Lawmakers responded after President Biden gave a speech in the Oval Office on Thursday evening in which he discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict and the war in Ukraine.
Democrats appeared to respond well to their leader’s speech Thursday night, with many praising the president’s words on current conflicts abroad.
“President Joe Biden masterfully demonstrated tonight that American leadership on the world stage is necessary to preserve and promote democracy,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“In his address in the Oval Office, the President strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to the people of Israel and Ukraine in defending their democracies,” Pelosi continued.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D), the Senate majority leader, appeared to thank the president for his words during the speech.
“Thank you, @POTUS, for reminding America that we have a unique role in the world in the fight against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like the notorious war criminal Vladimir Putin,” Durbin said in one post on X
“I agree with what @POTUS said tonight: The decisions Congress makes in the coming weeks will determine the fate of democracy for decades,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in his own X post.
Republican Senator JD Vance (Ohio) accused Biden of linking the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
“Why does Joe Biden go on national television and sell people on escalation in Ukraine when Joe Biden is talking about the terrible tragedy in Israel?” Vance said in a Fox News clip posted to his press office’s account.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) had her own harsh words for the president regarding his address.
“Joe Biden’s Oval Office speech was a weak speech that did not spend enough time addressing the threat to the Jewish state,” Blackburn said said in an X post.
“Once again, Biden has failed to hold Iran accountable, to commit to freezing the $6 billion to Iran, or to commit to withholding aid to Hamas,” she continued.
“I have called on @POTUS to address the American people about our role in Ukraine and outline our strategy for months,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said in one post on X apparently refers to the speech. “I’m glad he addressed the country, but it was a lackluster address with no clear plan.”
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