He wrapped that into a larger theme that democracy is threatened like no time since the Civil War, signaling a clear line of attack he will use against the man he would not name.
He also criticized “my predecessor” for Trump’s assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin can “do whatever the hell he wants” with respect to NATO allies, and he implored Congress to pass additional aid for Ukraine.
Speaking with a vigor that his supporters have said has been lacking, he set up a contrast between his internationalist view of the world and the more isolationist leaning of his “predecessor.”
Biden used almost the entirety of the speech to find ways to try to persuade Americans of the contrast.
The age-old question
On Thursday night, Biden delivered what a lot of his own supporters had found wanting. It was a high-energy, forceful speech, and at times, he taunted Republicans with ad-libs. When they heckled his support for bipartisan border security legislation, Biden said, “Look at the facts. I know you know how to read.”
Biden stumbled over a few words, and in the Republican response, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama called him “dithering and diminished,” but it was a more vigorous performance than other speeches where his remarks can be meandering or hard to hear. It was also a rejoinder to criticisms that Biden is too old to keep serving as president. He would be 86 at the end of a second term, and Republicans — though Trump is only four years younger — have relished slicing and dicing videos of the president to make him look as feeble as possible on social media.
Biden leaned into his age, mentioning he was born during World War II, but defended his vision for the country as fresh. “You can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back,” he said.
Abortion on the ballot
The president said efforts to restrict abortion were an “assault on freedom,” and he derided the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, with members of the Supreme Court who were in the majority in that decision seated just feet away.
He also welcomed Kate Cox, a Dallas mother whose fetus had a fatal condition that put her own health at risk and forced her to leave the state in order to get an abortion. “My God,” Biden said, “what freedoms will you take away next?”
Through much of his career, Biden has not emphasized abortion rights. In his speech, he showed how much he believes that issue could be a key to a second term.
Health care still a ‘big deal’
Biden playfully said that the Obama-era health care law is still a “big deal” and vowed to work to make a tax credit tied to the law permanent.
“Over 100 million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition,” Biden said. “Well, my predecessor, many in this chamber, want to take the prescription drug benefit away by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I’m not going let that happen.”
Biden appeared to slip in a riff about pharmaceutical companies selling their drugs at cheaper prices around the globe, telling the audience that he’d like to take them on Air Force One to several major global cities, including Moscow, to see how much they would save on the same drugs.
But he quickly caught himself, saying it was “probably” the case, even in Russia, that prescriptions cost a fraction of what they do in the U.S.
War in Gaza gets its moment
The bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas was an unavoidable backdrop to Biden’s speech. His motorcade took a different route to the U.S. Capitol after protesters blocked part of Pennsylvania Avenue. Inside the House chamber, some lawmakers wore keffiyehs, the black and white checkered scarves that symbolized solidarity with Palestinians.
Biden announced plans for the U.S. military to help establish a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza, an effort that the administration says should significantly boost the flow of aid into the besieged territory.
