News USA Jokes, rock stars, boos and conciliatory gestures mark Biden’s State of the...

Jokes, rock stars, boos and conciliatory gestures mark Biden’s State of the Union address

Jokes about the Super Bowl final, rock stars in the box, deferential gestures between the Democratic president Joe Biden and the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, and an atmosphere at times heated, at times in unison, marked the second State of the Union address for the president, who addressed a packed Capitol for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden entered the House compound surrounded by cheers and applause from members of his party, in sharp contrast to the apathy of the opposition bench. Greetings and hugs from his fellow Democrats made the short distance the president had to walk to reach the podium long.

US President Joe Biden (right) shakes hands with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (center) as Vice President Kamala Harris (left) applauds during the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Washington, on February 7, 2023.

All eyes were on McCarthy, who had greeted Vice President and Senate Leader Kamala Harris affably before. Biden and McCarthy shook hands in a gesture that sent a very different message of warmth to the tension between former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Donald Trump.

The Republican leader of the House had already announced that he would not tear the speech as Pelosi did in protest at the end of Trump’s speech in 2020.

“Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden said, addressing McCarthy, who greeted the joke with a placating smile.

In a good mood, the president had already tried to ease the stiffness of the solemn occasion by asking the Supreme Court justices for an “injunction” because first lady Jill Biden “could go to the game next week and I can’t.” , in apparent reference to the popular Super Bowl of the American football league this coming Sunday.

Conciliatory gestures amid boos

McCarthy remained attentive and in his seat for the majority of the speech, while his seatmate, Vice President Harris, continually stood up to give Biden a standing ovation.

The Republican leader who got the job After a long and historic series of votes, he stood up on the few occasions when both benches joined in applause, including the reaffirmation of US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Conciliatory, McCarthy silenced several times -both with negative head gestures and requests for silence- the most radical members of his party, who booed and protested loudly during various moments of Biden’s speech, although he also expressed his discontent several times by denying with head before the president’s statements about his achievements in the economy.

One of the staunch critics of the Democratic administration, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene angrily protested with her thumbs down and shouted “liar” to the president during her mention of the Republican proposal to cut benefits such as MediCare as part of the negotiation of the ceiling of the debt in the Chamber.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene boos and yells "Liar" US President Jode Biden during the State of the Union address in Washington on February 7, 2023.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene boos and yells “Liar” at US President Jode Biden during the State of the Union address in Washington on February 7, 2023.

Prior to the speech, Taylor Greene posted a video on his Twitter account where he is seen leaving his office in the Capitol holding a white balloon, alluding to the alleged spy balloon that China sent to US territory. The Biden administration’s handling of this peculiar situation has been widely criticized by Republicans.

designated survivor and the slight to Santos

the choice of a designated survivor or Designated Survivor is not just a thing of fiction. The Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh, was chosen to miss the speech, one of the few occasions in which the representatives of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches in the United States coincide under the same roof.

The tradition of keeping at least one top government official in an unknown location to secure the presidential line of succession dates back to the 1950s and has its roots in the Cold War and the nuclear threat.

Walsh is expected to leave his position in the coming weeks for a high position in the National Hockey League association, several US media reported, including CNN, who cite close sources. The Biden Administration has not made any announcements yet.

Another of the moments of the night was also reported by CNNwhich quoted a witness to a tense exchange between Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who told his party’s representative, George Santos: “You don’t belong here.”

Republican Representative George Santos in the audience during the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Washington, on February 7, 2023.

Republican Representative George Santos in the audience during the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Washington, on February 7, 2023.

Santos is accused of falsifying much of his biography during his campaign for the job and more recently of sexually harassing one of his aides within days of entering Congress.

Special guests

In the first lady Jill Biden’s box were several activists for causes close to the president’s agenda, relatives of victims of police and drug violence, cancer and Holocaust survivors.

Among the most recognized faces was the famous musician and singer of the Irish band U2, Bono, who received loud applause from the audience during his citation by the president in recognition of his activism in favor of the fight against HIV/AIDS and other global health campaigns

At his side, Paul Pelosi, the husband of the emeritus speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was also greeted by those present. Wearing a hat, Paul Pelosi was greeted after surviving a “politically motivated attack” by an assailant who hit him over the head with a hammer after entering his San Francisco home “looking for Nancy.”

The singer and musician of the Irish band U2, Bono, and Paul Pelosi, husband of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, listen from a box office to President Joe Biden's speech on the State of the Union, in Washington , on February 7, 2023

The singer and musician of the Irish band U2, Bono, and Paul Pelosi, husband of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, listen from a box office to President Joe Biden’s speech on the State of the Union, in Washington , on February 7, 2023

The former president of the Lower House visibly tried to contain her emotion and tears during the moment.

Also in the box was the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, who thanked her with a hand on her chest for the bicameral support for her country in the conflict with Russia, which is now in its second year.

The emotional notes of the speech were in the mentions of gun and police violence, to which the relatives of Tire Nichols, the young black man, put a face killed by a beating by five officers police officer in Memphis, and Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the man responsible for the shooting deaths of 11 people in Monterey Park, California, in January.

“Tire’s death will not be in vain,” Biden promised when speaking about the necessary police reform in the United States.

Source: VOA Español

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