Interruptions & Heckling: Three Dramatic Moments From Biden's State of the Union Address

US President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address Tuesday. Speaking to a newly-divided Congress for the first time, Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments, outlined his plans for the remainder of 2023, and made attempts to reach across the aisle.

While US President Joe Biden did not use the speech to announce his run for reelection, it still resembled an appeal to the American people to give him another four years. Biden repeatedly said “Let’s finish the job,” seemingly setting the theme of his address.

Biden was uncharacteristically fiery during the speech, yelling at the camera multiple times. The speech was not without his trademark gaffes, but the president seemed more lively than he has recently.

The commander-in-chief focused on the economy and infrastructure while taking time to address the situation in Ukraine, the country’s growing rivalry with China (without specifically mentioning the balloon), the continued fight against COVID, gun control, his tax plan, and his proposals for increased consumer protections in a variety of industries, from tech to banking.

Here are the three most poignant moments from Biden’s State of the Union address.

Interruptions Abound

Speaking about the debt ceiling, Biden said “some Republicans” want to cut Medicare and Social Security, which instantly brought a chorus of boos and jeers from the Republican side of the chamber.

Marjorie Taylor Greene could be seen on camera yelling at Biden multiple times.

Although Biden attempted to continue his speech, the ruckus was too powerful. He addressed criticism head on, stressing he was only referring to some Republicans even though the jeers.

“I guess we all agree, [cuts to] Social Security and Medicare are off the table," Biden eventually said,

It is true that some Republicans have called for the sunsetting of mandatory funding of Social Security and Medicare, but none have called for the programs’ complete elimination. Most Republicans, including House Leader Kevin McCarthy, have distanced themselves from that plan, with McCarthy saying cuts to both programs are “off the table.”

Biden Honors Tyre Nichols’ Parents

While speaking about police reform, Biden pointed to Tyre Nichols’ parents who were guests at the event. Both sides of the chamber gave them a standing ovation.

Tyre Nichols was beaten bloody by police and died three days later. Addressing that, Biden said that “when police officers violate the public trust, they must be held accountable.” Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder for their role in Nichols’ death, with additional law enforcement and medical personnel being investigated over the beating death.

Biden repeated his proposal to “give law enforcement the training they need,” a solution that has received some criticism from the left and anti-police brutality groups.

However, it was also during this time that Biden had one of his most significant gaffes of the speech. At one point, he appeared to call Tyre Nichols “Tyler” when referring to his parents.

Republicans Laugh Over Biden's Need for Oil

While speaking about big oil companies pulling in “$200 billion” and chastising them for using that money on stock buybacks instead of investing in domestic production, Biden gave an anecdote from his talks with the heads of the companies.

“When I talked to some of them they said ‘well we’re afraid you’re going to shut down all the oil wells and oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?’ I said we are going to need oil for at least another decade.”

Before Biden could finish, the crowd erupted in laughter at the apparent gaffe. McCarthy can be seen behind Biden laughing while Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be stifling a laugh.

Biden signed an executive order setting a Net Zero carbon emission goal for federal operations by 2050, but no proposal by Democrats contends the US will be completely off oil by then, much less in a decade.