President Biden sought to allay concerns about his age during his State of the Union speech Thursday, speaking loudly and at a fairly rapid clip in the lengthy address that featured several off-the-cuff exchanges with Republicans.
“In my career, I’ve been told I’m too young,” Biden, 81, reflected near the tail-end of his 68-minute speech. “I’ve been told I am too old.”
“My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are. Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.”
Many of Biden’s allies saw his address to the nation as a golden opportunity to belie narratives about infirmity and cast him as an energetic president who is fully in command.
Over three-fourths of voters have said they have serious concerns about Biden’s age in a raft of recent polling. Biden is the oldest US president in history and would be 86 at the end of a second hypothetical term.
At times, Biden appeared to have a froggy throat but powered through it and tangled with rowdy Republicans in the House chambers to showcase his vitality.
Still, Biden’s grand speech was not devoid of gaffes. Somewhat early on in his address, Biden appeared to suggest he’d fly Americans to Moscow for cheaper prescription drugs. But he quickly corrected himself.
“I’m gonna get in trouble for saying this, but you want to get into Air Force One and fly to Toronto, Berlin, Moscow – I mean, excuse me … well, even in Moscow probably,” he said to chuckles from the audience.
“Bring your prescription with you and I promise you I’ll get it for you for 40% [of] the cost you’re paying now.”
During an off-script moment, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) brought up Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant on Feb. 22.
“Say her name,” Greene jeered.
Biden fired back saying, “Laken Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal,” Biden said, pronouncing Riley’s first name as “Lincoln.”
In another moment, Biden stumbled while rebuking former President Donald Trump — whom he strenuously avoided naming outright — over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“The threat to democracy must be defended, my predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that,” he said.
But Biden also had some off-script moments where he tangled with Republicans that pleased many Democrats who felt it showed him in command and quick on his feet.
While bashing Republicans for sinking a bipartisan border security deal last month and hailing it as the “toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen,” Republicans showered him with boos.
“Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh?” Biden quipped. “That conservatives got together and said was a good bill? I’ll be darned. That’s amazing.”
“I know that you know how to read,” he further chided.
During another verbal scrap, Biden triggered Republicans by they were looking to “cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy.”
He drew jeers and at least one lawmaker shouted out “lies.”
“Oh no, you guys don’t want another $2 trillion tax cut. I kinda thought that’s what your plan was,” Biden shot back. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
Following the speech, many of Biden’s allies seemed confident that he accomplished his mission of foiling narratives about his cognitive decline.
“Nobody’s gonna talk about cognitive impairment now,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) mused to Biden after the speech.
Several users on social media felt that Biden spoke very quickly throughout his address, particularly early on.
“Why is he talking so fast?” one X user said.
“Ok no joke this man is on some sort of drug, why is he talking so fast,” podcast host Jesse Hughes posted on the platform.
“I know it’s late and Biden wants to get this over, he’s going too fast,” former George W. Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said. “He needs to slow down his cadence.”
Thursday was Biden’s third State of the Union address and his final one before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Victor Nava contributed to this report.
