United States President Joe Biden delivered a passionate State of the Union speech on Friday at a critical moment heading into the 2024 election cycle.
The chamber was packed with lawmakers sporting pins and stickers for different causes: Ukrainian flags, white and yellow ribbons, the Israeli flag, pins calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and stickers with the number 153 emblazoned across them — the number of days Israeli hostages have been kept by Hamas.
Several Democratic congresswomen wore so-called 'suffragette white', a long-standing tradition meant to call attention to the fight for women’s rights.
This year the colour was meant as a statement on reproductive rights in the US, which have been restricted since the .
In a far-reaching tradition, the "designated survivor" for the address was education secretary Miguel Cardona. In the US, for every State of the Union the White House chooses one member of the Cabinet who does not attend in case of a catastrophe, to ensure there is continuity of government.
During the speech Biden repeatedly took aim at former president Donald Trump without naming him, referring to him instead as his "predecessor" in several scathing remarks on his past policies.
Biden also seemed to invite significant back-and-forth with the crowd in the chamber, sparring with Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and calling out her party for not backing the bipartisan border security bill.
Here are some other key moments from Biden's address:
Russia, Ukraine and NATO
The war in Ukraine featured in Biden's speech, where he called on politicians to continue to provide billions of dollars to the embattled country.
The first major round of applause of the evening came when Biden stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not stop at Ukraine". Biden chose to direct his next remarks to Putin directly.
"We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down. History is watching," he said.
Biden also criticised Trump for "bowing down" to Putin, calling it "unacceptable".
Hailing the decision of , Biden referred to it as "the strongest military alliance the world has ever known".
Reproductive rights
Biden spoke at length about the state of reproductive rights in the US, at one point seemingly calling out the US Supreme Court justices in attendance for the decision to overturn Roe v Wade which protected the constitutional right to abortion.
"With all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral or political power ... you're about to realise just how much," he said, before the rest of his statement was drowned out by cheers.
Biden also asserted that Roe v Wade "got it right" and vowed to restore it.
"If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you: I will restore Roe v Wade as the law of the land again."
The recent decision in Alabama to across the state was described as "an assault on freedom".
Hamas-Israel war
As expected, Biden highlighted the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, first offering condolences to Israel and those whose loved ones are still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
But in some of the strongest terms he's used thus far, Biden declared that Israel "has a fundamental responsibility" to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.
"To the leadership of Israel, I say this. Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip."
Biden confirmed that he has ordered the US military to build a "temporary pier" in the Mediterranean on Gaza's coast to facilitate large transfers of humanitarian aid, but said there would be no American "boots on the ground".
"This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined," he said.
"More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed ... thousands and thousands are innocent women and children ... nearly two million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced.
"Homes destroyed, neighbourhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine. It's heartbreaking."
Opinion polls show Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 77, closely matched in the race for the White House. Source: AP / Andrew Harnik
The border, the economy and everything else
Biden accused Trump and Republicans of trying to rewrite history about the Capitol riot by the former president's supporters seeking to overturn Biden's 2020 victory.
"My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6. I will not do that," Biden said, a signal that he will emphasise the issue during his re-election campaign. "You can't love your country only when you win."
He also knocked Republicans for seeking to roll back healthcare provisions under the Affordable Care Act and driving up deficits, and jibed them for taking money from legislation they had opposed.
Suffering from low approval ratings, Biden faces discontent among progressives in his party about his support for Israel in its war against Hamas and from Republicans over his stance on immigration, but the mood among Democrats in the chamber was rapturous.
Trump, meanwhile, sent a steady stream of messages attacking Biden on his Truth Social platform.
"He looks so angry when he's talking, which is a trait of people who know they are 'losing it,'" Trump wrote.
"The anger and shouting is not helpful to bringing our Country back together!"
Opinion polls show Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, closely matched in the race. Most American voters are unenthusiastic about the rematch after Biden defeated Trump four years ago.
Trump, facing multiple criminal charges as he fights for re-election, says he plans to punish political foes and deport millions of migrants if he wins a second White House term.
Biden sought to burnish his reputation about the strength of the US economy and renew his quest to make wealthy Americans and corporations pay more in taxes.
Any such tax reform is unlikely to pass unless Democrats win strong majorities in both houses of Congress in the November vote, which is not forecast.
Biden also proposed new measures to lower housing costs, including a tax credit for first-time homebuyers — an acknowledgement of consumers' distress over high mortgage interest rates.
The US economy is performing better than most high-income countries, with continued job growth and consumer spending.
However, Republican voters tell pollsters they are deeply dissatisfied with the economy, and Americans overall give Trump better marks in polls for economic issues.
