The Question Twitter Is Asking After Historic State Of The Union Address
Going into the State of the Union address on March 1, 2022, all eyes were on President Joe Biden as this was his first such speech.
With all of the issues going on in the world right now, especially the conflict in Ukraine, he had a lot to talk about (via CNBC). President Biden spent a majority of his time discussing the Russian invasion, stating that he's planning on holding Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible.
"We are choking off Russia's access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come," he said, emphasizing America's stance on the conflict. For the first time, President Biden also confirmed the fact that United States airspace will be closed off to Russian flights.
The president also addressed domestic issues during his State of the Union address. As NBC News reports, he spoke about the economy and inflation, while praising his administration's efforts to create record job gains and economic growth. Biden touched on several aspects of his Build Back Better agenda, including efforts related to childcare, the minimum wage, and climate change.
He also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that, in coming weeks, more free tests will be available for American citizens to receive through the mail (via The Guardian). His limited test roll-outs were faced with criticism when he launched the initiative in January.
While President Biden covered many topics that Americans are concerned about, his presence at the podium had Twitter asking one specific question.
Twitter is ready for a woman to lead the State of the Union for once
Behind President Joe Biden at the State of the Union address sat Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It's no secret that both women are supportive of him, with President Biden already making it clear that, if he runs again in 2024, Harris will be his running mate (via Firstpost).
The two served as strong pillars behind President Biden, constantly standing and applauding his speech. However, Twitter began talking about them, asking an important question along the way — namely, when will a woman finally deliver the State of the Union address?
Author Miles Taylor tweeted: "Two women standing behind the President looks cool. A woman at the podium would look even cooler."
His followers chimed in with comments like, "I'm loving the look. Welcome to the 21st Century Ladies and Gentlemen. This is what women are fighting for and will continue to fight for in the generations to come." Another Twitter user responded: "That day will come .. progress has been agonizingly slow but inching forward."
Now more than ever, it appears as though Americans are ready for a woman to become president. The Los Angeles Times reported that not only are the majority of Americans on board with electing a woman as president, but they may also prefer it.
Now, Twitter is wondering how long Americans will have to wait to see this hope come to fruition.
Twitter users commented on other key moments of President Biden's State of the Union address
Aside from making it clear that the public is ready for a female president, Twitter users also took to the social media platform to voice their opinions on several aspects of the State of the Union address.
At one point during President Joe Biden's speech, he accidentally said "Iranians" instead of "Ukrainians" when speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, per The Hill. Even the House Judiciary GOP account remarked on the slip-up, tweeting, "The Iranians?" Conservative commentator Katie Pavlich tweeted: "Biden just called the Ukrainians, Iranians. The only mention Iran will get in this speech and it was by mistake."
Another uncomfortable moment from President Biden's State of the Union address came when Republican representative Lauren Boebert began heckling him, yelling out that he had put 13 American troops in coffins, per The Hill. At another point in the speech, Boebert, along with Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, began chanting, "Build the wall."
"2 years ago, I yelled out 'what about victims of gun violence like my daughter' at SOTU," tweeted Fred Guttenberg, a gun safety activist and the father of a girl killed at the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. He was removed after his public outburst during a State of the Union address given by former President Donald Trump in 2020, per CNN.
He continued: "I did it for gun violence victims & spent most of night in jail. @laurenboebert did it to be an a******. Why was she not removed & spending her night in jail?"