WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden, in a 68-minute-long fiery State of the Union speech, accused Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump of threatening democracy and stooping to Russia on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Biden took multiple digs at Trump, rather than saying his name, he referred to him “as my predecessor.”
He lambasted the former president for encouraging Russia to do whatever it wants to do.
He said, “Now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘Do whatever you want.'”
“I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.”
Furthermore, he charged Trump with the January 6 Capitol Hill attack. “My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6. I will not do that; you can’t love your country only when you win.”
The speech gave Biden, who is suffering from low approval ratings, a chance to speak directly to millions of American television viewers about his vision for another four-year term.
He used the opportunity to draw contrasts with Trump over abortion rights and the economy, and he directed several barbs at Republican lawmakers in the chamber with off-the-cuff banter that appeared designed to assuage concerns about his age and mental acuity.
Trump, in a response on his Truth Social platform, said: “He said I bowed down to the Russian Leader. He gave them everything, including Ukraine.”
