Addressing his first divided Congress, Biden says 'the soul of this nation is strong'

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., delivered the Spanish-language Republican rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union speech.

Ciscomani, a freshman lawmaker who immigrated to the U.S. with his family as a child, focused his remarks on the need to preserve the "American Dream" and for the Republican House majority to offer "a different direction" to address problems facing the nation.

"The American dream feels more unattainable and, sadly, President Biden fails to show leadership and present any viable solution," Ciscomani said. "He hasn't had any answers and clearly still doesn't. As House Republicans, we have already begun to offer a different direction to address the most significant issues impacting American families."

Under House Speaker McCarthy, Ciscomani said Republicans need to protect Social Security and Medicare, fight inflation, increase border security, restore energy independence, reduce crime and more.

"Let's put aside our differences and focus on results to keep this dream alive for future generations," Ciscomani said in closing. "The state of our union is strong because our people are strong. We can overcome any obstacle. Our best days lie ahead."

Former President Donald Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024, released a brief video response to Biden's address, painting a much grimmer picture of the nation and pointing to the state of crime, inflation and the southern border as the "real state of the union."

"But the good news is we are going to reverse every single crisis, calamity and disaster that Joe Biden has created," Trump said in the two-minute video. "I am running for president to end the destruction of our country and to complete the unfinished business of making America great again."

Separately, Trump live-reacted to Biden's address on Truth Social, posting on the social media site over 30 times to comment on Biden and others in the chamber -- including mocking Biden for frequently saying "folks."

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin

"It's time for a new generation to lead," Sarah Huckabee Sanders said as she wrapped up her remarks giving the Republican response to the State of the Union address . "This is our moment. This is our opportunity."

It will be a generation, she said, "born in the waning decades of the last century, shaped by economic booms and stock market busts, forged by the triumph of the Cold War and the tragedy of 9/11."

"A generation brimming with passion and new ideas to solve age-old problems," she continued. "A generation moored to our deepest values and oldest traditions, yet unafraid to challenge the present order and find a better way forward."

The Arkansas governor, the youngest state leader in the nation, took a moment to tout her soon-to-be-released education proposal. School choice has emerged as a leading Republican issue the past few election cycles, and Sanders said her plan is "the "most far-reaching, bold conservative education reform in the country."

Biden told ABC News' Will Steakin that he thought the reception to his State of the Union speech was “nice” when asked what he thought of the occasionally rowdy reaction from some Republicans while he spoke.

“Rowdy? I thought it was a nice reception," Biden said with a smile and laugh.

His remarks were met with several rounds of GOP interjections, notably when he spoke about how Republicans could try to cut Social Security and Medicare -- although he noted he wasn’t saying the “majority” of Republicans wanted to do so, and Speaker McCarthy has ruled it out.