Last night, President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union Address and Republicans felt it appropriate to disrupt his speech and heckle him. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) interrupted the president mid-sentence to remind him of the death of college student Laken Riley. Several other GOP lawmakers told Biden to “say her name” or yelled “H.R. 2,” the title of their proposal that would create stronger protections at the Southern border.
Earlier in the speech, when Biden criticized Donald Trump’s record, one House Republican in the very back shouted: “Lies.” In the second half of the speech, Greene continued her heckling and yelled out “Tell Hunter to pay his taxes,” in reference to Biden’s son. Greene’s colleagues could be seen trying to shush her, but she refused to stop. Many Republicans left the speech early.
Biden did not back down from Greene, and he held up the pin she had given him earlier that read “Say her name: Laken Riley.” He paused his address to the nation to say Riley’s name, putting Greene to shame. He called her bluff and made her look like the clown she is. Biden’s reaction quickly went viral on the internet, with countless memes being made on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that Biden “cooked” Greene.
I cannot think of something more disrespectful than interrupting the President of the United States while he is trying to give a speech, a speech broadcast live to the entire country. They may not agree with Biden’s administration, but they are members of Congress and should act accordingly. Greene should feel embarrassed for her rude, unprofessional behavior, but she consciously planned this. Greene even said that heckling is “completely appropriate.”
Despite Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pleading for those in attendance to uphold decorum during the address, Greene said she would “decide in the moment” when asked if she was going to heckle Biden. “My district was fine with me calling him a liar last year,” Greene added. This was planned, and she feels absolutely no remorse for yelling over Biden. If you are going to cause a massive disruption during an event widely watched by Americans, you should not be allowed to attend at all. At the very least, she should face consequences and be reprimanded by her party for her awful behavior and complete ignorance of Speaker Johnson’s request.
