House Speaker Mike Johnson told Republican lawmakers not to heckle President Biden during the State of the Union address on Thursday, but the White House says to bring on the jeers.
Mr. Johnson’s plea to lawmakers came during a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting where he urged members to maintain decorum following recent outbursts in years past.
Heckling has become commonplace during the president’s annual address to a joint session of Congress. Democrats repeatedly jeered President Trump during his State of the Union speeches, and Mr. Biden has been subjected to the same treatment from Republicans.
In 2022, GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene or Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado heckled Mr. Biden throughout his address, chanting “build the wall” and “13 of them” — a nod to the 13 U.S. servicemembers who died during the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan overseen by his administration the year prior.
Last year, Mr. Biden engaged in a back-and-forth with Republicans while discussing possible cuts to Social Security and Medicaid.
This year, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Mr. Biden was “ready for anything” during the big speech.
“He got this,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “The president’s got this.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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