SOME REPUBLICANS THINK BIDEN DID TOO MUCH YELLING AT SOTU

The president delivered a spirited State of the Union speech that attempted to deflect concerns about his age. His detractors still found stuff to complain about.

For Democrats, Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night was proof the 81-year-old president is alive, well and able to deliver an energetic 70-minute speech to a joint session of Congress. But to some Republicans who’ve called him everything short of a walking corpse, Biden’s election-year address to the nation was too vigorous.

“THIS IS LIKE A SHOUTING MATCH, EVERY LINE IS BEING SHOUTED,” former President Donald Trump roared on Truth Social during Biden’s speech — which, save for one glaring exception, were on-message and relatively blunder-free.

“Wow! They over medicated him! Angry, confused, and yelling,” tweeted Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), in remarks that reflected the right-wing spin on Biden’s remarks. (Jackson, the White House physician for Trump, might know something about overmedicating.) Disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was booted from the House in a historic vote for numerous ethics violations and alleged criminal conduct but is apparently now seeking a do-over — called Biden “a weak, frail president” who “deliver[ed] spin and lies to the American people from inside the chambers.”

The president was, indeed, letting it rip Thursday night. He was loud. He yelled a bit. He shot back at his hecklers, including a boisterous Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Republicans who booed him on the subject of immigration. He was also in his element after the speech, gabbing with lawmakers, taking selfies and even promising to call a representative’s mom. The general consensus from much of the chattering class was that Biden exceeded expectations, even if a solid State of the Union address doesn’t normally provide much an electoral bump.

Biden managed to touch on his age toward the end of his remarks in a somewhat self-deprecating way.