After the speech, the deluge — of punditry, as it were.
Instant hot takes about President Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday split along mostly partisan lines on cable news, with Mr. Biden’s on-air sympathizers praising his forceful delivery, while his usual critics suggest he faces deeply agitated and angry times. anger
Here’s a sampling of commentary from CNN, Fox News and MSNBC:
CNN
Dana Bash, chief political correspondent: “They wanted him to be a fighter, and, boy, he delivered a fight.”
John King, chief national correspondent: “He came out punching and came out swinging right from the start.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, political commentator: “Joe Biden really had to show up and not fall over on the dais tonight. And he massively outperformed, just objectively. There were some stumbles, there were some coughs, and he was prone to some kind of stuttering. But he showed strength. He showed he has the ability to achieve a long speech.”
Van Jones, political commentator: “I thought that was a remarkable, fiery, powerful, energetic person. And I think it gives people a lot of confidence that this person can go far.”
Fox News
Brit Hume, chief political analyst: “There was a lot of stumbling and slurring of words and everything else that we came to associate with him. I don’t think he got out from under that. I’m not sure if someone sitting at home tonight looking at the man would think he was anything but an angry old man. I’m not sure this is the kind of energy the public wants to see at a time like this in this country.”
Dana Perino, anchor: “I think it’s a polarizing, divisive speech, and it’s meant to be.”
Harold Ford Jr., co-host, “The Five”: “He brought a lot of energy, a lot of energy.”
Sean Hannity, host: “He spent the night yelling, slurring his speech, and clearly overcompensating from the normal everyday Joe who could barely string two sentences together. … Tonight, America saw, shall we say, a very different that Joe Biden. I might call him ‘Jacked-Up Joe.’ ”
MSNBC
Nicolle Wallace, host: “This is hisHow about Dem Apples‘ speech. … Everyone knows it’s a great speech. And everyone knows that if this is the message going into the next eight months, the polls will reflect that and it will be a real fight.
Chris Hayes, host: “It transcended my expectations. I didn’t think it would be as aggressive, as sharp.”
Joy-Ann Reid, host: “I thought the speech was very ‘high caffeine.’ I think Joe Biden woke up this morning, drank a cup of coffee, and had his Wheaties. He’s definitely there to fight.”
Lawrence O’Donnell, host: “I’ve never brought so much energy at 10 o’clock at night.”
