The President covered a number of topics including supporting Ukraine, COVID-19, and inflation.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden delivered his first State-of-the-Union address Tuesday night.
During the 62-minute speech he noted how far America has come since in the last few months.
President Biden called for unity at home while touting the power of democracy abroad.
It was a wide-ranging speech that covered a lot of ground, in which Biden urged the American people to see the COVID-19 situation in a less divisive way and help Congress pass key items.
Some of the key take-aways in the address include:
-Ukraine and Russia and dealing with the international crisis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He strongly condemned Russia for the invasion and says the U.S. is closing off U.S. airspace to Russian planes.
-He pained an optimistic portrait of life after COVID. Pres. Biden called for people to get vaccinated, for children to get vaccinated, and for production and distribution of antiviral pills to protect vulnerable people. He also forcefully called for the country to get back to work, to "fill our downtowns" and to keep schools open.
-He tried to empathize on inflation. He said many families are dealing with inflated prices when buying food and gas and other items.
-He called on Congress “to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence” and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and instead repeal “the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can’t be sued” during his Tuesday address.
However, while Biden was cheered on by Congress, many on Twitter engaged in heated debates over “defund the police” vs “fund the police.”
READ: Joe Biden’s full 2022 State of the Union address