitting there wearing a maga hat, one of the things that you mentioned that he used the word predecessor, by our count, in the prepared remarks, he used the word predecessor. Jake 13 times. And that is not only important because i dont remember that ever happening in this kind of speech, but because of what predecessor, denotes. And thats in the past. Whats so striking to me is that republicans, i think because they their whole thing right now is that joe biden is slow, that hes too old, that he cant do this. They walk into this trap every time that the white house sets for them. Their speaker, mike johnson, tried to counsel them not to heckle, not to react in this way. And they did it. And it creates an opening, an opportunity for joe biden to react. He he said to them, i know you know how to read. He had he had a lot of moments where he was kind of trolling them, and that worked for him in this speech, because thats essentially, at the end of the day, this was a speech about all the things that president s make speeches about. But the question before joe biden today that he needed to answer the most was, how does he present to the American Public . Republicans, it seemed to me, really handed him a golden opportunity on multiple occasions during the speech to do exactly what his aides wanted him to do, which was show some fight, show his ability to react in the moment. He likes to ad lib. Its not always it doesnt always work out well for him. He did it a few times tonight at without any major gaffes, and i think that was ultimately the bar that his aides wanted him to clear. The American People settle this in 244 days. But it was clear to me from the beginning and the end that he and his team, whether you like it or not, at home, understand the challenge. This is the 36th of these for me. State of the unions or president ial addresses. At the beginning, the first one being 1989. Never heard one so political, never heard one that is such a campaign speech. But what a republican say about joe biden. He is weak and he is weak in america. And he doesnt have the vitality, the alacrity, the vigor to be the president of the United States. He came out hitting on ukraine. Stand up to russia, be strong republicans, dont be weak. Write out the Weakness Argument that hes weakened america, that hes personally weak, then went right after january 6th, said, im going to bury the lies and took the heckling for it, and then turned to an issue that democrats think is absolutely critical for them ivf, Reproductive Freedom. The broader issue. And he did it all with fight. He did it with punches. He came out punching and came out swinging right from the beginning. Then he did the traditional state of the Union Laundry list, and then he came back at the end and took on the age issue. Does it work . Who knows . But he tried a little humor. He took. He took the back and forth from the floor. It was clear to me that they understood. They understand what the republicans have done and are going to try to do to him by saying hes personally not up to it, hes not strong and hes weakened. America, they came out to fight well, and i think one of his weakest issues that he pulls on is immigration in the border. Obviously, he knows that it came up later in the speech, but senator James Lankford might have delivered him one of the strongest moments of the entire speech, where they were talking about that bipartisan border deal. He went into the specifics of what was in that agreement being formed by one of the most conservative senators in the senate, who was negotiating that and senator lankford mouth. Thats true. As President Biden was speaking. And then the other talking about the details of what was in the bill, talking about the details of what was in the bill. And the other moment where the beginning we watched congresswoman Marjorie Taylor greene hand President Biden that button that they had made, that, talks about his border crisis, as you quoted what it said on the button earlier, jake, and she said asked him to say Lincoln Rileys name. And then he pulled held the button up. He seemed to be relishing those moments that he had last year. The back and forth with republicans, and was trying to recreate that and kind of take it head on, relishing and prepared for them. Right . I mean, there were some that were clearly understood on immigration. Youre going to get some feedback. I mean, you could see how it was playing out as they rehearsed it at camp david and the like. John, to your point about it being a political speech, theres no doubt about it. Its it is it was a Reelection Speech in wrapped in a state of the union. But i found it was also a speech just reflective of our times. Nothing is as it once was in american politics. And i think this speech, the demeanor from the folks in the house, the president going into raw politics, it him calling on his calling out his predecessor all these times. Yes. Thats unprecedented. Its also unprecedented to be running against a guy who once served as president , who you defeated, whos trying to come back. Its also unprecedented. You know, that hes facing all these trials. And what occurred in this, in this very chamber on january 6th, all these things are and i just think if we apply our sense of what state of the Union Addresses have been, its not thats just not where our politics are anymore. And so while i know the republicans will criticism for criticize him for being political here, it seems to me he actually gave a speech that that is of this moment. I agree, i agree 100 compared to what . Yeah, totally. But its often joe biden in the