Republicans responded to President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address as his administration struggles with soaring inflation, confusing coronavirus messaging, surging illegal immigration, rising global influence of the Chinese Communist Party, and now, the possibility of a larger military conflict stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday evening, GOP officials criticized President Biden’s first SOTU speech as president, highlighting his disastrous policies over the past year.
“President Biden ignored that his agenda has completely flopped for American families: Raging inflation, open borders, crime,” wrote Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
“The President did his best to try to pick himself up and provide some level of optimism but that’s not what the American people are feeling right now,” he added.
“With all due respect to President Biden, we’re not going to be okay unless we adjust our policies,” wrote Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
“We’re not going to be okay unless we change course on the border, return to energy independence, retake our streets from criminals, and show stronger resolve in the face of evil,” he added.
“First mention of inflation: zero responsibility taken for 40-year high inflation that is disproportionately hurting low and middle-income Americans in our communities,” wrote Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC).
“The state of our nation and our world is much worse than it was one year ago. Virtually every major crisis our nation faces today has been caused or exacerbated by President Biden. Tonight Americans deserved to hear real solutions,” wrote Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY).
“Unfortunately, tonight the President doubled down on the same radical policies that created these crises and left Americans worse off,” wrote Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), as he called to end the administration’s “war on American energy” and cut off America’s Russian oil imports.
“[W]ow this is bad,” wrote North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC).
“The state of the union is WEAK,” he added.
“World is on fire. Democracy is hanging in the balance. He’s talking about build back broke and greener energy,” wrote Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT).
“To the 13 American families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan in August, you deserved to be recognized by the President tonight,” wrote House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“Americans remember your sacrifice, and we are forever indebted to you,” he added.
“Don’t preach to me about unity, @JoeBiden after you used the power of government to force Americans to take a needle or get fired; after you accused Border Patrol agents of whipping Haitians; after you shut down American energy – harming us & empowering Putin,” wrote Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). “No quarter,” he added.
“Todays democrats in office are so bad at achieving anything productive while in office that instead of applauding accomplishments during the #SOTU they clap for a laundry list of goals,” wrote New York district congressional candidate Desi Cuellar (R).
“91 pauses for applause and I couldn’t find a single reason to cheer for our failure of a President,” wrote Michigan Republican Representative Lisa McClain.
“YOU LIE,” wrote Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) in a Twitter thread. “Last month, you released 60,000 illegal aliens into our communities. Your HHS admitted to losing 20,000 unaccompanied alien children. You released a suspected terrorist from ICE custody so he wouldn’t catch COVID.”
“@POTUS any time you want to go to the border and see the crisis you created, let me know. I’d be glad to take you,” he added.
“Biden just laid out the total socialist plan,” he wrote in another tweet.
“Worst State of the Union address in the history of our Nation,” wrote Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R).
“President Biden shut down the Keystone pipeline and doubled our imports of Russian crude oil. We need American energy independence again,” wrote Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN).
“Fund the police, keep kids in school, liberty and freedom, unmasking Americans… @JoeBiden is so desperate to get his approval rating up he’s stealing Republican talking points,” wrote Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL).
“Unbelievable,” wrote former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. “Biden is still refusing to go after Russia’s energy sector.”
“We need to get serious and hit Putin where it really hurts,” she added.
“Every word you heard from Joe Biden was a lie,” wrote Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). “We expected bad, but the #SOTU is worse than we ever could’ve imagined.”
“Biden campaigned on a promise to ‘Build Back Better,’ but the truth is we were ‘Better Before Biden,’” wrote Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA).
“Biden to appoint a Chief Prosecutor for Pandemic Fraud,” wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). “Let’s start with Dr. Fauci…”
“Haha wait did he just say he wants to secure our border? Who’s gonna tell him…,” wrote Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). “Apparently he didn’t get a full report after he sent the VP down there.”
“Every day Americans haven’t seen their ‘liberty expanded,’ just their wallets shrinking and freedoms lost,” he added. “Regardless, don’t stop fighting. We can and will turn it around.”
“The state of our union is weakened by Joe Biden’s leadership,” wrote Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
“Joe Biden thinks Americans are better off under his policies,” she wrote in another tweet. “How do rising inflation, an unprecedented border crisis, and emboldened adversaries make us better off?”
“The President who called Republicans modern day segregationists & leads a party who called those who opposed nonsensical Covid rules a death cult now asks we stop seeing Covid as a partisan divide and each other as enemies,” wrote Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).
“The State of our Union is in CRISIS,” wrote congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel blasted the president for having broken promises of governing from the middle, ensuring safety and helping workers, none of which he achieved, she claimed.
“Biden is failing Americans,” she wrote. “He can’t change his year of failures with a #SOTU that ignores the real troubles facing our country.”
“How tone deaf & out of touch…” wrote Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).
“Democrats cheering & back slapping while Americans struggle w/ inflation, crime is skyrocketing in our cities, fentanyl is streaming over our open border, we are energy dependent on adversaries & our foreign policy has embarrassed us on [the] world stage,” she added.
“Tonight was an opportunity for the president to turn a new page towards the unity he promised our country when he first took office, but unfortunately, Americans got more of the same,” wrote Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA).
“We can go mask free now he says… Just in time for midterm elections,” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). “Couldn’t have predicted that.”
“Tonight, Biden acknowledged his disastrous open border policies. That’s not enough,” wrote Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
“He failed to mention specific policies to secure our border, like building the wall. It’s too little, too late,” he added. “In Texas, we’ll continue securing the border & doing the fed gov’t’s job.”
“Congress clapping for $7 trillion in deficit spending… the cause of the inflation,” wrote Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein
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