Says He Wants Competition With China, Not Conflicts
President Joe Biden has given a sweeping State of the Union address, setting out the key issues likely to feature in his re-election campaign.
He took repeated swipes at Donald Trump – his likely opponent in November’s election – criticising his recent comments about Russia and Nato.
He defended abortion rights and said he would work to restore them nationwide if re-elected.
Biden also pitched his record on the economy, telling the crowded House chamber that “America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities.”
https://twitter.com/i/status/1765946605407027303Trump, the likely Republican candidate, said his rival was to blame for the border crisis, and called the speech an “embarrassment.”
Alabama Senator Katie Britt, delivering the formal Republican rebuttal, said the “American Dream turned into the American nightmare” under Biden.
An analyst described Biden’s State of the Union address as an aggressive affair that was clearly aimed at convincing nervous Democrats that their presumptive nominee is ready to go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump.
By that metric, it was a success. The president jabbed, parried and, at times, expressed quizzical outrage.
“You were on fire,“ a Democratic congressman told the president after his speech concluded.
For an 81-year-old president facing questions about his age and energy, “fire” is exactly what the White House wanted to convey.
Biden also touched on US competition with China, arguing that the US trade deficit with China is down to “the lowest point in over a decade”.
“We’re standing against China’s unfair economic practices,” he said, promising that the US would defend Taiwan.
“We want competition with China, but not conflict,” he said.
Biden describes the war in Gaza as a “gut-wrenching” several months for civilians in Israel and Palestine.
He pledges to work to bring every hostage home, pointing to American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas and who are attending the speech tonight.
Turning to Gaza, Biden describes the “heart-breaking” conditions in Gaza, with more than 30,000 Palestinians killed so far. “We’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last at least six weeks.”
BBC