Several prominent Republicans have now responded to President Joe Biden’s Thursday night address concerning the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Hamas, in which the president vowed to take an active role in these conflicts.
“The shame of it all is that we wouldn’t be in this terrible position if Joe Biden hadn’t been so weak in Afghanistan, so slow in Ukraine, so pandering to Iran, and so absent from the border,” Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate, said. “The world is on fire, and America needs strong new leadership to deal with it.”
Many critics labeled the speech as “unbelievable” and “completely disgraceful.” Biden’s emphasis on Ukraine during his address included a promise to send an “urgent budget request” to Congress, aiming to bolster America’s national security and support key allies like Israel and Ukraine.
Haley criticized Biden’s global approach, particularly ahead of his speech.
“Biden cozied up to Iran, giving it billions of dollars & easing sanctions. Biden talks a big game on Russia, but was too slow in providing Ukraine with the weapons to beat Russia quickly. Biden’s weakness on Moscow & Tehran has strengthened Beijing,” she said.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, another Republican presidential hopeful, commented, “Biden gave $6 billion to the number one state sponsor of terrorism.” He further discussed the president’s address on “Hannity,” stating, “Our ally, Israel, was bombed by a terrorist organization and tonight’s speech focused more on Ukraine than Israel. That’s unbelievable.” Scott also expressed his belief that Biden should have sent a clearer message to Iran regarding the repercussions they might face for supporting terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Joe Concha, a Fox News contributor, noted that Biden took credit for being the first U.S. president to visit Israel during wartime. “Biden has now twice patted himself on the back for being the first American president to go into a war zone. This speech is an absolute mess,” Concha said.
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance criticized Biden for seemingly linking the two global conflicts to advocate for more aid to Ukraine.
“I think what the president did is completely disgraceful. If he wants to sell the American people on $60B more to Ukraine, he shouldn’t use dead Israeli children to do it. It was disgusting,” Vance said.
Fox News host Sean Hannity critiqued the speech, expressing his desire for more details on the recent events in Israel. Dana Perino, another Fox News personality, shared her disappointment, stating, “I prepared all day to love this speech. I prepared to want to stand up and cheer, and at times I felt like we were reading a speech whose pages had been mixed up out of order.”
Republican congressional candidate J.R. Majewski viewed the address as a promotion for Trump’s potential 2024 campaign.
“That entire Biden speech was a campaign ad for Trump 2024,” Majeski said. “Trump never gave speeches about how badly we needed to help the world because of the wars that he caused, because he never caused these problems.”
While many Republicans criticized the speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Biden.
“I thank Joe Biden for his powerful address. Together, we will not allow hatred destroy freedom, and we will not let terrorists destroy democracy,” Zelenskyy said.
Biden’s address followed his visit to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. He expressed his commitment to ensuring American troops remain safe and emphasized the importance of the congressional aid package for fostering peace and prosperity in regions like Israel.
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