Donald Trump Responds to Joe Biden's State of the Union Address

Former President Donald Trump called President Joe Biden's fourth State of the Union address "angry" and "polarizing" as the two men prepare for their likely matchup in November's presidential election.

"That may be the Angriest, Least Compassionate, and Worst State of the Union Speech ever made," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It was an Embarrassment to our Country!"

The Context

Trump posted to his social media platform throughout Biden's speech on Thursday night, telling his Truth Social followers the night before that he planned to offer a "live, play by play" fact-check of the president's address. The site briefly experienced technical issues toward the beginning of Biden's speech, but appeared to be up-and-running most of the night.

Biden and Trump are leading their respective parties in the 2024 presidential primaries, and are all but certain to face a rematch in seven months. Biden did not shy away from hits at Trump throughout Thursday's State of the Union, although the president would only refer to his rival as his "predecessor."

What We Know

Trump's criticism of Biden spanned from bashing his comments regarding immigration and the economy to critiquing the president's delivery of the State of the Union, which Trump said was "shouted" out the entire night.

"This was an angry, polarizing, and hate-filled Speech," Trump posted after Biden was finished. "He barely mentioned Immigration, or the Worst Border in the History of the World. He will never fix Immigration, nor does he want to. He wants our Country to be flooded with Migrants. Crime will raise to levels never seen before, and it is happening very quickly!"

Biden used Thursday's speech to highlight the differences between his and Trump's campaigns, and condemned the former president's policies on issues like abortion, taxes and foreign affairs.

The president specifically called Trump out for his recent attacks toward NATO, and accused him of "bowing down" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has faced widespread backlash after saying that he would "encourage" Russia to attack any country that does not meet NATO's military spending requirements.

Trump shot back at Biden's comments on Truth Social, writing, "Putin only invaded Ukraine, because he has no respect for Biden. Would have never happened under the Trump Administration, and for four years it didn't happen!"

Views

Several Democrats praised Biden's speech Thursday evening, including California Representative and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who told CNN that she thought the president's speech was "spectacular."

"He did it with vigor, he did it with vision, he did it with patriotism, and I think it was one of the finest State of the Union addresses I have ever seen, and I've seen many," Pelosi added.

Some Republicans agreed with Trump's assessment, however, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who said that Biden's speech reminded him of an "angry old man."

"Joe Biden was angry, he was bitter, he was screaming the entire night," Cruz told Fox News. "He was radical and extreme."

Alabama Senator Katie Britt, who delivered the GOP response to Biden's address, criticized the president's administration, saying, "Right now, our commander in chief is not in command."

"The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader," Britt added. "America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets and a strong defense are actually the cornerstones of a great nation."

Political commentator Tucker Carlson also posted a reaction to the State of the Union on X, formerly Twitter, telling his followers that it was "quite an experience" to watch.

"That was possibly the darkest, most un-American speech ever given by an American president," Carlson added. "In fact it wasn't a speech, it was a rant entirely lacking in decency or generosity to his fellow Americans."

What's Next?

Biden entered Thursday's address with some of the lowest favorability polls in U.S. history. According to national polling averages compiled by FiveThirtyEight, over 55 percent of American voters find the president unfavorable—only 39.9 percent support Biden's stance in the White House.

Still, preliminary polling shows Biden neck-and-neck against Trump ahead of November. Prior to Super Tuesday's vote, where both men dominated their respective parties' primary races, Biden was barely leading Trump in two of the last six major national surveys, while Trump led the president in three of the polls evaluated by FiveThirtyEight.

Update 3/8/24, 12:18 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.