past who has tried to go back to those moments. I remember those moments. Mitch mcconnell is my friend. We can do bipartisanship deals. Joe biden tonight realizes we dont live in that world anymore. In the past, he has tried to go back to that world. Hes realized that world doesnt exist. Yeah, i think whats really interesting, jamie gangel is, is what david touched on, on the preparedness, he wanted he wanted, and was prepared for the lack and riley moment again, lake and riley, the uga student, tragically murdered by a venezuelan undocumented immigrant who should not have been in this country and should not have been free, he obviously had been told theyre going to bring this up. This wasnt news, by the way. I mean, like, we you know, we all learned a few hours ago that that Marjorie Taylor greene was going to have these pins. And also, obviously, this has been a horrible story in the news and one that a lot of people have been talking about, including republicans and he not only did he did he say her name, he mentioned that he had lost children, too. He lost his daughter when he was in his 30s, and he lost his son beau, a few years ago, talked about their misery, repeated something Marjorie Taylor greene said about like killed by an illegal. Although hes already getting some blowback from from immigration advocates about using the terms illegal to talk about undocumented immigrants and then he talked about how the compromise on the border would have disincentivized people crossing illegally, because instead of staying staying around for 5 or 6 years until their hearing, it would be six weeks. And so it would stop the incentivization of crossing the border. Talk to immediately about it, and then said, do you want to debate the border, or do you want to fix the border . I think this is a critical point because, jake, youre absolutely right. There is no question they prepared for those moments in the white house. There is also no question that congress, the senate, this is joe bidens home and he likes to spark in moments like this. We have seen that that is classic joe biden. Yes he was prepared on specific topics, but from the from the very beginning where he said, funny, if i, if i was smart, i would go home now. And everyone laughed to the end where he said, im almost wrapping up. Thats what we see with joe biden. I want to point to a couple of things i heard from a democratic source who, like weve been told, many in the white house was worried about how joe biden would do today. And the source said he underpromise and overdelivered the two things that we never liked to talk about high energy and his age. He addressed his age. He came across with high energy. All the republicans have a phone full of republicans saying that was a campaign speech, but even they admit that he delivered. So let me just say i misspoke. I said something about lincoln riley. She was found on the University Of Georgia campus. She is a Nursing Student because shes not a university of Georgia Student, per se. And i apologize for getting that for confusing that detail. Anderson jake, thanks very much for the team here in new york. Van jones, you were watching this closely. What did you think, man. Very proud, very proud. Look strong at the beginning, strong on ukraine, strong about january 7th. January 6th, strong in the middle. He was. Well, he put his chest out for those republicans. He aint scared of the republicans. He said, hey, lets lets lets fight right now about the border. Lets fight right now about these tax cuts for gazillionaires strong at the end, owning his age issue. I thought that was a remarkable, fiery, powerful, vigorous guy. And i think it gives people a lot of confidence that this guy might be able to go the distance. And by the way, hes Still Standing there talking to people, he came in slow. He talked to everybody. He was strong at the beginning, strong in the middle, strong at the end. Ashley what did you think . But before the speech, a lot of folks on this panel were saying that there were two missions, not only about his agenda and what his second tum would look like, but perhaps even more importantly, is he all there is the vigorous. Yeah. I mean, we said it was also about performance. Right. And i think tonight he showed that he could give a very long speech. And if you come for me, you know, dont come for me unless i send for you. You know, it was one of those moments. And so i was getting texts throughout the speech from progressive leaders, from folks who are during the speech talking with black men in michigan. And they were saying, i can get behind this agenda. I will say, i did hear from some voters on the gaza issue who didnt, who were unsatisfied, but there is still eight more, eight more weeks. And i think that there is an opportunity. But tonight, i think joe biden did what he was supposed to do. He talked about snickers and snack chips before before he ever got to the border. He was obsessed with his political rival more than he was obsessed with the condition of the American People. It was so weird. This guy lectures us all on unity, the soul of the nation, and he gives the most partizan Convention Speech in place of a state of a union that ive ever heard. Its the literal opposite of unity. Its so partizan. Hes obsessed with taunting republicans. Its not statesmanlike. Let me say one more thing on israel, a little too much. Got to hear both sides on israel and hamas for me. No, you dont have to hear both sides. Israel is our ally. Hamas is the enemy. He lied about our ally and implied that they are not delivering humanitarian aid. They are