Biden Swipes at Trump During SOTU: ‘The American Story of Resentment, Revenge, and Retribution’

President Joe Biden took a shot at his predecessor and likely presidential opponent during Thursday’s State of the Union address by alluding to Donald Trump’s remarks about “retribution.”

“I am your warrior, I am your justice,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Waco, Texas in March 2023. “For those who have been wronged and betrayed… I am your retribution.”

Trump has falsely claimed the 2020 election was rigged against him and tried to overthrow the results in the weeks following the contest. He is under indictment in two jurisdictions over those efforts. He also faces unrelated criminal charges in two other cases.

Speaking to the joint session of Congress on Thursday, Biden gave a nod to concerns about his age while dinging Trump in the process without mentioning his name:

My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor. Now, other people my age see it differently: the American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.

Biden, 81, has been dogged by concerns about his age despite the fact that Trump is 77 and under criminal indictment.

During a Fox News town hall in January, Trump walked back his “retribution” comment.

“I’m not going to have time for retribution,” he said. “We’re gonna make this country so successful again. I’m not gonna have time for retribution. And remember this, our ultimate retribution is success.”

Not everyone bought Trump’s explanation.

[T]he reality is that Trump has a very long history of seeking payback,” CNN’s Maggie Haberman said at the time. “And so there’s a reason that people have focused on that.”

Watch above via CNN.