Biden avoids Trump’s name in State of the Union, instead mentions ‘my predecessor’ 13 times
President Biden came out swinging against Donald Trump during his State of the Union address Thursday night — referencing his predecessor over a dozen times, but refusing to do so by name.
Biden, who repeatedly used the phrase “my predecessor” when mentioning Trump, began his speech by arguing the former president fueled the biggest threats to hit the US since the Civil War.
“My purpose tonight is to both wake up this Congress, and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either,” the 81-year-old president said. “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today.”
“January 6th and the lies about the 2020 election, and the plots to steal the election, posed the gravest threat to our democracy since the Civil War,” Biden reiterated later in the speech, facing Democratic and Republican members of Congress.
By the time Biden concluded his 68-minute speech, he had referred to his “predecessor” a staggering 13 times.
During the president’s 2023 State of the Union speech, he mentioned Trump just once.
On Thursday night, Biden also slammed Trump for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, burying “the truth of January 6,” his response to COVID-19, making good on his promise to overturn Roe v. Wade and “pressuring members of Congress” to block a border bill giving him more authority on immigration.
The president argued that unlike his “predecessor,” he delivered a “comprehensive plan to fix our immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and so much more,” leaning into the fight taking place over how to handle the record-breaking number of illegal migrants crossing the border.
The former president — who is likely to face off with Biden in November — did not sit idle during Biden’s speech, instead choosing to live post from Truth Social and releasing a rebuttal to the State of the Union hours before Biden went live.
“Joe Biden is a threat to democracy! He weaponized government against his opponent — didn’t talk about that, never happened before!” Trump wrote in all caps in response to Biden’s speech.
The counter programming and back-and-forth comes amid polls showing Biden lagging behind Trump in key swing states going into the general election.
The 77-year-old GOP front-runner responded by criticizing Biden’s age and delivery of his remarks, saying “this was an angry, polarizing, and hate-filled speech,” in a Truth Social post published after the president concluded his remarks.
In his rebuttal, Trump blasted Biden’s track record on the border and the economy, arguing the incumbent contributed to the current “horrific devastation” happening in the US.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also appeared in the House chamber donning a “Trump 2020” MAGA hat, giving the former president a presence.
