Controversy Over Female Lawmaker Choosing 'Kitchen' as Venue to Counter President's State of the Nation Address

"Inappropriate Venue for Speech" Flood of Criticism
Trump Defends, Saying "Differentiating from Biden"

The youngest female Republican senator is being ridiculed for the inappropriate location where she delivered her response speech to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

According to U.S. political media outlet Politico and others on the 8th (local time), Senator Katie Britt (42) sat in her home kitchen to deliver her response speech following President Biden's State of the Union address on the 7th.

Senator Katie Britt of the United States delivered a speech with her home kitchen as the background.
[Photo by Britt's YouTube channel video capture]

Senator Britt criticized President Biden's State of the Union address as a "performance by a professional politician," saying, "President Biden does not understand at all. He is out of touch with reality." She highlighted Biden's weakness as an elderly man engaged in professional politics and chose the kitchen as the speech location to emphasize her advantage as a rising young female politician who is closer to people's lives.

Britt is also mentioned as a potential running mate (vice presidential candidate) for the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, but this strategy is said to have been ineffective.

The British daily The Guardian reported, "While President Biden drew strong reactions with a fiery speech directly attacking the Republicans, Britt's 17-minute speech was not welcomed even within her party due to her unnatural tone and trembling voice that seemed like acting, and the kitchen as the speech location caused confusion."

Charlie Kirk, founder of the famous youth conservative group Turning Point USA and a fervent supporter of former President Trump, said, "I am sure Britt is a kind mom and person, but this speech was not what we needed," adding, "Biden just declared war on the American right wing, but Britt whispered 'Democrats don't understand' as if hosting a cooking show."

Alissa Farah Griffin, who served as White House Director of Strategic Communications during Trump's presidency but later turned anti-Trump, also said in an interview with CNN, "I cannot understand why Senator Britt chose the kitchen as the place for the most important speech of her life."

Former Director Griffin said, "(Choosing the kitchen) was strange. Women can be wives, mothers, and politicians, but placing her in the kitchen instead of the Senate chamber, where she entered through the podium and tough competition, was a complete failure," adding, "It was a very confusing situation for some women watching."

There were also voices defending Senator Britt. Former President Trump praised her, saying, "Senator Britt effectively differentiated herself from President Biden and showed good empathy on women's issues."

Senator Tommy Tuberville, also from Alabama like Britt, said, "As a mother with children, she wanted to approach it from a housewife's perspective," adding, "She will receive both praise and criticism, but I think she did well for our state."

Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina), who is close to former President Trump, also said, "Being attacked just because she gave a speech at the kitchen table shows how out of touch the left is," adding, "The point is that she sat where most families stay and tried to find out what life is like."

There is also a noticeable restraint in criticism, acknowledging that delivering a response speech to the president's State of the Union address is a difficult task. In the U.S., it is a tradition for the opposition party to deliver a rebuttal speech after the president's address, but it is so challenging that taking on this role is sometimes considered a "curse."

Senator Marco Rubio (Republican, Florida), who was mocked in 2013 for grabbing a water bottle and hurriedly drinking water during his live rebuttal speech to then-President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, joked that Senator Britt "at least did not drink water" during her speech.