'I believe in America': Fired-up Biden uses State of the Union to skewer GOP

The president made the case for why he deserves a second term.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Tal Axelrod, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: March 7, 2024, 7:00 PM EST

President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday night.

The speech provided Biden one of his biggest audiences of the year as he made his case for a second term and contrasted his vision of the country's future with Republicans ahead of what's expected to be a lengthy general election fight with former President Donald Trump.

ABC News live-blogged every major moment and highlight from the speech, with 538 providing analysis and a closer look at the polling and data behind the politicians.

Key moments:

Here's how the news developed.
Mar 07, 2024, 9:19 PM EST

Parents of reporter detained in Russia attend SOTU

The parents of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journalist reporter imprisoned by Russia on charges he denies, are at the State of the Union as guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson, according to the Journal.

“We are grateful to Speaker Johnson for inviting us to attend the State of the Union and for providing the opportunity to highlight Evan’s wrongful detention,” Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich said in a statement published by the newspaper.

“We’re also grateful to President Biden for his continued work on Evan’s behalf. Evan is an American, and he was doing his job as a journalist. He is most importantly a beloved son and brother, and we want him home," they said.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Mar 07, 2024, 9:17 PM EST

The president arrives to House chamber to deliver his speech

Biden has arrived to the House chamber to deliver his State of the Union.

The president is making his way through a sea of lawmakers and guests on the way to the podium to speak.

It is a potentially pivotal evening for Biden in the early stages of his 2024 general election fight -- set to be against Trump.

Ahead of his address, he said he was "feeling good" and pumped his fists in the air as he departed the White House. Pro-Palestinian protesters near the Capitol didn't interfere with the president's motorcade on the short drive across Washington.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Mar 07, 2024, 9:03 PM EST

Biden 'feeling good' as he leaves White House for speech

Biden said he's "feeling good" and pumped his fists in the air as he left the White House moments ago.

He's now on his way to the Capitol to face Congress and the nation.

President Joe Biden gestures as he departs the White House for the US Capitol to deliver the State of the Union address, in Washington, Mar. 7, 2024.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Mar 07, 2024, 8:43 PM EST

Why some Democrats are wearing white and other symbols

There was a sea of white as Democrats started to fill the chamber, ABC News' Capitol Hill team reports. The House Democratic Women's Caucus is wearing all white -- along with "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" pins.

PHOTO: Democratic Representatives dress in white to call attention to women's rights ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024.
Democratic Representatives dress in white to call attention to women's rights on the floor of the House of Representatives ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Other members are wearing blue to show support for the Israeli hostages taken after Hamas' October terror attack.

Republican Representative from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene chats on the floor of the House of Representatives ahead of US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in Washington, Mar. 7, 2024.
Shawn Thew/via Reuters

Some Republicans are wearing pins that say "Say her name: Laken Riley" in honor of the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed while out running on the University of Georgia's campus last month. The suspect charged in her death is a Venezuelan migrant who is illegally in the U.S., officials have said.

Some Republican lawmakers are also wearing buttons that read: "Stop the Biden border crisis."