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President Joe Biden delivered a fiery State of the Union address Thursday night, filled with jabs at Donald Trump while fiercely defending his policies.
The 81-year-old president came out very enthusiastic and harshly attacked his main politician, former President Donald Trump, calling him a “threat to democracy.”
He spent time promoting his signature economic agenda and criticizing Republicans for opposing his agenda, with whom he engaged directly after jeers and boos.
And he didn’t hesitate to rebuke the Supreme Court to its face for overturning Roe v. Wade, telling them that “with all due respect, women are not powerless.”
Biden called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration and aid package to Ukraine and Israel, saying humanitarian assistance cannot be a “bargaining chip.”
He also seemingly dispelled concerns about his age and mental acuity with a blunt speech without many of his classic whispers or extraneous sidebars.
Top speechwriters from different administrations shared their assessments of Biden’s critical performance with DailyMail.com as he approaches the 2024 election.
President Joe Biden delivered a fiery State of the Union address Thursday night.
He spent time promoting his signature economic agenda and criticizing Republicans for opposing his agenda.
David Wilezol: “He screamed until the end”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s former chief speechwriter David Wilezol said Biden “more or less” accomplished his goal tonight.
Before the speech, there was growing speculation about whether he could overcome voters’ concerns about his old age.
“He shouted throughout the speech to show voters concerned about his age that he is still mentally fit to be president.”
But despite a “couple of verbal stumbles,” Biden “more or less met his goal,” said Wilezol, founder and president of the speechwriting and ghostwriting firm Seventh Floor Strategies.
In essence, Biden used his first 15 minutes, which Wilezol calls “a key window to communicate with casual viewers” to present himself as a “defender of Ukraine and abortion.”
Wilezol called him a little out of touch with what matters most to Americans – inflation and border security – showing that he is “afraid to bleed the upper-middle-class voters he needs to win.”
David Litt: “Very, very brave”
President Obama’s top speechwriter, David Litt, praised Biden for speaking forcefully at the beginning of his speech.
“POTUS came out swinging a lot harder than I thought, I think that was smart,” he wrote on X.
Litt explained that Biden’s decision to “put his age in the context of history and timeless values” was “really, really rushed.”
‘If I hadn’t gotten it right in the first hour more, I could have sunk him. He did it.’
He went on to say that Joe Biden should get “a lot of credit for his performance tonight.”
Biden called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration and aid package to Ukraine and Israel, saying humanitarian assistance cannot be a “bargaining chip.”
Jonathan Bronitsky: ‘An explosion of vitality that had not been seen in months’
Bronitsky, former chief speechwriter for Attorney General Bill Barr and co-founder and chief executive of ATHOS, told DailyMail.com that Biden’s speech was out of line, but did enough to briefly put fears about his age to rest.
He said the opening with support for Ukraine showed his administration is out of touch because voters’ biggest issues – immigration and the economy – came much later.
But even though ‘a little coughing, a lot of slurred speech and several strange mistakes: the president defied expectations.
Biden delivered his speech with a ‘torrent of shouting, a defiant tone, and even some flashes of humor,’ which was a sign of vigor at 10 o’clock, Bronitsky adds.
Based on that, he “probably did enough to stem the tide of anxiety about his age within his own party… at least for a few more days until his next verbal fiasco or explosive mental fart.”
Bronitsky added that he achieved his staff’s goal of not looking older than Gandalf.
And as a result, it was “probably” his best State in the Union due to his “sustained explosion of vitality not seen in months.”
Biden had no qualms about scolding the Supreme Court to the face for overturning Roe v. Wade, telling them that “with all due respect, women are not powerless.”
Biden reacts while looking at US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene
Rusty Hills: ‘The teasing and criticism gave him energy’
Rusty Hills, a former speechwriter for former Michigan Gov. John Engler, said his speech sounded like a “state of the campaign” speech.
“No State of the Union address has ever been more political,” he told DailyMail.com.
“No State of the Union address has ever referenced a president’s opponent more than this one: at least a dozen times or more.”
Despite this, he agreed that Biden successfully delivered a ‘vigorous, forceful and combative speech’.
He added that it was too long with too many “laundry list items.”
But Biden was committed and successfully defended himself against his Republican critics. The ridicule and criticism actually seemed to energize him. “That was when Biden was at his best,” he stated.
Although it won’t go down in the history books, the speech served its purpose, he added.