Congressional Republicans on Thursday night condemned President Joe Biden’s “angry” State of the Union address, arguing it fueled concerns about both the president’s 81-year-old age and mental acuity.
Biden addressed a joint session of the House and Senate for his final SOTU address in office, highlighting the threat to democracy posed by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
But for many Republicans, the focus was on Biden’s mental competency, which has come under intense scrutiny.
Biden attacks his “predecessor” Trump and the Republican Party in the highly partisan nation
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 7, 2024. ((Shaun Hsu/Pool via AP))
“In many cases, it was difficult to understand what he was saying,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.). “He was kind of mumbling and slurring his speech.”
“We couldn’t understand him. He was so angry,” Republican Sen. Roger Marshall agreed. The volume went up and down.
At several points, Mr. Biden raised his voice to emphasize his points, particularly when referring to Mr. Trump.
Exclusive: As 2024 race comes into focus, Trump reacts to Biden’s enthusiastic declaration of a federal state
Some Republicans criticized Biden’s comments as too angry. (Shaun Shue Pool/Getty Images)
Biden uses term referring to illegal immigrants in speech that his own administrators had warned about
Marshall added that he was “very concerned” about Biden’s health.
Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla. “He sometimes had slurred speech.”
“It was a long speech. He had a teleprompter with him. I think that helped,” she said.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the president’s annual address “reminds me of an angry old man standing on his front porch yelling, ‘Get out of my front yard!'”
President Joe Biden arrives in Washington to attend the State of the Union address at the Capitol on Thursday, March 7, 2024, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Louisiana) look on. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said Biden told the nation Thursday night that he “does have mental health issues.”
“He was screaming the whole time,” echoed Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Labada).
Sen, Alabama.Brit Shred Biden speaks out on Republican rebuttal about ‘sneaky’ border crisis
Republicans tended to believe that Biden’s speech expressed anger and was evidence of cognitive decline, while Congressional Democrats believed that his speech reflected his energy.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delta, said the president was “very energetic, very active. Very strong, very optimistic.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also praised Biden’s speech, saying, “He was fine!”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“He was great, really great,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, calling Biden “energetic” and “lucid.”
Even Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Nebraska) acknowledged it. “To be fair, [Biden] Good night. ”