delivering humanitarian aid. I do not like every week this administration is going back on our commitment to israel. And it was in this speech, and its going to get worse. I would just say this to, you know, whoever his aide, whoever is helping coach the speech, right . Loudness doesnt equal energy, right . It was the loudest state of the union. I did turn my ifb down because my ears were bleeding, right. He seemed like to me he seemed like whats interesting is both like both of you guys who are republicans are not talking about god. He didnt seem like he knew where he was. No no no no no. Thats just say one thing like, no, let me just finish. He seemed like Walt Kowalski. You talked about it this early. He seemed like Walt Kowalski in gran torino screaming at kids. Get off my lawn like an old Guy Screaming at kids. My guess is that, when he got into the heart of his agenda, the things that you ridicule about the cost of food and, you know, Price Gouging and so on, i bet you thats scored with a lot of people. I think that the populist economic agenda, is, is a powerful, powerful thing for him. Look, there are parts of it im not sure that the attacks all landed. Exactly. They may have landed well in that room for sure. And they landed well with base voters for sure. Im not sure where those swing voters, that they landed as well. But i do think that the agenda he i also, by the way, think that probably what doesnt land well is his proclamation that our economy is the envy of the world and that, you know, weve, you know, we inflation and, you know, is under i would say, david, you would also raise the question of hiS Performance and the importance of that. Im wondering what you oh, listen, i think that he passed the, the, the first test, which was he was he did command the room he was in the moment. He did respond. And, you know, i think Marjorie Taylor greene walked right into a trap. There was kind of fun to see. No, i think this was his. This was his. This was his setting. And he did very well. And i think his people will be really pleased. Listen. Well, listen, donald trump did joe biden a huge favor. He set the expectations on the floor. Joe biden basically had to show up and not keel over on the dais tonight. And he massively outperformed that just objectively, there was some stumbling. There was some the coughing. And theres hes prone to sometimes stutter. But he did show energy. He showed the ability to get through a long speech. Now i think he was smart to start with setting the stakes very high at the top to talk about ukraine, to talk about the threat to democracy. Where he starts to wane is in the middle when hes talking about the economy. It was like patting himself on the back, sort of. Its actually better than you feel that it is the border, the substance of it was quite good. That should have been at the front end of the speech. The number one issue for a plurality of voters. But overall i think most people are going to say that looks like a man whos up to the job. Lets go back to erin on capitol hill, erin. All right. Thanks anderson. All right. You both know him so well. Youve been here preparing for three state of the Union Speeches with him. What did you just see . I thought that was terrific. That was vintage joe biden. He gave an incredibly forceful performance, which as as everyones been discussing, was what he needed to do tonight. He needed to show that vitality he showed how comfortable he is in this environment. Were talking about that before he started to speak. He loves the congress. He loves the senate. He loves the opportunity to go back and forth. He loves the house, and so this was really a moment for him to show command, which you saw him do as he was going back and forth on immigration and a couple of other issues. You know, he really likes to engage. And so him having the moment, having the opportunity to do that, you really saw kind of the best of him. You saw somebody who was on top of his game and very comfortable. And i think that was probably the single most important thing. You know, the other thing i thought was interesting is that he really he used a lot of language that really painted trump and the republicans as weak. I mean, he said, you know, right at the top, you know, were not going to bow down in talking about supporting ukraine. Its not like in all caps. Right . Were not going to. Yeah, it was really he did a lot to sort of frame the republican position on a lot of issues as weak. He obviously you know, he talked about you cant only love your country when you win, and so i thought it was interesting that he kind of wove that, you know, narrative through the speech because thats obviously, you know, thats an important piece of kind of the case that hes making. And you, evan, having chronicled his his career and spent so much time with him in recent days, back to your description in that time, right, that you felt his mind was there, but his voice was clotted. His voice was not clotted tonight. No. This is a guy who came out with a very clear intention to show americans what he thinks people around him see. And this is what you often hear described from people whove spent time with him behind the scenes. Look, he got out there, and from the very beginning, he was comfortable in that chamber. He wanted to get up there on the lectern. Hes not rushing, hes spending time with people. And then he gets up there and he begins to speak. And what you heard, i think this is very important, was a kind of, comfort with the issues and a level of emphasis. The clear thing was, if you turned off the sound on that speech and