Republican and Democratic lawmakers walked away from President Biden’s State of the Union address with very different impressions on Thursday night — as expected.

GOP legislators in the House and Senate called the 81-year-old president an ‘old man’ while blasting his speech as a political campaign speech ahead of the November election.

Democrats, meanwhile, praised Biden’s energy and ‘strong’ address.

‘This was not supposed to be a progressive stump speech, this was supposed to be a State of the Union, and I’m not sure we really got that,’ Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called Biden’s speech ‘the most political’ State of the Union he’s ever heard. ‘It was not a dignified State of the Union address. It was a partisan stump speech,’ Bacon said.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital, ‘It sounded more like a campaign speech than it did a State of the Union.’

‘He talked a lot about his predecessor, which is also his opponent, so he used this platform to run for office as opposed to telling the American people that he’s accountable for what’s happened the last three and a half years with 20% inflation since he’s been in office, you know, trillions of dollars in debt, and more big government, more spending more regulation,’ Hern said.

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital that Biden seemed ‘very shrill and very angry.’

‘And his solutions are very tired – I mean, he’s been here 50 years, his solutions are the same tax and spend policies that got us into this inflationary spiral that we’ve been in,’ he said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, ‘It was a campaign rally. It wasn’t a serious speech.’

Biden’s allies, like Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, came away with a very different view.

‘I’ve been here for 12 years, that was probably the best State of the Union I’ve ever heard,’ Schatz told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., suggested Biden was able to dispel concerns about his age while also painting a distinct contrast between himself and the GOP.

‘I thought it was great. He had lots of energy,’ Beyer told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s not about his age, it’s about the quality of his ideas, and he clearly laid out two different Americas — our America, which is based on dignity, humanity and decency. And the contrary view which is revenge and hate and retribution.’

President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech for over an hour on Thursday night, delivering a number of highlights and key moments that elicited reactions from the crowd and on social media.

Biden used the first few minutes of the speech to talk about Putin’s aggression in Russia, the war in Ukraine, and Sweden’s entrance into NATO.

What makes our moment rare is freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time,’ Biden said. ‘Overseas, Putin’s Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.’

Biden went on to criticize those who are blocking funding for Ukraine and tout Sweden’s recent entry into NATO as proof Biden has made the alliance stronger.

Biden mentioned Trump several times during the speech — which drew criticism from conservative pundits who said the address sounded like a campaign speech — and often referred to him simply as ‘my predecessor.’

‘My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th,’ Biden told the audience near the beginning of his speech. ‘I will not do that.’

Biden leaned into the illegal immigration discussion and touted the merits of the failed bipartisan Senate immigration bill. 

‘In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators,’ Biden said. ‘The result was a bipartisan bill with a tougher set of border security reforms than we’ve ever seen.’

That comment drew groans from Republicans in the crowd, who Biden went off script and addressed.

‘Oh, you don’t think so?’ Biden said. ‘Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh? That conservatives got together and said it was a good bill? I’ll be darned. That’s amazing.’

‘Look at the facts, I know you know how to read,’ Biden quipped when Republicans continued to voice their displeasure with his description of the failed legislation.

Biden later mentioned the name of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, which Republicans have been demanding he do.

‘Laken Riley,’ Biden said. An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. That’s right. But how many of thousands of people being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you. Having lost children myself, I understand.’

Many on social media posted that they heard Biden incorrectly say ‘Lincoln Riley’ instead of ‘Laken.’ 

Toward the end of his speech, Biden acknowledged those who have criticized him for his age and made the case that his age is an asset.

‘I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,’ Biden said. ‘When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. I know the American story again and again. I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation, between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future.’

‘I’ve been told I’m too old,’ Biden added, ‘whether young or old, I’ve always been known, I’ve always known what endures.’

‘I’ve known our North Star, the very idea of America, is that we’re all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either, and I won’t walk away from it now. I’m optimistic.’

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump blasted President Biden and his State of the Union address Thursday night, telling Fox News Digital that Biden clearly ‘suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome.’ 

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, reacted to Biden’s address.

