Last night, in the chamber of the House of Representatives in the nation’s capitol, President Joe Biden delivered what has proven to be a controversial State of the Union address. Partisan politics and personal attacks reigned as the leader of the free world took the stage amid uproarious applause.

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President Biden began his speech by comparing himself to FDR, saying that the American people “face an unprecedented moment in the history of the Union.”

This is certainly a sentiment that all can agree with. We live in truly unprecedented times. We are currently witnessing wars in Ukraine and Israel, a catastrophic immigration crisis, abortion on the rise, and a historic election rematch. Biden addressed all of these topics in his own unique way on Thursday evening.

The Ukraine war was the first topic that Biden addressed. After a brief introduction to his speech, he said, “Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not. But Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.” While he issued no remarkable news relating to Ukraine, he did promise new policy developments with regards to the war in Israel, an issue that has been challenging and difficult for his administration. Walking a tightrope between the two factions of his own party, he called out the terrorism committed by Hamas and promised to do more for the people of Gaza. Biden announced that the military will install a temporary pier in order to bring aid directly into Gaza.

The border crisis has also proven to be one of the most difficult issues for Biden. He dedicated a sizable chunk of his speech to lamenting the failure of the Senate’s bipartisan border compromise, claiming it was “derailed” by Republicans. “We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it,” he said, “Send me the border bill now!” Biden also addressed Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant. Although he did seem to mispronounce her name, Biden characterized Riley as “an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.” He offered his condolences to her parents.

Abortion also received a great deal of attention in the State of the Union. The president mentioned Kate Cox, a Texan woman in the audience who had to flee her state in order to receive an abortion. He lamented her struggle and attacked Republicans, saying, “Many of you in this Chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedoms will you take away next?”

Many have criticized Biden’s speech for being, in the words of Speaker Mike Johnson, “overly partisan.” Biden’s abortion comments were an example of this, as he mocked Republicans for wanting to protect the lives of the unborn. He also relentlessly attacked his predecessor and rival, Donald Trump. He accused Trump of “bowing down to a Russian Leader,” seeking “to bury to truth of January 6th,” being, “the reason [Roe v. Wade] was overturned,” and more. He took every opportunity he could to attack the former president, aiming to make himself look better in comparison.

Many Republicans took issue with the partisanship of the speech, and some even left the room while the president was speaking. One Republican, Representative Greg Murphy of North Carolina, said that he left the room because he “didn’t want to listen to the president get up there and spout lies.”

Biden also touted the recent “successes” of the economy, as well as the policy wins his administration has seen in the past few years. At the same time, Republicans disagreed — Speaker Johnson said aspects were “objectively not true.” Trump, reacting to the speech in real time, posted on Truth Social, “He is so angry and crazy!” Alabama Senator Katie Britt questioned Biden’s knowledge of the real world in the GOP’s response to the State of the Union, saying, “Let’s be honest—it’s been a minute since Joe Biden pumped gas, ran carpool or pushed a grocery cart. Meanwhile, the rest of us see every day that our dollar doesn’t go as far.”

America’s reaction to President Biden’s speech was split. Many on the left felt the address was energetic and passionate, while many on the right felt it was objectively false and divisive. Everyone’s eyes, however, are now set on November. It is clear that our presumptive nominees, incumbent Joe Biden and Donald Trump, have vastly different ideas about what America is, how America is doing, and what America needs. Only time will tell while set of ideas will win Americans over this fall. In the meantime, we continue to pray that God’s will will be done. He is not done with our nation yet!

You can watch the president’s State of the Union address in full below:

What did you think of the State of the Union address? Join the conversation in the comments below!

(Nathan Tabler is IFA’s Communications Coordinator. Photo Credit: Shawn Thew – Pool/Getty Images)