Jill Biden's Appearance At The State Of The Union Address Has Twitter Talking

Dr. Jill Biden has already endeared herself to many Americans in her short tenure as first lady. Her platforms — expanding education communities, and providing support for military personnel and their families — are ones that are personally close to her heart (via the White House). Biden is both a community college teacher and the mother of military veterans. She was even the one responsible for bringing in the official White House cat, Willow, who had caught her attention by jumping on stage when Jill was giving a speech during President Biden's 2020 campaign (via The Guardian).

Since the Bidens' return to Washington, Jill has kept a highly visible presence. She has visited cancer centers and child care facilities, and has packed care packages for National Guard members serving overseas (via Instagram). Jill has also offered solace to Kentucky tornado victims, and cheered on Team USA at the Olympics. Most recently, she caused a stir — in a good way — with her appearance at President Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. Her choice of honored guest has also been praised on social media.

Although President Biden was the only person actually speaking at his State of the Union address, first lady Jill Biden spoke volumes without ever saying a word. Dr. Biden sat in the Capitol gallery, along with her special guest, Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. (via New York Post). According to AP News, "Tradition holds that the first lady invite guests who help personify policies and positions that are important to the administration." Markarova's presence with Dr. Biden was a strong statement of support for Ukraine in the midst of its fight against the Russian invasion — a support that President Biden echoed in his speech.

As Dr. Biden and Markarova embraced before sitting down, Twitter burst into commentary. Of Jill's deep royal long-sleeved dress, one user tweeted, "Did y'all see FLOTUS Jill Biden's blue dress? It's beautiful." Another wrote, "Now THAT is a First lady @FLOTUS." 

Others compared this year's speech, and administration, to the previous one. A Twitter user mused, "Yesterday we had Covid and masks. Today @FLOTUS hugs the Ukrainian ambassador." A second one took a jab at former first lady Melania Trump, saying "Melania would have asked [Markarova] to kiss her ... ring" (via Twitter).

In keeping with his wife's decision to bring Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova as her guest of honor to the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden dedicated the first 15 minutes of his rousing speech to the escalating conflict between the country and invading Russian forces. As the BBC notes, the whole world is watching as Russia continues its unprovoked attack on Ukraine, a sovereign nation and its previously friendly neighbor, and Biden took the opportunity to let citizens know the American people stood behind them 100%. 

After thanking Markarova for attending, the president emphatically stated, "From President Zelenskyy to every Ukrainian, their fearlessness, their courage, their determination inspires the world" (via Youtube). Turning his attention to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Biden argued he had "badly miscalculated" by choosing to invade Ukraine. Moreover, Biden promised the U.S. and its allies would continue fighting to defend "every inch of territory of Nato countries," while further strict sanctions would be imposed to curb Russia's influence. 

"He thought the West and Nato wouldn't respond," the president acknowledged. "Putin was wrong. We were ready." Emphasizing the overwhelmingly negative response to the devastating conflict, Biden pointed out, "Democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security."

Not everybody was impressed with President Biden's State of the Union address, however. Controversial politician Marjorie Taylor Greene responded to the president in an angry video message, after heckling him in person mid-speech. Although Biden made it clear in his address that American troops would not be fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, Greene and her cohorts including Lauren Boebert attempted to push the lie that he'd already sent "thousands of troops" to defend the border, per Newsweek.

Greene railed, "Under President Trump, this [war] would have never happened. For four years our country had a real leader that led America and the entire world to peace for strength." She continued, "But now we have a mentally incompetent, feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap." Greene also accused Biden of being dominated by the Taliban and brainwashed by other world leaders, while wrongly focusing too much on restrictive (by her standards) COVID-19 policies. Summing up, the Georgia representative noted simply, "Joe Biden, you are not a president, you are a piece of s**t." 

Other lawmakers who were present at the event made more subtle gestures to the conflict in Ukraine, including in their outfit choices. Although Jill Biden didn't don the colors of the Ukrainian flag or live-stream her thoughts on the matter, she certainly showed her support for both her husband and the nation of Ukraine.