Five Things Biden Didn’t Mention in the SOTU

What Joe Biden intentionally left out during his first State of the Union revealed just as much as what he did choose to discuss. Here’s a quick rundown:

The Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal

Joe Biden failed to mention the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the thirteen Americans who lost their lives defending Kabul’s airport during the evacuation. Texas Republican Michael McCaul, the lead Republican on the House Forein Affairs Committee, slammed Biden for the omission.

LR @RepMcCaul “I am extremely disappointed and shocked the president refused to acknowledge his disastrous withdrawal from #Afghanistan in tonight’s #SOTU. It is shameful. And it’s further proof of @POTUS’s apathy to the fate of Americans & Afghans still trapped in Afghanistan.” https://t.co/OxL1JrCXuU

— House Foreign Affairs GOP (@HouseForeignGOP) March 2, 2022

The Rise of AntiSemitism

Despite a surge of antisemitism sweeping across America and the globe, Biden declined to address it in his speech. Prominent Democrats have made antisemitic remarks and blasted Israel for defending itself.

Standing Up to North Korea and Iran

Despite ongoing negotiations with Iran over their nuclear weapons program and increasing aggression from North Korea, neither were mentioned by Biden. 

“Build Back Better”

Biden did not discuss his failed legislative package that he could not rally his own party behind, but did attempt to repackage it as “deficit reduction.”After the speech, West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin poured cold water on Democrats’ hopes to revive the reckless tax and spending spree, saying “nothing’s changed.” News flash: Manchin isn’t buying the rebranding.

Honorable Mention: China

China was only briefly mentioned in passing, despite its ambition to replace the United States as the world’s superpower. Republican Senator Mitt Romney called out the omission saying, “We must not fail to acknowledge that China is on a quest to become the world’s economic, military, and geopolitical superpower. Nearly every strategic decision we make must be looked at with the lens of our competition with China.”