‘He was angry, mentally disturbed, and misrepresenting a lot of the facts concerning almost every subject he discussed,’ Trump said.

‘But he got through it. He is still breathing, and they didn’t have to carry him out in a straight jacket,’ Trump said. ‘Other than that, I think he did a terrible job.’

Biden invoked Trump nearly a dozen times during his more than an hour-long address, never using his name, but instead referring to him as ‘my predecessor,’ on issues like abortion, immigration, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and more. 

‘He suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome, which is only curable through impeachment,’ Trump told Fox News Digital. 

When asked why he felt Biden repeatedly brought him up, Trump said: ‘Because I’m beating him by 14 points in the polls.’ 

‘He was very angry and that’s also a symptom of a certain type of problem — senility,’ Trump said. ‘He shouldn’t be at this age because he’s a young man relative to others his age that are very successful.’ 

Trump’s comments come after he gave a play-by-play of Biden’s State of the Union on his Truth Social Thursday night. 

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee blasted Biden throughout the speech on everything from his repeated coughing spells, to the length of time — nearly 40 minutes — it took him to address the crisis at the southern border, to his ‘shouting,’ and more. 

Trump’s comments also come after he swept Super Tuesday primary contests, prompting his last-standing opponent in the GOP field, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, to suspend her campaign. 

In a Truth Social post Thursday night following the speech, Trump blasted Biden as ‘a threat to democracy.’ 

‘HE WEAPONIZED GOVERNMENT AGAINST HIS OPPONENT – DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THAT, NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!’ Trump posted. 

President Biden’s third State of the Union address was filled with political moments, as he chided Republican policies, proposals and repeatedly invoked and blasted his predecessor and GOP opponent for the White House in 2024, former President Donald Trump. 

Biden’s address Thursday night was criticized as resembling a campaign speech as he touched on numerous Democratic political issues and talking points that his campaign has highlighted in its re-election efforts. 

Members of the Democratic caucus in the audience even spent time chanting ‘four more years.’ 

The president began his address by calling for additional funding for Ukraine, while accusing Trump of ‘bowing down to a Russian leader,’ referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Biden invoked Trump nearly a dozen times throughout his address, but never mentioned him by name. 

The president, before declaring the traditional phrase, ‘the state of the union is strong,’ hit Trump again— this time, on Jan. 6, 2021. Biden, at campaign events this year, has focused on the Capitol riot and tied any ‘political violence’ in the country to Trump. 

‘My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6th,’ he said. ‘I will not do that. This is a moment to speak the truth and bury the lies.’

He added: ‘And here’s the simplest truth. You can’t love your country only when you win.’

Biden went on to demand lawmakers and Americans ‘join together and defend our democracy.’ 

‘Remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic,’ he said. 

Biden, in a swipe at Trump, added: ‘Respect free and fair elections; restore trust in our institutions; and make clear that political violence has absolutely no place in America.’ 

The president then shifted to the issue of women’s reproductive rights after the Supreme Court, in 2022, ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

Biden invoked Trump on that issue as well and pointed to women voters. 

‘In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote, ‘Women are not without electoral or political power.’ No kidding,’ Biden said. ‘Clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America.’ 

Biden then pointed to the 2022 midterm elections, elections in 2023, and predicted victory for Democratic policies in 2024. 

‘They found out though when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024,’ Biden said. 

The president’s State of the Union address was criticized by conservative commentators as being angry and dark, as opposed to bright and forward-looking. 

But the president did, however, tout his economic policies under his administration, and say that America’s ‘comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all of America and in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot, and we leave no one behind!’ 

‘I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now our economy is the envy of the world,’ Biden claimed, celebrating the ’15 million new jobs in just three years.’ 

Biden also discussed lowering drug costs, and strengthening Medicare. 

‘Now, I want to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone,’ Biden announced.

As for healthcare, Biden also announced a plan for $12 billion to ‘transform women’s health research.’ 

The president also discussed an annual tax credit that he said would give Americans $400 a month for the next two years ‘as mortgage rates come down to put toward their mortgage when they buy a first home or trade up for a little more space.’

Biden also said his administration wants to eliminate title insurance fees for federally backed mortgages, while investing in and building 2 million affordable homes. 

