memeorandum: “Smokin' Joe Biden”: Campaign builds on SOTU buzz (Mike Allen/Axios)

5:30 PM ET, March 9, 2024

Top Items:

How Trump Fumbled his Attack on Biden's Age — Donald Trump and the Republicans smelled blood. President Biden had recently been on the defensive about his age. A series of polls released over the weekend heightened Democratic concerns. The Republicans knew the press would treat …

Discussion: Mediaite

Mike Allen / Axios:

“Smokin' Joe Biden”: Campaign builds on SOTU buzz … - “Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump,” Biden says. … - By the end of this month, the campaign expects to surge from 100 staff members in the seven battlegrounds to 350+, with 100+ field offices, per the AP.

Discussion: USA Today, Nielsen, Twitchy, HuffPost, HotAir, The Hill, Associated Press, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Fox News and DNyuz, more at Mediagazer »

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Biden says he regrets referring to ‘an illegal’ during his State of the Union address — The president used the term to describe Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan who crossed the border into the U.S. and has been charged with the murder of Laken Riley. — President Joe Biden on Saturday told MSNBC …

New York Times:

The Biden-Trump Rerun: A Nation Craving Change Gets More of the Same — Americans love a candidate who promises something new. But when a sitting president runs against a former one, can either claim the mantle of change? — The promise of change has been a powerful force in presidential campaigns …

Discussion: CNN and The Daily Caller

Tara Suter / The Hill:

UAW president doubles down on support for Biden after State of the Union shoutout — United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain doubled down on his support for President Biden following a shout-out from the president in his State of the Union speech. — “Joe Biden has a history …

Discussion: MSNBC, Twitchy, MLive.com and Economic Hardship …

MSNBC:

EXCLUSIVE: Biden says he regrets calling migrant an ‘illegal’ during State of the Union speech — During an exclusive interview with Jonathan Capehart, President Biden says he regrets using the term “illegal” when referring to the alleged killer of Laken Riley during his State of the Union speech …

Discussion: Breitbart and PBS NewsHour

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Early polling of Biden's State of the Union doesn't quite match the hype — Democrats would like to believe that President Biden changed the 2024 game with his State of the Union address Thursday night, demonstrating verve and combativeness amid concerns about his age and mental acuity.

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit, DOWNWITHTYRANNY!, Mock Paper Scissors and The Hill

Sophia Cai / Axios:
Inside Trump's TikTok flip-flop

Ross Douthat / New York Times: Why It's Hard to Explain Joe Biden's Unpopularity

The Hill:
Gingrich: Biden's most inspirational State of the Union moment was ‘when he left’

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Fox News

Nicholas Nehamas / New York Times:
New Biden Ad Pokes Fun at His Age: 'I'm Not a Young Guy. That's No Secret.'

Discussion: The Hill, Bloomberg, Digby's Hullabaloo, Florida Politics, New York Post, The Guardian, NBC News, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, CBS News, Blue Virginia, DNyuz, USA Today and Crooks and Liars

NBC News:
Trump hosts hard-line Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago

Filip Timotija / The Hill:
RFK Jr. slams Biden's State of the Union address as ‘hyper-partisan’

Discussion: Daily Kos, Erick Erickson's Show Notes and Fox News

Dan Rather / Steady:
President Biden Upends the GOP Narrative

Discussion: RedState, BizPac Review, New York Magazine, nationalinterest.org, The Bulwark, New York Times, Jacobin, Deadline, CNN, Fox News, New Republic, The Hill and The Guardian

Ron Filipkowski / MeidasTouch:
Trump Getting DESTROYED on Truth Social Over His Vaccine Post

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, New York Times, American Greatness and New York Magazine

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Katie Britt's false linkage of a sex-trafficking case to Joe Biden — The Fact Checker … — Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.), in the Republican response to the State of the Union address, March 7 — If you were watching Britt's speech on Thursday night, you likely would have thought …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Raw Story, al.com, DNyuz, Political Wire and Roll Call

Kevin Manahan / New Jersey Online:

Was Trump supporter Katie Britt caught in whopping lie about graphic sex trafficking story? — During her widely panned Republican response to the State of the Union Address on Thursday night, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama told a graphic sex-trafficking story about a woman who was sexually abused …

Discussion: Raw Story, DNyuz, Rolling Stone and Political Wire

Ken Bensinger / New York Times:

Questions Arise About Britt's State of the Union Response — The Alabama senator used a story about sex trafficking to criticize the Biden administration's border policies. But it wasn't fully accurate. — In her rebuttal to President Biden's State of the Union speech Thursday night …

Discussion: MeidasTouch, Mediaite, DNyuz, NPR, New York Magazine and PolitiFact

Rebecca Picciotto / CNBC:

Biden rebutter Sen. Britt blasted for recycling 20-year-old sex traffic story to attack border policy — In her rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama used what appears to be a sex trafficking victim's experience from the early 2000s to condemn President Joe Biden's current border policy.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and The Guardian

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Biden said Republicans oppose women's rights — Katie Britt's “tradwife” response proved him right

Discussion: Slate, al.com, New York Magazine and Washington Post

Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:

Inside A Secret Society Of Prominent Right-Wing Christian Men Prepping For A ‘National Divorce’ — A trove of documents obtained by TPM reveal the society's inner workings. — A secret, men-only right-wing society with members in influential positions around the country is on a crusade …

Bloomberg.com:

Pope Francis Says Ukraine Should Negotiate End of War With Russia — Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks.

Discussion: New York Times, vaticannews.va and Associated Press

Philip Pullella / Reuters:
Pope says Ukraine should have ‘courage of the white flag’ of negotiations

Discussion: The Daily Beast and The Daily Caller

Lori Rozsa / Washington Post:

DeSantis faces pushback in Florida as voters tire of war on woke — Conservative lawmakers rejected a host of new culture wars proposals in the legislature — The bill banning rainbow flags from public buildings in Florida sounded like a sure bet. — State Rep. David Borrero (R) …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Sun-Sentinel

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Robert De Niro Goes Off on ‘Total Monster’ Trump and His Fans In Epic Rant on Bill Maher — Calls Him Every Name In The Book — Acting legend Robert De Niro went on a blistering rant about former President Donald Trump and his supporters, sounding the alarm on a new Trump term and calling him a string of derogatory names.