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CNN’s John King made a surprise admission Thursday night following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union, saying Biden’s third speech to Congress was the most politicized in his 36 years of covering the annual tradition.
“Never heard one so political,” King said during a network recap while Biden shook hands on his way out of the House chamber. “Never heard one that was such a campaign speech.”
WATCH:
CNN’s John King: “This is the 36th of these for me … Never heard one so political. Never heard one that is such a campaign speech.” pic.twitter.com/C7g8bg6zo9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 8, 2024
Throughout his 90 minutes at the lectern, President Biden lit into Republicans for scuttling a border deal while touting his administration’s efforts to stem the flow of opioids into the country and preserve manufacturing jobs while making progress on his promise of a greener economy. He received the typically thunderous applause from Democrats while Republicans sat with hands mostly clasped, except after several platitudes from Biden to increase border security.
Still, getting tougher on illegal immigration is not going over well within his own party. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gave her own hot take, wishing that Biden had referred to the killer of 22-year-old Laken Riley as “undocumented” rather than illegal.
Prior to the event, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met privately with his caucus where he encouraged members to respect the formal affair and refrain from outbursts.
“Decorum will be the order of the day,” Johnson said, according to Axios, a plan that didn’t exactly pan out.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) yelled at Biden from the crowd, ordering him to say the name “Laken Riley,” and Johnson also couldn’t prevent a visibly upset Gold Star father from yelling at President Biden over his border failures, prompting Capitol police to remove him from the upper seats.
The White House is banking on a strategy that projects meaningful progress contrasted with the chaos and unpredictability they argue would come with another four years of former President Donald Trump at the helm. Recent polls show the majority of Americans give Trump a slight lead, especially in critical swing states, while expressing growing concern over Biden’s handling of illegal immigration.
President Trump spent Thursday night posting rapid responses to Biden’s speech on Truth Social, lighting up the new social media network with so much traffic that his posts became temporarily unavailable throughout the night.
“CROOKED JOE BIDEN IS ON THE RUN FROM HIS RECORD—AND LYING LIKE CRAZY TO TRY AND ESCAPE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE HORRIFIC DEVASTATION HE AND HIS PARTY HAVE CREATED!” Trump shouted in a final post that included a video of his reaction to the speech, one King agrees attempted to move the ball forward for Biden toward November 2024.