Biden also touched on education and providing access to preschool, and stressed his desire to ensure every child ‘learns to read by third grade.’ 

He then went on to tout his student loan cancelation benefit; urge a 25% tax for billionaires; and more. 

All this before addressing the crisis at the U.S. southern border. 

Biden began that section of the speech by blasting Republicans for failing to pass his border bill. 

He invoked Trump, claiming he demanded lawmakers block the bill from passage, and claimed he needed additional ’emergency’ power from Congress to shut down the border. 

Biden was heckled by GOP lawmakers on the issue, as they urged him to acknowledge 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered last month, allegedly by an illegal immigrant.

Biden appeared to call Laken Riley ‘Lincoln Riley,’ but said she was ‘an innocent young woman killed by an illegal.’ 

He also said his ‘heart goes out’ to her parents, ‘having lost children myself.’ 

Meanwhile, Biden went on to address LGBTQ+ issues, urging the passage of the Equality Act.

‘My message to transgender Americans: I have your back!’ Biden said. 

A former White House speechwriter ripped the speech as an ‘utter disgrace,’ and ‘the most partisan’ in modern history.

‘Attacking his opponent directly in the first minutes of his speech is unprecedented and perhaps the most partisan start to a State of the Union address in modern memory,’ Marc Thiessen, a Fox News contributor and former speechwriter in President George W. Bush’s administration, said during the address. ‘As someone who helped write several SOTUs and who reveres this important presidential institution, I’m stunned by this address. It’s an utter disgrace.’ 

‘This man should never be allowed to take the rostrum of the House and deliver a State of the Union address again,’ he added.

Meanwhile, the president also declared that the country is ‘safer today than when I took office.’ 

At that moment, he was interrupted by a Gold Star dad, who yelled: ‘Abbey Gate, Abbey Gate’—in reference to the terrorist attack outside Kabul Airport during the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

Thirteen soldiers were killed in the attack. 

As for national security and U.S. military involvement abroad, Biden directed the U.S. military to ‘lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier’ on the Gaza coast that can ‘receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters’ as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on. 

‘No U.S. boots will be on the ground,’ Biden said, while demanding that Israel ‘allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire.’ 

Biden also stressed the need for ‘stability in the Middle East,’ and said his administration is working to contain ‘the threat posed by Iran.’ 

‘I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend U.S. forces in the region,’ he said. ‘As commander-in-chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel.’ 

Meanwhile, the president said he wants ‘competition with China, but not conflict.’ 

‘And we’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st Century against China or anyone else for that matter,’ Biden said. 

Ahead of the president’s address, many opponents and even some supporters signaled concern over his age and performance. The address came just weeks after Special Counsel Robert Hur released a damning report, not bringing any charges against Biden, but describing him as a ‘sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.’ 

Biden, seemingly addressing the issue of age, at 81, said Thursday night that in his career, he’s been told he’s ‘too young’ and ‘too old.’ 

‘Whether young or old, I’ve always known what endures. Our North Star. The very idea of America, that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives,’ Biden said. ‘We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I won’t walk away from it now.’ 

Biden added: ‘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,’ he said. ‘But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.’ 

Biden said, ‘to lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be.’ 

Biden said he sees a future ‘where we defend democracy not diminish it,’ ‘restore the right to choose and protect other freedoms not take them away,’ ‘where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy finally have to pay their fair share in taxes,’ and ‘where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.’ 

President Biden’s State of the Union speech was trashed by prominent political pundits for its political nature, with some likening it to more of a campaign speech than an overview of the state of the country.

‘Attacking his opponent directly in the first minutes of his speech is unprecedented and perhaps the most partisan start to a State of the Union address in modern memory,’ AEI Senior Fellow and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush Marc Thiessen wrote on X during Biden’s Thursday night speech.

Biden criticized former President Donald Trump several times during his speech.

‘This man should never be allowed to take the rostrum of the House and deliver a State of the Union address again,’ Thiessen posted on X moments later.

‘As someone who helped write several SOTUs and who reveres this important presidential institution, I’m stunned by this address,’ Thiessen said in another post. ‘It’s an utter disgrace.’

