Speaker Johnson drops video with pointed message to Biden hours before State of the Union

FIRST ON FOX: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is putting out a prebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union address hours before the commander in chief heads to Capitol Hill.

Johnson released a new video Thursday morning, which runs for about a minute and a half, highlighting the crises that have plagued the U.S. through much of Biden’s time in the White House.

The House speaker also took a shot at Biden in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling for a “real leader” in the White House.

“The State of the Union address will offer the American people an opportunity to hear directly from the president – a rare occurrence during his tenure in office,” Johnson said.

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“In just three years, President Biden’s policies have rapidly accelerated American decline on every issue from the economy to national security and foreign policy. The American people don’t need empty words on a page for a reset. We need better policies and a real leader,” he added.

The video is a collection of news clips and sound bites that begins with Biden declaring that “the state of the union is strong.”

It then flits through anchors and pundits describing the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, both with the swell of asylum seekers straining state and local resources and the flow of illegal fentanyl that’s killing Americans daily.

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The video also covers Biden’s championing of “Bidenomics” despite the previous two years’ high inflation rates and rising prices at the grocery store, as well as China’s increased aggression against Taiwan and on the world stage.

It’s part of Republicans’ counterprogramming efforts against Biden’s big Thursday night speech before a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. ET.

Johnson announced on Wednesday that Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, will deliver the Spanish-language rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union. It comes as the GOP eyes significant gains among Hispanic and Latino voters.

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“As the first Latina and first Republican to represent her district, Congresswoman De La Cruz’s journey to Congress is nothing short of inspirational and encapsulates the very essence of what it means to live the American dream. Sadly, that dream is slipping away after three years of an open border, runaway inflation and a nation inviting aggression and projecting weakness on the world stage,” Johnson said.

The formal rebuttal will be given by freshman Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.