Mitt Romney compares heckling, cheering at Biden's State of the Union to House of Commons

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah., compared the heckling and cheering during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday to the lower chamber of Parliament in the United Kingdom, where intense debates between parties often take place.

“It’s beginning to sound more and more like the House of Commons in London,” Romney told Politico reporter Nicholas Wu, according to a tweet.

The House of Commons is famous for holding chaotic scenes, where members often engage in shouting matches to get their point across.

There were several notable moments during Biden’s address, which at times sounded like a campaign speech, where Republican lawmakers interrupted him and Democratic lawmakers cheered for him as he discussed topics ranging from immigration to foreign policy.

For instance, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., shouted “lies” as Biden criticized Trump over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Biden was railing against Republicans for blocking a bipartisan border deal last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., got into a testy exchange with the president and shouted “It’s about Laken Riley!”

Riley was a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was found dead last month. Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant, has been charged in connection with her death.

When Biden, however, said the state of the union is “strong and getting stronger,” it drew applause and cheers from Democrats who chanted “four more years!”

Contributing: Ken Tran, Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Romney compares heckling, cheering at Biden's SOTU to House of Commons