Versión Español
Spanish.- On Thursday, United States President Joe Biden delivered a State of the Union speech infused with progressive ideology, aimed at his reelection campaign, but unable to satisfy all the factions within the Democratic party. His arrival at the Capitol was disrupted by pro-Palestine protesters, who question the U.S. President’s support for Israel and demand a ceasefire in the Gaza. As a result, he had to alter his route to enter Congress, causing an unusual 20-minute delay that did not go unnoticed.
- Also a good reading: Trump sweeps Super Tuesday and is one step away from the Republican nomination
- Also a good reading: Trump Celebrates His Triumph in New Hampshire: “What a Great Victory”
“He arrives substantially late. It’s not a good start, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Surely, he had very important things to do,” said former President Donald Trump, who has no rival for the Republican nomination, from his platform Truth Social. Trump received a mention in Biden’s speech, where the Republican leader was accused of wanting to “bury the truth about January 6th,” when supporters of the MAGA movement (Make America Great Again) stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of Biden as the winner of the 2020 elections.
Against Putin, Hamas, and China
Previously, nearly at the beginning of his speech, Joe Biden directed his entire artillery against Vladimir Putin. After urging Congress to “confront” the Russian leader and approving a new military aid package for Ukraine, which had been stalled for months, the White House chief was emphatic in his confrontation with Putin.
“My message to President Putin is clear. We will not back down. We will not yield, and I will not yield. History is watching us (…) If the United States retreats now, he will endanger Ukraine. He will endanger Europe. He will endanger the free world, and it will be an invitation to others who wish us harm.”
Regarding the Middle East conflict, which has caused internal strife among his followers, Biden stated that his administration is working to achieve a six-week ceasefire, but not without reaffirming that “Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas.” In the same vein, he addressed the looming Chinese threat to Taiwan. “I have ensured that U.S. technologies cannot be used in Chinese weapons. My predecessor never thought of any of this. I want to compete with China,” he emphasized, once again referring to Trump.
Abortion as a Campaign Promise
While Biden struggles to please his more radical followers aligned with the international left, which has declared itself an enemy of Israel, he did extend an olive branch to the so-called progressives who consider abortion rights one of their main priorities.
“If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you: I will restore Roe vs. Wade as law,” Biden declared in his speech, referring to the 1973 court decision that protected abortion at the federal level and was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
“Those who boast about overturning Roe vs. Wade have no idea of the power of women in the United States, but they discovered it when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, and they will rediscover it in 2024”.
Migration: “I will not separate families”
Another topic that Biden couldn’t ignore in his speech is related to the migration crisis. However, far from offering a policy that would secure the borders, he reverted to his pro-immigration speech, which he maintained during the 2020 campaign.
“I will not separate families. I will not prevent people from entering the country based on their faith. I introduced a comprehensive plan to secure the border. But unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans (…) Many people have come from every corner of the Earth. Some are fleeing persecution. We all come from somewhere. We are all Americans.”
In this context, he also took the opportunity to criticize his Republican rival, overlooking the fact that the Democratic policy of open borders encouraged migrants to cross irregularly. The number of undocumented immigrants apprehended by authorities increased from 1.7 million in 2021 to 2.5 million in 2023.
