‘Go get ‘em’: Biden’s final rallying cry at State of the Union causes confusion
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Joe Biden’s parting words to conclude his first State of the Union address left some viewers scratching their heads.
As he prepared to step back from the podium following a poignant hour-long speech before Congress and the nation on Tuesday night, the president declared: “Go get ‘em!”
Viewers sounding off on social media were quick to question what Mr Biden meant.
Follow live updates on Biden’s State of the Union address
“What did ‘Go get him’ mean? Sincere question,” one Twitter user asked.
Another quipped: “My thoughts are with the White House speechwriter whose closing statement just got replaced with ‘go get em!’”
What did "Go get him" mean? Sincere question.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) March 2, 2022
“Go get ‘em.” You got it, President Dad.
— Jeremy Neely (@jeremyneely) March 2, 2022
My thoughts are with the White House speechwriter whose closing statement just got replaced with “go get em!”
— Shannon Olsen (@ShannonOlsenPR) March 2, 2022
Now I've got all this energy, but I've got no idea where to go nor get 'em. #SOTU
— Allen McDuffee (@AllenMcDuffee) March 2, 2022
Several commenters speculated that he was referring to Russian Vladimir Putin, whom Mr Biden had admonished at length for invading Ukraine at the start of his remarks.
But others surmised that it was a general rallying cry.
One user explained: “My father used to say ‘Go get ‘em!’ It’s an Rust Belt Irish Catholic kind of way of saying, ‘Give ‘em hell!’ It’s not meant to go after Putin, it’s more of a ‘let’s go forward, try hard and win America!’”
My father used to say “Go get ‘em!” It’s an Rust Belt Irish Catholic kind of way of saying, “Give ‘em hell!” It’s not meant to go after Putin, it’s more of a “let’s go forward, try hard and win America!” #Sotu
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) March 2, 2022
I think Biden said, "Go get 'em!" (not "him") Which leads me to believe he got confused at the end there & thought he was giving a pep talk to a youth baseball team. I believe the confusion came from Jill promising him ice cream w/ sprinkles if he played his position well. #SOTU
— Sgt. Giddyap Carruthers (@WildjCard) March 2, 2022
I believe it’s like ‘Go get ‘em!’ as encouraging Americans to get after it.
But it would be bad ass if he ordered a raid on some terrorist tonight and we’ll find out tomorrow “they” got him. A la Obama and WH correspondents dinner. https://t.co/pRqqad6j4v— Jimmer (@JMiddlebrookII) March 2, 2022
I got "go get 'em." Most likely just an exhortation of enthusiasm. Or He could have a standing order of milk and cookies before bed and was just excited for some chocolate chip. Either way I'm good.
— JKnight (@jkvt) March 2, 2022
Another had a more negative take, writing: “I think Biden said, ‘Go get ‘em!’ (not ‘him’) Which leads me to believe he got confused at the end there & thought he was giving a pep talk to a youth baseball team. I believe the confusion came from Jill promising him ice cream w/ sprinkles if he played his position well.”
Critics took issue with the juxtaposition of the phrase, as it came right after Mr Biden said: “May God protect our troops.”
