President Biden called for unity, cooperation, and bipartisanship with Republicans in his first "Let's finish the job" State of the Union address Tuesday night, only to be met with heckles and outbursts from the Republican representatives. Biden praised democracy, highlighted the current low unemployment rate, and declared his plans to launch a major surge to fight fentanyl production and aid border agents.
The president also reminded viewers that many in the country are still struggling, urging Americans to help each other out. Although Biden asked for GOP support of infrastructure rebuilding, a major drive against fentanyl production and improved border security, his pleas for bipartisanship were met with silence and heckles, particularly when he discussed the epidemic of fentanyl deaths or the one-year mark of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried and failed to quiet otherwise unaccountable heckles