Joe Biden attacks Donald Trump on ‘democracy and freedom’ in fiery State of the Union speech

Joe Biden vowed to fight for “democracy and freedom” in the US and around the world in a fiery, unabashedly political speech to Congress in which he took on Donald Trump and Republican critics to make his case for re-election.

Delivering his final State of the Union address before November’s election, the US president did not mention Trump by name but repeatedly attacked his “predecessor” for being too lenient towards Russia, blocking a bipartisan deal to curb immigration and paving the way for strict abortion curbs across the country.

Biden also laid out his plans for a second term, including populist measures such as higher taxes on big companies and the wealthy, and vowed to drive down house prices and cut drug costs, while hailing the US as the most envied economy in the world.

The delivery of the speech, which was closely watched following criticism that Biden was too old to serve a second term, was punchy and loud, lasted more than an hour and included several feisty off-the-cuff interactions with Republican lawmakers.

At the outset, Biden said freedom and democracy were “under attack, both at home and overseas, at the very same time” — and called on Congress to “stand up” to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and approve more funding for Kyiv.

“If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not,” Biden said.

He cited former Republican president Ronald Reagan’s tough approach to the Soviet Union at the end of the cold war and compared it with Trump’s suggestion that Russia be allowed to do “whatever the hell they want” to Nato allies that do not spend enough on defence.

“It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable,” Biden said of Trump’s stance.

Biden also tried to channel anger at restrictions on reproductive rights imposed in many conservative-leaning states following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned a decades-old precedent protecting abortion rights nationally. The president pledged to enact legislation at the federal level to protect women’s rights to end a pregnancy.

“If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe vs Wade as the law of the land again,” he said.

With the US presidential race now under way, Thursday’s speech marked a high-stakes moment for Biden, who faces low approval ratings, a backlash against inflation and immigration, and questions about his physical and mental fitness.

Biden is also navigating anger on the left of the Democratic party over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Protesters calling for a ceasefire demonstrated outside the Capitol building as he arrived to give his speech on Thursday.

“We’ve been working nonstop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks,” he said. “Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire.”

He reiterated his stance that only a two-state solution would guarantee Israel’s security and democracy and ensure that “Palestinians can live with peace and dignity”.

The president is also presiding over a booming economy and strong labour market, following a string of legislative accomplishments designed to boost domestic manufacturing.

In his speech, Biden touted an “American comeback” that he believed had not been sufficiently told throughout the country. “America is rising. We have the best economy in the world,” he said.

The remarks to Congress come two days after Biden and Trump secured big victories in their parties’ presidential primary contests, all but ensuring a rematch in November of the 2020 election.

As Biden walked through the chamber to deliver his speech, he was greeted with cheers and chants of “four more years” by Democratic lawmakers but was also confronted by Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican congresswoman and Trump ally, who was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.

Greene challenged Biden to say the name of Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia whose death last month, allegedly at the hands of an immigrant, became a rallying cry for Republicans.

Unexpectedly, Biden mentioned Riley’s murder but also blamed Republicans for derailing a bipartisan bill to curb immigration at the southern border, adding that he would approach the crisis differently from the way Trump had.

“I will not demonise immigrants . . . I will not separate families. I will not ban people from America because of their faith,” he said.

The Republican response to Biden’s speech was delivered by Alabama senator Katie Britt from her kitchen. Her speech previewed some of the party’s electoral attack lines on the president, including criticism of his stewardship of the economy and “diminished” leadership.

She said: “Right now, our commander-in-chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader. America deserves leaders who recognise that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets and a strong defence are the cornerstones of a great nation.”

On social media, Trump criticised Biden for his occasional coughs. “That may be the angriest, least compassionate and worst State of the Union speech ever made,” he wrote. “It was an embarrassment to our country.”