President Joe Biden drew ire from Democrats and Republicans alike during his first State of the Union address, and it was surprisingly on the same issue.
Pivoting off the topic of COVID-19, Biden attempted to transition into a plan for the future that would unite Americans. He brought up the deaths of New York Police Department officers Jason Rivera, 22, and Wilbert Mora, 27, who were killed in the line of duty after being ambushed on a domestic disturbance call.
Biden left out the ambush stating, “They were responding to a 911 call when a man shot and killed them with a stolen gun.” He then discussed measures he believed achieve both “safety and equal justice” like holding “law enforcement accountable” and banning chokeholds.
Touting $350 billion from the American Rescue Plan meant to break “the cycle of violence and trauma,” Biden struck a nerve when he stated, “We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”
Republicans reacted with annoyance to this because it states an obvious reality they have promoted all along. Clay Travis sarcastically welcomed Biden for his revelation.
Joe Biden just said the answer isn’t to defund the police, it’s to fund the police. But his party spent the past two years arguing to defund the police. Welcome to the party, pal.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 2, 2022
“Joe Biden just said the answer isn’t to defund the police, it’s to fund the police,” Travis wrote. “But his party spent the past two years arguing to defund the police. Welcome to the party, pal.”
Others suggested that Biden’s words, both past and present, should speak for themselves.
Don’t retweet this clip of Biden saying he would “absolutely” “redirect” funding away from police departments after he just made an empty promise to do the opposite at his #SOTU
Please don’t RT. Brandon will be very mad.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 2, 2022
"FUND THE POLICE." Joe Biden's words not ours. pic.twitter.com/r2YMD4f2br
— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) March 2, 2022
Attorney Harmeet Dhillon pointed out the fallacy of these claims, suggesting Biden’s stance had not changed from his position of redirecting funds and that this was entirely posturing by the president; and the Republicans in attendance ate it up.
Why are Republicans standing up and clapping like seals to Biden’s lies about funding the police and securing the border?
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) March 2, 2022
Radio host Dana Loesch called out the president, not only for his claims about ghost guns, but for his own involvement in gun trafficking to Mexican cartels during President Barack Obama’s administration.
Biden is lying re ghost guns: ghost guns MUST be serialized for sale. Already the law. #SOTU
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 2, 2022
The only people selling guns to terrorists was Biden as VP with Fast and Furious. https://t.co/g96fYBeRmO
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 2, 2022
Then there was the betrayal expressed by Democrats for the leader of their party flipping the script on the agenda they’ve been pushing for years.
The official Black Lives Matter Twitter account used Rep. Maxine Waters’s (D-CA) expression in hearing Biden say fund the police to encapsulate their reaction.
POV: listening to Biden declare “the answer is not to defund the police, it’s to fund the police”#SOTU pic.twitter.com/ZegIneiCvU
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) March 2, 2022
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), a Black Lives Matter activist and member of the progressive Democrat group dubbed the ‘Squad,’ continued to sow the division within the wings of Biden’s party that has been ongoing throughout his term.
With all due respect, Mr. President. You didn’t mention saving Black lives once in this speech.
All our country has done is given more funding to police. The result? 2021 set a record for fatal police shootings.
Defund the police. Invest in our communities. https://t.co/t0n0EpHMwd
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 2, 2022
Bush cited a “record for fatal police shootings” in 2021 as support to further the call of defunding the police. However, she did not provide any information as to the level of crime that may have led to a greater number of police interactions. She also did not participate in the showing of solidarity for Ukraine at the SOTU, choosing instead to pressure Biden toward greater clemency.
My State of the Union fit.
18,000. That's how many people whose clemency petitions are sitting in a backlog, waiting for @POTUS's review.
Justice delayed is justice denied. President Biden, we’re urging you: start granting clemency now. pic.twitter.com/ruRsQykPqJ
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 2, 2022
Biden’s attempt at finding the center away from the extreme branches of his party, especially when it comes to police and firearms legislation, has continued to come up short as the midterm elections draw closer.
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