Addressing his first divided Congress, Biden says 'the soul of this nation is strong'

President Joe Biden on Tuesday night delivered his second State of the Union address in a pivotal moment as he laid out not only his accomplishments and agenda but made the case for his leadership ahead of an expected announcement on running for reelection.

Unlike his first two years in office, Republicans now control the House of Representatives and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, sitting behind the president for the first time, has threatened to block Biden's agenda.

Partners at FiveThirtyEight provided analysis in the blog below before, during and after Biden's speech.

Latest Developments

Feb 7, 11:50 PM

Rep. Ciscomani gives Spanish-language rebuttal to State of the Union

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., delivered the Spanish-language Republican rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union speech.

Ciscomani, a freshman lawmaker who immigrated to the U.S. with his family as a child, focused his remarks on the need to preserve the "American Dream" and for the Republican House majority to offer "a different direction" to address problems facing the nation.

"The American dream feels more unattainable and, sadly, President Biden fails to show leadership and present any viable solution," Ciscomani said. "He hasn't had any answers and clearly still doesn't. As House Republicans, we have already begun to offer a different direction to address the most significant issues impacting American families."

Under House Speaker McCarthy, Ciscomani said Republicans need to protect Social Security and Medicare, fight inflation, increase border security, restore energy independence, reduce crime and more.

"Let's put aside our differences and focus on results to keep this dream alive for future generations," Ciscomani said in closing. "The state of our union is strong because our people are strong. We can overcome any obstacle. Our best days lie ahead."

Feb 7, 11:49 PM

Trump responds to Biden’s speech

Former President Donald Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024, released a brief video response to Biden's address, painting a much grimmer picture of the nation and pointing to the state of crime, inflation and the southern border as the "real state of the union."

"But the good news is we are going to reverse every single crisis, calamity and disaster that Joe Biden has created," Trump said in the two-minute video. "I am running for president to end the destruction of our country and to complete the unfinished business of making America great again."

Separately, Trump live-reacted to Biden's address on Truth Social, posting on the social media site over 30 times to comment on Biden and others in the chamber -- including mocking Biden for frequently saying "folks."

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin

Feb 7, 11:45 PM

Sanders looks ahead to 'next generation' of Republican leaders

"It's time for a new generation to lead," Sarah Huckabee Sanders said as she wrapped up her remarks giving the Republican response to the State of the Union address . "This is our moment. This is our opportunity."

It will be a generation, she said, "born in the waning decades of the last century, shaped by economic booms and stock market busts, forged by the triumph of the Cold War and the tragedy of 9/11."

"A generation brimming with passion and new ideas to solve age-old problems," she continued. "A generation moored to our deepest values and oldest traditions, yet unafraid to challenge the present order and find a better way forward."

The Arkansas governor, the youngest state leader in the nation, took a moment to tout her soon-to-be-released education proposal. School choice has emerged as a leading Republican issue the past few election cycles, and Sanders said her plan is "the "most far-reaching, bold conservative education reform in the country."

Feb 7, 11:47 PM

SOTU reaction was 'nice,' not 'rowdy' despite GOP heckling, Biden tells ABC

Biden told ABC News' Will Steakin that he thought the reception to his State of the Union speech was “nice” when asked what he thought of the occasionally rowdy reaction from some Republicans while he spoke.

“Rowdy? I thought it was a nice reception," Biden said with a smile and laugh.

His remarks were met with several rounds of GOP interjections, notably when he spoke about how Republicans could try to cut Social Security and Medicare -- although he noted he wasn’t saying the “majority” of Republicans wanted to do so, and Speaker McCarthy has ruled it out.

Feb 7, 11:41 PM

Sanders paints picture of country 'hijacked' by radical left

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union, offered a bleak picture of Biden's presidency.

"In the radical left's America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race but not to love one another or our great country," she said. "Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left."

Sanders called Biden "unfit to serve" as she criticized his handling of the southern border, crime, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and more.

"Every day we are told we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols," she said of Democrats. "All while big government colludes with big tech to strip away the most American thing there is: your freedom of speech. That's not normal. It's crazy. And it's wrong."

Feb 7, 11:38 PM

The State of the Union response is a time for rising stars

The opposition response to the State of the Union has been around for more than half a century, but in modern times the opposition party has often used it to showcase a new, high-profile figure. It's no different this year, as Republicans were represented by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as a press secretary in the Trump White House.

Sanders just won her new office in November, making her the first woman governor in Arkansas's history. This puts her right at home with many first-term governors, senators and representatives who've given a response speech in recent years. Previous orators include Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia in 2006, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida in 2013, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa in 2015 and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in 2020.

And with the proliferation of response speeches in different languages and from various party factions, even more fresh faces are in the limelight this year. First-term GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona gave the Spanish-language response for his party, while first-term Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois offered the Working Families Party's response.

-FiveThirtyEight's Geoffrey Skelley

Feb 7, 11:23 PM

'Democrats have failed you,' Sanders says in GOP response

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union, in which he called on Congress to "finish the job" on health care, the economy, policing and more.

"Being a mom to three young children taught me not to believe every story I hear. So, forgive me for not believing much of anything I heard tonight from President Biden. From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you," Sanders said.

She quickly drew on some key differences between her and Biden, saying they "don't have a lot in common."

"At 40, I'm the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he's the oldest president in American history," she said. "I'm the first woman to lead my state. He's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is."

Feb 7, 11:20 PM

President's passing reference to spy balloon as he discusses China

While he didn't directly mention it, Biden made a passing reference to what the federal government said was a Chinese surveillance balloon that flew for days over the continental U.S. before being shot down by the military on Saturday.

"I'm committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said as he spoke briefly about foreign policy. "But make no mistake about it, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country and we did."

Biden argued that "winning the competition with China should unite all of us."

Feb 7, 11:14 PM

President ends on optimism about bridging American divides

With the final lines of his 2023 State of the Union address, the president told the joint session of Congress that they are at an "inflection point": "We must see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans. We are a good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea," he said.

Biden ended his speech telling the nation that the state of the union is strong, alluding to the fulfillment of one of his campaign promises -- to restore "the soul" of the nation.

"Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong," he said.

"As I stand here tonight, I have never been more optimistic about the future of America. We just have to remember who we are."

Feb 7, 11:10 PM

Biden references Paul Pelosi, recovering from assault, when speaking against extremism

While talking about the political violence that has occurred in the country over the past few years, Biden called out to Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was violently assaulted in his San Francisco home in October, with authorities saying the suspect was seeking his wife.

Biden linked the assault on Paul Pelosi to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob -- attempting to subvert the certification of Biden's presidency -- attacked the Capitol.

"Just a few months ago ... an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on Jan. 6," Biden said.

He pointed to "my friend, Paul Pelosi," with Nancy Pelosi seen from the House floor waving and looking up at her husband, who was seated in the first lady's box.

"Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get."

Biden, noting that "such a heinous act never should have happened," said that American voting rights and election integrity must be safeguarded in order to curb that extremism.

"There is no place for political violence in America. In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy," he said.

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