Joe Biden’s State of the Union address: Key Highlights

President Joe Biden on Thursday attacked former President Donald Trump’s vision for America, criticized Israel and was challenged on immigration in his last State of the Union speech before the two men face off in the November U.S. election.

Here are some takeaways from the State of the Union address on Thursday.

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The Biden campaign responded to Trump’s Truth Social “rapid response” to the State of the Union, which experienced a brief outage, with a succinct one-word statement: “Sad.”

The statement bore a screenshot that appeared to capture Trump’s Truth Social page buffering.

Trump extended congratulations to Britt on her response, asserting that she provided a “great contrast” to an “angry” president.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump remarked, “She was compassionate and caring, especially concerning Women and Women’s Issues. Her conversation on Migrant Crime was powerful and insightful. Great job Katie!”

During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden cited a 2021 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy think tank, stating that 55 of the country’s largest corporations had made $40 billion in profit in their previous fiscal year but hadn’t paid any federal corporate income taxes.

Biden claimed, “Remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income taxes. Zero. Not anymore. Thanks to the law I wrote and we signed, big companies have to pay a minimum of 15%.”

Biden’s assertion of ‘not anymore’ is inaccurate

While his 15% corporate minimum tax aims to reduce the number of major companies not paying federal taxes, it doesn’t guarantee that none of the previously mentioned companies will continue to do so. The minimum tax, applies to “book income” reported to investors, only applies to companies with at least $1 billion in average annual income.

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, only 14 of the 55 non-paying companies reported having US pre-tax income of at least $1 billion.

Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, acknowledged the tax as a positive step but noted that it might not eliminate the phenomenon of zero-tax profitable corporations. He emphasized that the more accurate phrasing would be that the minimum tax will “help” ensure that “the most profitable” corporations pay at least some federal income tax.

Fact checking Biden’s Covid-19 address

While addressing the pandemic time he suggested that more than 1 million American lives were lost to Covid-19 under the Trump administration. This statement requires context, as the US didn’t reach its millionth death until May 2022 when Biden was in office. While a huge numbers of lives were lost during the Trump administration, the official count surpassed a million deaths in May 2022 during Biden’s presidency.

As of February, over 1.18 million people in the US have died from Covid-19 according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alabama Sen. Katie Britt criticized President Joe Biden, lamenting that he is “out of touch” and lacks an understanding of the challenges confronting American families.

In her GOP response to Biden’s State of the Union address, Britt remarked that the president’s statements were a “performance of a perm politician.”

Britt, the youngest Republican woman elected to the US Senate, highlighted that Biden has been in office for “longer than I’ve been alive.”

“Regardless of whether the Fake News Media is willing to admit it or not, there were significant misrepresentations and falsehoods in that speech,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “However, the people of our country understand it, and they recognize that November 5th will be the Most Important Day in our Nation’s History!”

Former President Donald Trump’s “play-by-play” response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address unfolded sporadically as Truth Social experienced a series of outages during the speech. Trump’s reactions were often delayed as he observed Biden with a small group of advisers and aides from a war room set up at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

During the brief intervals between outages, Trump posted messages mocking Biden’s appearance, demeanor, and cough. Despite the personal attacks, Trump did address certain aspects of the speech, frequently steering the conversation back to immigration and the border. He also directly responded to Biden’s comments on NATO.

As Biden intensified his criticisms, Trump appeared to grow agitated, asserting that inflation under Biden was detrimental to America and taking credit for actions benefiting veterans and reducing pricing. Additionally, Trump claimed that Biden aimed to confiscate “everyone’s gun.”

Trump extended his attacks to various lawmakers critical of him, including Republican Sen. Mitt Romney and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

President Biden has once again criticized his predecessor in the White House, not taking the name Donal Trump on his lips once.

In his remarks, Biden mentioned that his life has shaped his commitment to “embrace freedom and democracy” and to build a “future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, equality.”

“Now, some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution.”

“That’s not me,” Biden said.

One of the most notable moments of the evening unfolded as Joe Biden delved into the issue of immigration, a vulnerability evident in polls leading up to the November contest against Donald Trump.

During his speech, the president faced disruption from Marjorie Taylor Greene, a rightwing antagonist, who insisted he say the name of Laken Riley, suspected to have been murdered by an undocumented migrant.

Biden, typically avoiding interactions with Greene, chose to respond to her.

Emily Capilouto, residing in Alabama and eager to arrange an embryo transfer this month before her clinic halted IVF treatments following the recent state supreme court ruling, expressed her approval of the president’s speech.

“I was encouraged by the President’s call to protect IVF and reproductive rights as one of his first topics tonight, specifically his promise to restore Roe if Congress provides the opportunity,” she said. “I hope these protections continue to be a main focus for his campaign and administration.”

Biden’s address wrapped up shortly after 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

He concluded with a forward-looking message for “all Americans.” Reiterating a familiar phrase often used to conclude his speeches, he stated, “nothing” is beyond the U.S.’ capacity when Americans work together.

Biden encountered moments of stumbling tonight, yet he also delivered some spontaneous ad-libs, which have been perceived as some of the most authentic moments.

“I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” said the 81-year-old president, the oldest to ever hold the job.

“You get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,” Biden continued. “I know the American story. Again and again, I’ve seen the contrast 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.”

Biden’s initial mention of the Middle East occurred 54 minutes into his speech. He addressed the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, acknowledging the family members of hostages present in the chamber. Some were guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who stood to applaud them.

Biden proceeded to discuss Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

While addressing the Israel-Hamas war, along with Yemen-Houthis, Biden refrained himself form mentioning Aaron Bushnell, the US Airman us set himself on fire in fornt of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.

“My predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was president. After another shooting in Iowa recently, he said, when asked what to do about it, he said, ‘just get over it’. There’s his quote, ‘just get over it’,” Biden said.

“I say, stop it”.

GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden is identified as the member who shouted “lies” when President Joe Biden criticized former President Donald Trump, as reported by two sources who heard him.

A protester in the gallery, where guests sit, was removed from the speech while yelling about the Marines. “Second battalion US Marines,” the man shouted. He was addressing murder rates. Biden did not acknowledge the individual.

Biden says Laken Riley is just like thousands of refugees trying to enter this country. But he can’t help with this, or he will do wrong with those immigrants who are innocent and just trying to provide bread and butter for their families.

“I will not demonize immigrants saying they are ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’” Biden said.

“I will not separate families.”

Biden condemned Republicans for obstructing the bipartisan border bill in the Senate, directly addressing skeptics within the chamber.

Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., silently affirmed, “That’s true,” as Biden outlined the contents of his bipartisan border bill.

Biden lifts and showcases Margery Green’s pin while addressing Laken Riley case.

The Trump tax cuts are set to expire in the next term, whether it be during Biden’s potential second term or Trump’s return. This indicates Biden’s intention to frame the expiring tax cuts as a negative aspect in the upcoming fall season.

The final 30-45 seconds discussing education were entirely impromptu.

Following the statement, “Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month!” Biden went off-script, remarking that drug companies continue to enjoy substantial profits despite this reduction. This unprepared commentary was not part of the initial remarks.

Biden vows to lower costs for prescription drugs.