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

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union, in which he called on Congress to "finish the job" on health care, the economy, policing and more.

"Being a mom to three young children taught me not to believe every story I hear. So, forgive me for not believing much of anything I heard tonight from President Biden. From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you," Sanders said.

She quickly drew on some key differences between her and Biden, saying they "don't have a lot in common."

"At 40, I'm the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he's the oldest president in American history," she said. "I'm the first woman to lead my state. He's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is."

While he didn't directly mention it, Biden made a passing reference to what the federal government said was a Chinese surveillance balloon that flew for days over the continental U.S. before being shot down by the military on Saturday.

"I'm committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said as he spoke briefly about foreign policy. "But make no mistake about it, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country and we did."

Biden argued that "winning the competition with China should unite all of us."

With the final lines of his 2023 State of the Union address, the president told the joint session of Congress that they are at an "inflection point": "We must see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans. We are a good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea," he said.

Biden ended his speech telling the nation that the state of the union is strong, alluding to the fulfillment of one of his campaign promises -- to restore "the soul" of the nation.

"Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong," he said.

"As I stand here tonight, I have never been more optimistic about the future of America. We just have to remember who we are."

While talking about the political violence that has occurred in the country over the past few years, Biden called out to Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was violently assaulted in his San Francisco home in October, with authorities saying the suspect was seeking his wife.

Biden linked the assault on Paul Pelosi to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob -- attempting to subvert the certification of Biden's presidency -- attacked the Capitol.

"Just a few months ago ... an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on Jan. 6," Biden said.

He pointed to "my friend, Paul Pelosi," with Nancy Pelosi seen from the House floor waving and looking up at her husband, who was seated in the first lady's box.

"Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get."

Biden, noting that "such a heinous act never should have happened," said that American voting rights and election integrity must be safeguarded in order to curb that extremism.

"There is no place for political violence in America. In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy," he said.