‘Does anyone remember a State of the Union speech so nakedly partisan as this one?’ Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett posted on X.

‘In which the President repeatedly attacks his predecessor and prospective rival? I can’t.’

‘This speech is nothing but a cheap and tawdry campaign speech,’ conservative radio host and author Mark Levin posted on X.

‘Biden is just off,’ former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on X. ‘His tone, his speed of delivery, his loud punchy way of speaking, is really weird.’

‘This speech is odd.’

‘Instead of giving the State of the Union, President Biden is giving a campaign speech,’ Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X.

‘Biden lasted on foreign policy only briefly,’ Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Brit Hume posted on X. ‘Since then to this moment, all campaign stuff, read at high volume. For a man speaking of a great comeback, he doesn’t seem very happy. He seems angry.’

‘After yelling through a speech full of hate, anger, revenge, and retribution, Joe Biden unironically ends his speech with: ‘Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas, but you can’t lead America with ancient ideas,’ Nathan Brand, adviser to GOP Sen. Tim Scott, posted on X.

‘All I hear when they say that is, ‘the President hit a grand slam and rendered us incapable of mewing about his birthday again,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital. 

‘We keep a specific t-shirt on-hand for these moments,’ Bates added, along with a photo of a t-shirt that said, ‘Uncle Sam doesn’t care, snowflakes.’

President Biden invoked former President Donald Trump, his 2024 opponent, multiple times during his State of the Union address.

Biden did not mention Trump by name, but instead, referred to him multiple times throughout the speech as his ‘predecessor.’ 

First, Biden invoked Trump related to Russia’s war with Ukraine.

‘My predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, ‘Do whatever the hell you want,” Biden said. ‘A former American president actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader.’

‘My message to President Putin is simple,’ Biden said, as he urged for more U.S. funding for Ukraine. ‘We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.’ 

Next, Biden invoked Trump related to Jan. 6, 2021.

‘My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6th,’ he said. ‘I will not do that. This is a moment to speak the truth and bury the lies.’

He added: ‘And here’s the simplest truth. You can’t love your country only when you win.’

Biden went on to demand lawmakers and Americans ‘join together and defend our democracy.’ 

‘Remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic,’ he said. 

Biden, in a swipe at Trump, added: ‘Respect free and fair elections; restore trust in our institutions; and make clear that political violence has absolutely no place in America.’ 

Then, Biden invoked Trump related to Roe v. Wade and female reproductive rights, claiming that Trump claims victory over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark abortion law. 

‘Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom,’ Biden said. ‘My God, what freedoms will you take away next?’ 

He also mentioned ‘his predecessor’ related to mental health, made claims that Trump ‘failed to buy American’ and more.

Later, on immigration, Biden pointed to the border bill that Republicans have opposed in recent weeks. 

‘I’m told my predecessor called Republicans in the Senate and demanded they block the bill. He feels it would be a political win for me and a political loser for him,’ Biden said. ‘It’s not about him or me.  It’d be a winner for America!’ 

Biden then gave a direct message to Trump: ‘If my predecessor is watching instead of playing politics and pressuring members of Congress to block this bill, join me in telling Congress to pass it!’ 

‘We can do it together,’ Biden said, but then said he ‘will not demonize immigrants and say they ‘poison the blood of our country.” 

‘I will not separate families. I will not ban people from America because of their faith,’ Biden said, in an apparent swipe at Trump immigration policies. 

‘Unlike my predecessor, on my first day in office I introduced a comprehensive plan to fix our immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and so much more,’ Biden said. 

But Trump and Republicans have touted border security during the last administration as the safest in U.S. history. 

Biden also invoked Trump on the issue of guns in America and on China. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

During every State of the Union, one member of the president’s cabinet is ushered away from Washington, D.C. and labeled the ‘designated survivor’ with the intention of ensuring that someone in line for presidential succession is kept safe in the event of a catastrophic event during the speech.

The precaution, which dates back to the Cold War, is ‘taken to provide continuity in the presidency in the event a catastrophe were to result in the death or disablement of the President, the Vice President, and other officials in the line of presidential succession gathered in the House chamber,’ according to a Congressional Research Service report earlier this year.

