State of the Union 2022 - Boebert doubles down on heckle as veteran’s widow calls for her removal

As it happened: Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to Congress

220301 SOTU ROUND UP_2.mp4

Joe Biden has woken up an encouraging reception for his first State of the Union address, which snap polling says met with the approval of more than two-thirds of Americans – a rare bit of good news for a president whose ratings remain underwater.

Mr Biden at times received bipartisan standing applause in the House chamber last night, especially during his remarks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked,” the president said. “He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and Nato wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

However, progressives have given a lukewarm reception to the domestic elements of Mr Biden’s speech, in which he promised to “fund the police” while declining to go as far as some wanted on key issues like immigration.

Speaking on MSNBC, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that “there’s some themes that are left a little bit to be desired for key constituencies in the Democratic base, but the president’s goal was very clear on really projecting a theme of unity and I think he’s still stuck to that.”

Meanwhile, the White House has hit back at heckling from far-right Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki remarking that their shouting at the president “says a lot more about them” than it does about the substance of his speech.

Key Points

• Read Biden’s State of the Union in full
• GOP response: Biden has taken us ‘back in time'
• Right-wing members booed for heckling Biden

[1 March 2022 05:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

GOP leaders pick Iowa governor for State of Union response

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address on 1 March, GOP congressional leaders announced last week.

Ms Reynolds was praised by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell as fighting Covid “without forgetting common sense” by protecting Iowans’ health and their rights at the same time.

[1 March 2022 06:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden speech comes amid crises, setbacks

The last time President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress, he said the country was “ready for takeoff” after a period of plague and strife.

It’s been a more turbulent flight than expected. Biden is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union speech on Tuesday night at a moment when he’ has struggled to deliver on many of his original promises and as he is being forced to confront new crises.

The gap between the two major speeches — the first one was last April — is the story of a presidency that has repeatedly needed to recalibrate its ambitions.

[1 March 2022 07:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Everything we know about Joe Biden’s address to Congress

Joe Biden will give his first State of the Union address to Congress on the evening of Tuesday 1 March after accepting the customary formal invitation for that date from House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Article Two of the US Constitution requires every occupant of the White House to “give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”.

Here’s everything we know so far.

[1 March 2022 09:00 · Andrew Naughtie]

When the SOTU response goes wrong

The job of responding to the State of the Union on behalf of the opposition party is both an honour and a curse, coming as it does with both a huge audience and zero cover for anything that goes wrong.

Many have struggled to pull it together, but probably the most infamous casualty is Marco Rubio, whose otherwise unremarkable 2013 contribution was trivialised by his bizarre, lip-smacking duck-and-dive move to grab a comically tiny bottle of water. He’s never quite shaken off the incident to this day.

Before him was then-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who responded Barack Obama’s first address in 2009. His speech is infamous not only for his odd delivery, but for the unintentionally overheard “oh god” uttered by Chris Matthews as he walked up to the camera.

And at the bizarre end of the scale, in 2011, Michele Bachmann delivered a chart-heavy response on behalf of the Tea Party that saw her ridiculed for looking into the wrong camera throughout. Here’s a Saturday Night Live parody.

[1 March 2022 10:00 · Andrew Naughtie]

Giving SOTU in fast-moving times could help Biden get it right

James Fallows, who worked as a speechwriter for former president Jimmy Carter, has this insight into how the torrent of news coming from Europe could affect Joe Biden’s address tonight...

[1 March 2022 11:00 · Andrew Naughtie]

Rubio to skip SOTU over Covid test requirement

Florida Senator Marco Rubio – one of his party’s most active members when it comes to commenting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine – will be skipping the State of the Union because he refuses to make time to take a Covid test, as is being required of all guests.

Mr Rubio elaborated on the matter on Newsmax last week, telling the right-wing network: “I’ll watch the replays on television. I don’t need to sit there and go through all of that just to make them feel good about how safe they’re being. Honestly, I’m just tired of all the COVID theater crap.”

[1 March 2022 12:00 · Andrew Naughtie]

Democrats pile in to deliver their own SOTU responses

In addition to the standard GOP response, at least three Democrats are giving their own postscript to Joe Biden’s speech tonight. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib will deliver a progressive address, while the centrist-bipartisan “No Labels” group will host a “problem solvers perspective” from Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Republican Brian Fitzpatrick – and the Congressional Black Caucus will be represented by Texas Congressman Colin Allred.

[1 March 2022 12:57 · Andrew Naughtie]

Capitol hunkers down for possible protests

While several convoys of truckers meant to converge on Washington have run into trouble or called their journeys off altogether, CBS News reports that the security measures being taken at the Capitol tonight are comparable to the temporary measures put up after the 6 January riot.

[1 March 2022 14:15 · Andrew Naughtie]

Dems push back on inflation as Biden prepares to address nation

A new ad from the Democrats’ senatorial campaign operation is taking the fight to the GOP on inflation, tackling head-on one of the main themes that the right have been using against Joe Biden. The conflict in Ukraine notwithstanding, the state of the economy is expected to be the headline theme of tonight’s speech.

[1 March 2022 15:27 · Andrew Naughtie]

California Senator tests positive for Covid-19

As certain Republican senators announce they will skip tonight’s speech rather than take Covid-19 tests before attending, one of their Democratic colleagues has announced he has contracted the virus.

Alex Padilla of California tweeted earlier that he is isolating after his result, meaning he will miss Mr Biden’s address.