White House officials are thrilled by the off-script back and forth between President Joe Biden and Republicans.
“Couldn’t have written a better moment,” one official said.
More than the substantive back and forth, one official notes how it appeared to animate Biden in real time
“He gets energy from his audience,” the official said. It’s not a new view on how Biden operates — his advisers constantly talk about how he finds his energy from engaging with people
But to watch it happen during the speech, on the biggest prime-time stage of the year, was a moment White House officials are basking in right now.
Some background: The president was speaking about the national debt – a debt he said took “200 years to accumulate,” but was increased by 25% under the last administration.
“Those are the facts, check it out,” Biden said, as boos and chatter started in the chamber. “Check it out!” he continued over the ruckus.
Democrats cheered while Republicans quieted. But when the president accused some Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, the protests erupted again. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green appeared to stand and shout, “you lie.”
The White House has repeatedly accused Republicans of wanting to make cuts to Social Security and Medicare, but McCarthy explicitly said recently that those cuts were off the table.
The president said he was “glad to see” the reaction, adding, “I enjoy conversion.”