Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt was roasted for what some described as her “cringe” State of the Union response, as she provided the Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s speech.
In a roughly 17-minute speech from her kitchen, Britt briefly spoke about the American dream and hit a few major Republican talking points, such as the immigration crisis and rising costs affecting American families across the nation. However, while she appeared to address the right topics on paper, her speaking style and overall delivery completely failed to resonate, prompting critiques all across the board, as many mocked her breathy speech, full of pauses, hushed tones, and abrupt emotional switches from near-tears to happy-go-lucky:
Describing her speech as “breathless,” sometimes delivered in an “ASMR-esque whisper,” Rolling Stone likened it to more of a “rejected audition tape for a supporting role on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ than the hard-hitting political sparring favored by Biden’s Republican critics.”
“I’ll give Biden this — he at least gave a better speech than Katie Britt,” one national Republican consultant said, according to Rolling Stone, which quoted a Trump adviser who reportedly said, “What the hell am I watching right now?”
The outlet also pointed to a “lawyer working in the Trump orbit” who described the speech as “cringe,” adding that it is now destined to be mocked on Saturday Night Live.
“I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need,” Charlie Kirk said of Britt’s speech.
“Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats ‘dont get it,'” he added:
Conservative host Allie Beth Stuckey was blunt in her remarks.
“Ok, GOP. Never again. I know y’all were going for the relatable mom speaking in her kitchen from her heart, but it didn’t work,” she observed. “Just a straight, strong speech will do in the future. Thanks”:
Radio host Jesse Kelly noted that he felt Britt truly “mastered the ultimate weapon of dimes everywhere; the fake cry.”
“That’s a seasoned pro right there,” he added, as others chimed in with similar remarks, with some even comparing it to a “high school freshman speech” and others deeming it the “worst GOP SOTU reply ever”:
Some questioned the optics of placing Britt in a kitchen, as she tried to make what she described as a “direct appeal” to parents.
“In particular to my fellow moms, many of whom I know will be up tossing and turning at 2:00 a.m. wondering how you’re going to be in three places at once and then somehow still get dinner on the table. First of all, we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you,” she said.
“Putting the Republican woman from Alabama in a kitchen was quite the visual message for the GOP,” Erick Erickson remarked:
Daily Beast reporter Jake Lahut cited Republicans who were “privately freaking out” over the speech, providing this quote: “Everyone’s fucking losing it. It’s one of our biggest disasters ever”:
Others described the speech as “not a serious rebuttal,” and Roger Stone remarked, “I guess Katie Britt just failed her vice presidential audition”:
While the consensus seems to be that Britt missed the mark by a lot, former President Donald Trump — presumably attempting to keep Republican spirits high — congratulated the junior senator, particularly praising her for her comments during the rebuttal on migrant crime.
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