The identity of the designated survivor is kept under wraps until around the time the speech begins, but last year’s role was filled by former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. 

‘I didn’t even know where I was going,’ Walsh told the Washington Post. ‘God forbid something were to happen, but there’s a quick second you think about that. It’s something that will be in history. I was the first labor secretary in the history of the United States to be designated.’

In 2022, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the designated survivor, and before that, in 2021, there was no official designated survivor due to cabinet members not being present for the address as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The rules state that the designated survivor must be a natural-born U.S. Citizen, at least 35 years old, and he or she must have been a resident of the United States for the past 14 years.

According to the National Constitution Center, the procedure originated in the 1950s, but the government did not start identifying the designated survivor by name until 1981.

‘Since then, a designated survivor has been used for the State of the Union, inaugurations, and presidential speeches to joint sessions of Congress,’ the National Constitution Center explained. ‘It is believed the President makes the decision of which Cabinet member is absent with permission from these events.’

Biden’s speech is set to begin at 9 P.M. ET on Thursday night in the House chamber of the Capitol Building.

House Republicans are sharpening their attacks against President Biden ahead of his primetime State of the Union address. 

House GOP leaders arranged a counter-programming offensive for Biden’s big speech on Thursday, lining up rank-and-file lawmakers at a ‘media row’ event where they promoted a message of Republican unity against the Democratic White House. 

Members wore buttons that said ‘Stop the Biden border crisis’ while speaking to outlets, including Fox News Digital, in a cavernous meeting room dotted with posters that pointed out ‘over 8.7 million illegal crossings nationwide’ occurred since Biden became president. Others accused Biden of not being ‘mentally fit’ to be commander-in-chief.

When asked about their expectations for the speech, one phrase escaped lawmakers’ lips more than the rest — ‘gaslighting.’

‘I think it’s going to be ‘Gaslighting of the Union.’ He’s going to tell America how rosy everything is, that the economy is great, the border’s secure, as if Americans are idiots. And I find that quite insulting,’ Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital.

GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, said, ‘I think he’ll try to — I don’t know the best term, I think the kids nowadays are using ‘gaslight’ — he’s going to try to make it seem like it’s House Republicans’ fault that the border is not fixed. And we’ve seen the worst outcomes that we’ve ever seen at the border under his three years.’

The ongoing border crisis as well as Americans’ poor perceptions of the economy were the two main attack lines lawmakers discussed, arguing that Biden’s public dedication to fixing both has resulted in few, if any, solutions for Americans.

If Biden broaches those issues in his State of the Union address, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital that he does not believe people watching at home will share his likely optimism.

‘The good news is people have heard the spin from this president and his administration for three-plus years. They’re sitting at home watching this saying, ‘Whatever this is going to be, I’m not better off today than I was four years ago.’ And that’s going to play when it comes to November,’ Emmer said.

Rep. John James, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital that he expects to hear ‘gaslighting, gaslighting, and more gaslighting’ from the president on Thursday night. ‘The only thing I think he can do right now to explain the crisis at the border, and the fact that we’re paying more for everything, is lie to the American people,’ James said.

‘I think it’s going to be a lot of empty rhetoric and fabricated lies because we’re in an election year, and he knows that this is the beginning of a tough re-election for him. And this is his audition right for re-election,’ Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., told Fox News Digital.

Biden will address a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. ET.

House Republican leaders have staged ‘media row’ events before Biden’s last State of the Union address as well as ahead of important legislative votes. 

GOP lawmakers touted it as a way to unify behind a single message amid a climate of intense political division.

‘We have to do a better job as conservatives of spreading our message, and so trying to do events like this right before a big State of the Union or messaging, you know, on events that the White House is doing, amplifies the message that we want to share,’ Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., said.

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, who is giving the Spanish-language rebuttal to Biden’s address, told Fox News Digital, ‘What [Americans] see through media row is one message, and that message is, in November, it is important for us to not only take back the White House, but retain control of the House, take back the Senate, so that we can pass meaningful legislation that matters to America.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.