Former President Donald Trump plans to livestream his critiques of Democratic President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee after former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley exited the GOP race on Wednesday, took to social media a few hours later to unveil his plans for Biden's speech.
Context
Trump is heading toward a rematch with Biden in November after both presidential candidates nearly swept their parties' Super Tuesday primary contests. Trump's defeat of Haley in 14 out of the 15 states on Tuesday, with the former president only losing in Vermont, allows his campaign to march closer to the 1,215 delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination.
Biden, who won in all 15 states holding Democratic contests, became the first incumbent president in decades to lose a primary race when he was defeated in the U.S. territory of American Samoa.
What We Know
Biden is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union before a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol at 9 p.m. Thursday. Trump said he plans to offer live analysis of the speech.
"I am pleased to inform you that tomorrow night we will be doing a LIVE, Play by Play, of Crooked Joe Biden's State of the Union Address," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. "I will correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate Statements, especially pertaining to the Border and his Weaponization of the DOJ, FBI, A.G.s, and District Attorneys, to go after his Political Opponent, ME (something never done before in this Country!). We did this once before to tremendous success - Beating All Records. It is important for the Country to get the TRUTH!"
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek that the former president plans to be live on Truth Social.
Last year, the MAGA leader also livestreamed a play-by-play review of his Democratic rival's address.
Newsweek reached out via email on Wednesday night to Biden's representatives for comment.
Views
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Biden discussed his coming address and urged Americans to tune in.
"The State of the Union isn't just a speech—it's my report to you, the American people, the president said in one of the X posts on Wednesday evening. "You hired me to get the job done, build an economy that works for working people, and make life better for families. Tomorrow, I'll update you on our progress and lay out the path ahead."
Shortly after announcing his State of the Union counterprogramming plans on Truth Social, Trump demanded in another post that Biden face him on the debate stage.
"It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People," Trump posted. "Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). I look forward to receiving a response. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
What's Next?
The State of the Union, which starts at 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, will be live on all major networks. The annual address will also be streamed online by the White House.
Trump's live analysis will be live on Truth Social at the same time.
Update 03/06/24, 5:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more
