'I believe in America': Fired-up Biden uses State of the Union to skewer GOP, his 'predecessor'
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.
Key moments:
Biden takes first swipe at Trump over Ukraine aid and Putin
Biden took his first jab at Trump of the night as he called on Congress to provide further assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders.
"Ukraine aid is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership," he said. "It wasn't long ago, when a Republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'"
Biden continued, "Now, my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, 'Do whatever the hell you want.' That's a quote. The former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it's outrageous, it's dangerous and it's not acceptable."
Biden urges action at 'unprecedented moment'
Biden dubbed the current time an "unprecedent moment" in America, drawing parallels to his speech Thursday with that of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941, right before the U.S. entered World War II.
"Tonight, I come to the same chamber to address the nation. Now, it's we who face an unprecedented moment in the history of the union. And yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people this is no ordinary moment either," Biden said.
The president warned that "freedom and democracy under assault" both "at home and overseas at the very same time," pushing for aid to Ukraine as it works to fight off Russia's invasion -- adding a warning as Congress proves unable to agree on a bill to send aid to Kyiv.
"If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not," Biden said.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona chosen as the designated survivor
While Biden entered the U.S. Capitol House chambers for his State of the Union address, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was announced as the "designated survivor."
The designated survivor is a Cabinet member chosen to remain physically away from the president and vice president in case of an emergency or an attack during the State of the Union.
Cardona will go to an undisclosed location for the duration of the address.
Tlaib, Omar wear keffiyehs at address
Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., are wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, at the address, as the progressive wing of the Democratic Party continues to call for a cease-fire in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.