Mitt Romney has compared Biden’s raucous State of the Union address and the Republican Party’s bickering to the House of Commons, where politicians from both sides of the aisle regularly face off.
The senator made a comparison between Thursday evening’s speech and the scenes normally found in the British Parliament.
“It’s starting to look more and more like the House of Commons in London,” Romney said through political journalist Nicholas Wu.
The House of Commons is a lower house of the British Parliament where elected members of all parties meet for debates that often end in shouting and jeering.
Romney’s comments came after Biden delivered a spirited State of the Union address marked by outbursts from both sides of the political spectrum.
Mitt Romney compared Biden’s raucous State of the Union speech and the Republican Party’s bickering to the House of Commons
President Joe Biden started his State of the Union address with an attack on Donald Trump
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) calls on Biden to ‘say her name,’ referring to slain nursing student Laken Riley
The noisy scenes were reminiscent of the chaos that often plays out in the British House of Commons, where politicians from both sides often end up in shouting matches, mediated by the speaker (photo)
The president faced several exchanges with Republican lawmakers during his remarks, in which he repeatedly attacked his Republican presidential rival, Donald Trump.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., shouted “lies” as Biden criticized Trump’s response to Covid-19.
Most Democrats stood and cheered throughout the speech, except for a minority of progressives who protested the president’s response to the Israeli bombing of Gaza.
When Biden spoke about a bill to increase border security, which was killed by Republicans after Trump spoke out against it, Republican lawmakers booed.
“Five thousand a day!” Republican members shouted, referring to a provision that would close the border after an average of 5,000 migrants tried to cross.
One of the most vocal was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who had many outbursts throughout the night.
She urged Biden to “say her name,” referring to slain University of Georgia student Laken Riley, who is believed to have been killed by an illegal immigrant.
Greene, who was wearing a shirt with Riley’s name, shouted at Biden to “say her name.”
He agreed, but in an embarrassing blunder, called the murdered nursing student “Lincoln.”
A protester shouted at President Biden and was removed from the House chamber
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) (left) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) (right) hold up signs in support of a ceasefire in the Middle East
There was further disruption when a An unknown protester began shouting in the House chamber during Biden’s remarks.
Images of the protester posted online show he was in the guest seating area.
It turned out to be a Gold Star family member shouting “Abbey Gate,” referring to the location where 13 service members were killed during the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
It was reported that the protester was escorted from the room shortly after his outburst.
The rowdy behavior was reminiscent of scenes often seen across the pond, where the House of Commons has its own rule allowing the speaker to adjourn without taking a vote in the event of “serious disorder.”
The rule was introduced after several heated sessions, some of which even led to physical clashes.
One of the more recent examples of chaos in the House of Commons occurred two weeks ago, after the three major political parties tried to outmaneuver each other in a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.
Tempers flared and several lawmakers eventually stormed out of the chamber following a decision by the Speaker to ignore precedent and allow a vote that helped the opposition Labor Party stage a large-scale rebellion among its own lawmakers over its position on the war between Israel and Hamas. .
In a section on the war in Ukraine, Biden thundered, “I will not bow down,” as he urged Congress to stand up to Putin.
Democrats were loud during President Biden’s speech, cheering often
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (DI) cheer as Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address
But even when he wasn’t interrupted, Biden gave a spirited performance, occasionally pumping his fist and shouting to make his points.
In a paragraph on the war in Ukraine, he thundered, “I will not bow down,” as he urged Congress to rise up against Putin.
Democrats also booed loudly when Biden described Trump’s more laissez-faire approach to the Russian autocrat.
Biden quoted Trump saying “do whatever you want” in Europe, prompting cheers from the crowd.
The president also made pointed remarks toward the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v Wade as he made an impassioned pledge to restore abortion rights.