Gingrich suggests Biden’s biggest State of the Union challenge will be keeping up his energy

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) quipped Thursday that the “single most important element” of President Biden’s State of the Union address will be the president’s ability to maintain energy throughout the speech.

“Biden has two big challenges. The first is the performance challenge. I think he’ll grow a little bit if he gives a good speech with energy and actually stands there for an hour and a half. “We’re going to be able to do that,” Gingrich said Thursday in an interview on Fox News’ “American Report.”

“But if at any point in the speech he clearly stumbles, has cognitive problems, or somehow doesn’t know what he’s saying, he’s at a huge loss. “So, in that sense, the personal performance element of this speech is probably the most important single element,” he continued.

Mr. Gingrich’s remarks came just hours before Mr. Biden’s State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, scheduled for Thursday night. The speech is widely seen as an opportunity for the president to tout the accomplishments of his first term in office to voters, while also assuring them that he is in good hands for another four years in the Oval Office.

Biden has faced growing concerns about his age and mental acuity, particularly after a special counsel report last month described the president as an “old man with a poor memory.”

A recent poll from The New York Times and Siena College found that 73% of registered voters strongly or somewhat believe that the 81-year-old Biden is too old to be president, including 56% of Democrats. %It is included.

Approximately 43% of registered voters support Trump, who is seen as President Biden’s challenger after former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, President Trump’s only remaining Republican challenger, suspended her campaign earlier this week. He expressed a similar opinion about the former president.

Mr. Gingrich, a longtime ally of Mr. Trump, argued that the second challenge in Mr. Biden’s speech would be that “whatever he says is inconsistent with reality.”

“It’s a reality that illegal immigrants that Biden allowed into the country killed a young college student at the University of Georgia. It’s a reality that Venezuelans that Biden allowed into this country beat up a New York police officer and bought food. “The general public knows that the reality is that products are too expensive,” he said.

Mr. Gingrich was referring to the recent death of 22-year-old Laken Riley, who was found dead near the University of Georgia campus after failing to return. Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, was later arrested and charged with murder in connection with her death.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (UCBP), Ybarra entered the country illegally from Mexico in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, and was detained and released for further processing. President Trump and his Republican allies are trying to use Riley’s death to criticize Biden’s border security policies.

Mr. Gingrich’s second reference was to a scuffle in January between New York City employees and a group of suspects, some of whom appeared to be immigrants, which authorities have not confirmed.

“So when you look at the reality of people’s lives, no matter how many words Biden says, he can’t expose the failures that are directly impacting people. That’s why tonight, Biden is taking on such a huge challenge. I think they’re going to do that,” Gingrich said.