In a State of the Union address that left no doubt about his target, President Joe Biden launched a scathing critique of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Without using his name, Biden labeled Trump an adversary of democracy and the global liberal order.

The State of the Union Address is a customary speech given by the president of the United States to both houses of Congress, typically held at the start of each calendar year. Its purpose is to provide an update on the current state of the nation.

Ahead of their anticipated November rematch, Biden referred to “my predecessor” on 13 occasions, challenging Trump’s anti-NATO rhetoric and his baseless claims of election fraud that incited the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Biden said, “My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6. I will not do that…This is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here’s the simple truth: You can’t love your country only when you win.”

Biden also criticized Trump for encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin to target NATO nations that fail to meet financial obligations and for downplaying Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

While State of the Union speeches typically avoid resembling campaign rallies, Biden made it clear from the start that he was willing to call out his predecessor on various domestic issues as well. Notably, he plans to vigorously campaign against Trump on abortion rights, an issue featured prominently in his address.

On immigration, Biden condemned Trump’s divisive rhetoric, such as the claim that undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.” He also criticized Trump’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents and the ban on entries from Muslim-majority countries.

In his typical fashion, Trump promised to deliver retorts via his social media platform, Truth Social, throughout Biden’s speech. However, the live commentary failed as the website crashed before Biden began and remained unstable for most of the address.

Trump posted a few comments about Biden’s demeanor, criticized his hair and pointed out a lipstick mark on Biden’s face. Trump wrote, “[Biden] looks so angry when he’s talking, which is a trait of people who know they are ‘losing it.’ The anger and shouting is not helpful to bringing our Country back together!”

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