While only two of the four U.S. Senators still running for president sat in the House of Representatives chamber Tuesday night, the 2016 race for the White House loomed large over President Barack Obama’s eighth and final State of the Union address.
“For this final one, I’m going to try to make it shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa,” the commander-in-chief joked at the outset of his remarks.
But the remainder of Obama’s speech took on a scolding tone for a Republican field widely derided by Democrats as fear-mongering and race-roiling in the face of radical Islamic terror. Obama notably seized upon rhetoric from Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Ted Cruz and their campaign-trail mentions of World War III and carpet bombing.
“As we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands,” Obama said. “The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage.”
Perhaps no candidate was more indirectly rebuked by the president than Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Even South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, in the Republican response to Obama’s speech, alluded negatively to the billionaire real estate mogul.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said, echoing Obama’s earlier remarks that “our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention.”
Apart from her efforts to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Columbia statehouse’s grounds this summer, Haley also turned heads in December for her condemnation of Trump’s proposal to temporarily halt Muslims from entering the country – calling the idea “un-American.” That same day, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) also denounced Trump, saying his proposal is “not what this party stands for.”
Tuesday night marked Ryan’s first State of the Union address since his tumultuous ascent to the Speakership in October. Sitting beside Vice President Joe Biden in the chair formerly occupied by John Boehner, Ryan granted one of his rare public displays of support for the president to a line seemingly aimed at Trump’s call to halt incoming Muslim immigration.
“We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion,” Obama said, as Ryan applauded from behind. “This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong.”
Obama is set to visit Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday and Baton Rouge on Thursday as part of his traditional, post-State-of-the-Union visits to cities across America.
