From the outset, Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address was a unique one, with congratulations to Speaker of the House pro tem Kevin McCarthy as a sign of bipartisanship but peppered with interchanges between the President and the Republican side.
With McCarthy alternatively attempting to look actively bored to shushing disrespectful liars from his caucus, Biden controlled the stage, turning heckles from Republicans into a public pledge that they will not threaten Social Security and Medicare as the debt ceiling crisis approaches. Biden deftly used policies promoted by Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott during the midterm elections to turn Republicans against themselves.
Biden pushed for an assault weapons ban–after which cameras caught Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (Q-Colo.) looking forlorn in the audience–and promised to veto any abortion ban that may slip through Congress.
With appearances from Elsa and Chiquita cosplayers in the crowd, Biden aggressively pushed his administration’s successes, prepping for a 2024 run where many voters haven’t felt the impact of the legislation passed in the first two years of his term.