President Joe Biden at the start of his 2023 State of the Union address congratulated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for securing the speakership.
McCarthy was among the list of U.S. officials Biden recognized before he dove into the substance of his annual address to Congress.
“Mr. Speaker. Madam Vice President. Our first lady. And second gentleman,” Biden opened. “Members of Congress and the Cabinet. Leaders of our military. Mr. Chief Justice. Associate justices. And retired justices of the Supreme Court. And you, my fellow Americans.”
“I start tonight by congratulating the members of the 118th Congress and the new speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy,” Biden said.
Biden and McCarthy shook hands after Biden congratulated him.
Biden then joked about potentially ruining McCarthy’s reputation by working with him.
“Speaker, I don’t wanna ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden joked:
McCarthy’s path to the speakership started off rocky as he went through 15 rounds of voting before ultimately securing the position.
Biden then congratulated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for becoming the “the first black House minority leader in history.”
Biden then gave shoutouts to Senate leadership before continuing his remarks.
“Congratulations to the longest serving Senate leader in history, Mitch McConnell,” Biden said.
However, when congratulating Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Biden slipped up and referred to him as the “Senate Minority Leader.”
“And congratulations to Chuck Schumer! Another — you know — another term as Senate Minority Leader,” Biden said. “You know, I think you, only this time you have a slightly bigger majority, Mr. Leader, and you’re the majority leader. Not that much bigger”:
Biden also praised former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and said she will one day “be considered the greatest speaker in the history of this country.”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.