Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union Address to Congress. In his remarks, the president took stock of the situation in the United States and the main problems currently facing the country. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, delivered the GOP's rebuttal.
The president made no reference to some of the most controversial and contentious issues that are hovering over his administration. While he did allude to abortion, the LGBT community, the economy and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Biden did not mention some of the latest issues involving himself and his administration.
Classified documents in Joe Biden's properties
The classified materials discovered in his private office and residence date back to his time as vice president during the Obama administration. At first, it was his lawyers who located classified documents in one of the private offices of the Penn Biden Center, a Washington-based think tank with close ties to the president. In addition to this discovery, additional batches of confidential material were found at several of Joe Biden's properties, including his homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Del.
This is not the first public appearance in which the president has had the opportunity to speak about these discoveries, but he flat out refuses to do so. The only time he made reference to it was on Jan. 20 in California, when he gave a confusing and ambiguous response: "There's no there there."
The concealment and subsequent discovery of classified documents in the private space of a high-ranking official is, in itself, an extremely serious matter. The gravity of the situation was accentuated when we learned of the involvement of the Department of Justice. In fact, there are already voices within his own party calling for a congressional investigation.
No news about Hunter Biden
Nor did we hear Joe Biden mention a word about his son Hunter Biden's laptop. Since this case arose more than two years ago, neither Biden nor his entourage acknowledged that the laptop belonged to the president's son. A few days ago, Hunter's own lawyers finally confessed that he was the owner of the laptop. The Republican Party is working hard to make this story public after it was initially suppressed by left-leaning media.
This case involves the FBI, Big Tech companies, Congress, the DoJ and the Chinese Communist Party. There does not appear to be a resolution in sight, and it was not given any mention by President Biden in his speech.
Joe Biden and the Chinese spy balloon
Perhaps the most relevant current issue is the spotting of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States. Montana residents were alarmed by the presence of the object in their airspace. After an initial inaction by the Pentagon, China's communist regime acknowledged that the spy drone was indeed its property. Eventually, it ended up being shot down. This event only increased the political tension with the China and caused Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone his official trip to Beijing.
While it is true that Biden did, on several occasions, use the word "China" in his State of the Union Address, he did not refer to the threat it poses to Americans. The Chinese spy balloon controversywas not mentioned once in the 73 minutes of the event, perhaps because of the criticism Biden received regarding his handling of the matter.
Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden
In view of the potential duel between Biden and Trump in the 2024 election, the president did not make any reference to the previously announced candidacy of his predecessor. Nor did he comment on the Mar-a-Lago raid or other potential Republican rivals such as Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis.
In his first State of the Union Address (2022), he also declined to talk about the former president. What he did mention was the assault on the Capitol, an event that has always been associated with Trump. In this regard, he said during his speech:
For the last few years our democracy has been threatened, attacked, and put at risk. Put to the test here, in this very room, on Jan. 6. And then, just a few months ago, unhinged by the Big Lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-Speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on Jan. 6.
Student debt forgiveness
The issue of education came to the forefront in the second half of Biden's speech. Regarding this issue, the president opted not to speak about student debt forgiveness.
The debt forgiveness measure has been one of Biden's main projects since taking office. It is estimated that paying off student loans would cost taxpayers approximately half a trillion dollars (between $440 billion and $600 billion).