you just watch that person at the lectern, you wouldnt have had a lot of questions about whether they were in command of that chamber, whether they were in command of the material. And very many people out there are going to be seeing that speech in that theyre looking to see. Am i reassured, you know, the number of people who said to me in the days before this speech, im nervous. Im nervous because any moment could become fodder on social media. There was no moment tonight that becomes a, you know, a day long story. This is thats ad libs. Kate were frequent but yet would, you know, circle back purposefully. Exactly, exactly. And you you asked earlier if he was nervous. Absolutely not. All right. Jake thanks, erin. And were watching President Biden make his way out of statuary hall, at and it is definitely a moment where he seems to be, im sorry, making his way out of the House Chamber is definitely a moment where he seems to be relishing what he just did. He seems to be enjoying it. A lot of congratulations from democrats, stanley. You know, speaking of democrats, i while this speech was going on, i was getting texts from a couple of senior democratic leadership aides saying, you know what republicans did was okay, were expectations. Lets interrupt. Right now, we are going to listen to the republican response. Senator katie britt of alabama. Good evening america. My name is katie britt. And i have the honor of serving the people of the great state of alabama and the United States senate. However, thats not the job that matters most. I am a proud wife and mom of two school aged kids. My daughter bennet and my son ridgeway are why i ran for the senate. Im worried about their future and the future of children in every corner of our nation. And thats why i invited you into our home tonight. Like so many families across america, my husband, wesley, and i just watched President Bidens state of the Union Address from our living room. And what we saw was the performance of a permanent politician who has actually been in office for longer than ive been alive. One thing was quite clear, though. President biden just doesnt get it. Hes out of touch under his administration, families are worse off our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure. I just wish he understood what real families are facing around kitchen tables, just like this one. You know, this is where our family has tough conversations. Its where we make hard decisions. Its where we share the good, the bad and the ugly of our days. Its where we laugh together and its where we hold each others hands and pray for gods guidance. And many nights, to be honest, its where wesley and i worry. I know were not alone. And so tonight, the American Family needs to have a tough conversation because the truth is, were all worried about the future of our nation. The country we know and love seems to be slipping away. And it feels like the next generation will have fewer opportunities and less freedoms than we did. I worry my own children may not even get a shot at living their American Dreams. My American Dream allowed me, the daughter of two Small Business owners from rural enterprise, alabama, to be elected to the United States senate at the age of 40. Growing up sweeping the floor at my dads Hardware Store and cleaning the bathroom at my moms dance studio, i never could have imagined what my story would entail. To think about what the American Dream can do across just one generation, in just one lifetime. Its truly breathtaking. But right now, the American Dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. The true, unvarnished state of our union begins and ends with this. Our families are hurting. Our country can do better, and you dont have to look any further than the crisis at our southern border to see it. President biden inherited the most secure border of all time, but minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations. He halted construction of the border wall, and he announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. We know that President Biden didnt just create this border crisis. He invited it with 94 Executive Actions in his first 100 days. When i took office, i took a different approach. I traveled to the del rio sector of texas. Thats where i spoke to a woman who shared her story with me. She had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12. She told me. Not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped. The cartels put her on a mattress in a shoebox of a room, and they sent men through that door over and over again for hours and hours on end. We wouldnt be okay with this happening in a third world country. This is the United States of america, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we start acting like it. President bidens border policies are a disgrace. This crisis is despicable, and the truth is, it is almost entirely preventable. From fentanyl poisonings to horrific murders, there are empty chairs tonight at kitchen tables, just like this one. Because of President Bidens senseless border policies. Just think about lake and riley in my neighboring state of georgia, this beautiful 22 year old Nursing Student went out on a jog one morning, but she never got the opportunity to return home. She was brutally murdered by one of the millions of illegal Border Crossers President Biden chose to release into our homeland. Yall, as a mom, i cant quit thinking about this. I mean, this could have been my daughter. This could have been yours. And tonight, President Biden finally said her name, but he refused to take responsibility for his own