House Speaker Mike Johnson Makes Faces As Biden Shreds GOP Agenda At State Of The Union Address

During President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address, House Speaker Mike Johnson was visibly displeased as Biden criticized his predecessors’ tax cuts while taking credit for reducing the deficit by $1 trillion.

Seated next to Vice President Kamala Harris in the traditional speaker’s seat, Johnson’s expressions of disagreement were prominently displayed to television viewers. He shook his head and grimaced when Biden mentioned Republicans wanting to put Social Security on the “chopping block.” Additionally, Johnson rolled his eyes in response to Biden’s claim that he would sign a border security bill if presented with one and laughed at the assertion.

Johnson assumed the role of speaker after the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) in October 2023, after a remarkable 21-day period without a leader.

This marked Congress’s longest stretch without a clear direction since 1962 when it took 55 days to elect a new speaker.

Throughout Biden’s speech, Johnson occasionally glanced toward his Republican colleagues. However, he did applaud when Biden highlighted the creation of new jobs that don’t require a college degree and shook hands with Biden at the conclusion of the speech.

Prior to the address, Johnson released a video that highlighted images of unrest both domestically and abroad and described America as being at a breaking point. He invited the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter imprisoned in Russia, to attend the speech, as well as two NYPD members who were attacked by migrants in Times Square.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Johnson addressed the attention garnered by his facial expressions.

“People are saying that I made funny facial expressions,” he explained. “I tried to keep a poker face. But it was very difficult. I disagreed so vehemently with so much of what he said.”

Biden’s energetic delivery exceeded the expectations of most Democrats and independents. The hashtag “yelling” trended on X in posts discussing his speech. Biden injected humor into his address and joked about being considered too young or too old at various points throughout his career.