The president made the case for why he deserves a second term.
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.
Britt said inflation was "at a 40-year-high." That was true in June 2022, when year-over-year inflation hit 9.1%, but it's fallen in recent months. What is true is that inflation is affecting Americans: 63% said price increases have caused financial hardship in a Gallup poll from January.
-Monica Potts, 538
Sen. Katie Britt is giving the GOP response to Biden's address from her home in Alabama.
She said she is worried about the future of the country and called Biden an "out-of-touch," "permanent politician" who has been in office "longer than I have been alive."
Britt, 42, is the youngest GOP woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
In closing out his address, Biden spoke to the future he envisions in America -- one where democracy is defended, not diminished, and rights are protected, not taken away.
"I see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes," he said. "I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence."
"Above all, I see a future for all Americans," he said. "I see a country for all Americans."
As he gears up for the general election, he spoke of a united country and said he will "always be a president for all Americans."
As Biden began to wrap up his speech, he made his first reference to his age: an issue polling has shown is a major concern for voters.
The remark mixed Biden's strategy for quelling such doubts: self-deprecating humor and assurances that age equals wisdom.
"I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while," he joked. "And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before."
"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy," he said. "A future based on the core values that have defined America. Honesty. Decency. Dignity. Equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor."
He added: "Now some other people my age see a different story. An American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me."
Continuing to swipe indirectly at Trump, who is 77, Biden said it's Trump who will move the country in the wrong direction.
"My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are. Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back."
Biden addresses his age at the conclusion of his State of the Union address
