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Alabama Senator Katie Britt on Thursday faced widespread backlash after delivering the Republican Party's response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.
Many users on X, formerly Twitter, described Britt's recorded response as "creepy" and "overly dramatic."
The speech even received criticism from prominent conservatives like Michael Steele, former chair of the Republican National Convention, who posted on X: "Well, that Katie Britt experience was ... experiential."
Others felt her delivery was reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, a television show based on a famous novel that centers on a dystopian society where women are treated cruelly. Multiple people said Britt was overacting in a way that was almost humorous and compared her rebuttal to a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Newsweek reached out to a representative for Britt on early Friday morning via email for comment.
During her response to Biden, Britt—the youngest Republican ever elected to the Senate—attacked the president on his economic and border policies, as well as poked fun at his age.
Britt at times appeared to be on the verge of tears, while other times she whispered emphatically while painting a picture of Americans struggling under Biden's presidency.
"Biden proudly proclaims that 'Bidenomics is working,'" she said at one point. "Goodness, y'all. Bless his heart. We know better."
Allie Beth Stuckey, a popular conservative podcaster, approved of Britt as the choice for giving the rebuttal but did not think she performed well.
"Katie Britt is exactly the right pick for the response, but this is hard to watch. She's acting instead of just speaking," Stuckey wrote on X.
Katie Britt is exactly the right pick for the response, but this is hard to watch. She's acting instead of just speaking.
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) March 8, 2024
Stuckey's opinion of the speech softened in later messages, though, and she followed up by writing that in "Britt's defense, this kind of speech is very hard to do for people who aren't used to doing it."
Other X users were more harsh, including David J. Rothkopf, a political analyst and columnist for The Daily Beast.
"Seriously, the Katie Britt response is scary as s***. This is like a sci fi movie. This is Handmaid's Tale coming to life," Rothkopf said.
Andrew Weissmann, MSNBC legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, wrote: "I don't think Katie Britt is going to get the lead in the school play this year."
"20 seconds in and no one can convince me this isn't an SNL [Saturday Night Live] skit. Also are we sure Katie Britt isn't AI??" X user @MamaSissieSays posted.
The GOP lawmaker also garnered attention from some celebrities.
"Gee, #KatieBritt looks like she's doing all right. Nice kitchen! Shame she's such a bad actress. Big smile, the cross (always), all the accoutrements, even a fake catch in her voice. But she's fake fake fake as Kari Lake," singer/actress Bette Midler posted.
The View co-host Joy Behar said on X: "Why does Katie Britt go from smiling to being on the verge of tears and then back to some scary Steven King character?"
Update 03/08/24, 12:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.
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About the writer
Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more