WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — President Joe Biden delivered a defiant argument for a second term in his State of the Union speech Thursday night, verbally attacking Donald Trump for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution" and for jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad.

The State of the Union address is the marquee night on the White House calendar, offering presidents a direct line to an audience of lawmakers and dignitaries in the House chamber and tens of millions of viewers at home.

Biden knew he would be watched not just for his message, but for how he would deliver it.

During his presentation in the House chamber, Biden goaded Republicans over their policies on immigration, taxes and more, invited call-and-response banter with fellow Democrats and seemed to relish the fight.

“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while," Biden deadpanned. “And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before.”

He also fired multiple broadsides at “my predecessor” without ever mentioning Trump by name — 13 times in all.

Taking a victory lap in selling his legislative accomplishments, including funding to bolster manufacturing of computer chips nationwide, Biden veered from his prepared script to take a dig at Republicans who voted against such policies but nonetheless take credit for them back home.

“If any of you don’t want that money in your districts,” Biden said, “just let me know.”

The president spoke before what has been a historically ineffective Congress.

In the GOP-led House, Speaker Mike Johnson took power five months ago after the unprecedented ouster of the former speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Legislators are still struggling to approve funding bills for the current year and have been deadlocked for months on foreign assistance bills.

Johnson urged Republicans in a private meeting Wednesday to show “decorum” during the speech, but he appeared to have limited success.

A number of House Republicans began to stand up and leave the chamber as Biden discussed raising taxes on billionaires and corporations. Others remained in their chairs and shook their heads, while Johnson didn't disguise his emotions, raising his eyebrows and occasionally rolling his eyes.

During the speech, Biden rhetorically questioned whether the tax code was fair and whether billionaires and corporations need “another $2 trillion in tax breaks,” as he charged Republicans want.

Biden also highlighted his efforts to fight “shrinkflation” — companies putting fewer pretzels in the jar and less yogurt in sealed cups — and so-called “junk fees” on services. Neither is a prime driver of inflation, but the White House hoped to show consumers that Biden is fighting for them.

Congressional Republican leaders chose Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, the youngest Republican woman elected to the Senate, to give their official rebuttal. Her speech painted a picture of a nation that “seems to be slipping away” and one where “our families are hurting.”

“Right now, our commander-in-chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader,” Britt said, speaking deliberately in an address from her home kitchen. “America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are the cornerstones of a great nation.”

Trump responded to the speech in real time on his Truth Social site, defending himself and blasting Biden for what he said “may be the Angriest, Least Compassionate, and Worst State of the Union Speech ever made. It was an Embarrassment to our Country!”

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