As President Joe Biden continued mingling on the House floor after his State of the Union speech Thursday night, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) delivered the official Republican response, a stern but bizarrely delivered rebuttal that focused heavily on immigration and the economy.
The freshman senator is considered a rising star in the party. But her speech’s intense tone—with an over-the-top dramatic cadence that was delivered in a kitchen—left political operatives and observers struggling to make sense of it.
In particular, some Republicans watched the high-profile speech with a grimace. A GOP strategist told The Daily Beast that Britt’s performance quickly became a gossip item on Thursday night among Trump-linked operatives—something that could have potential implications for her consideration as a vice presidential pick for Donald Trump.
“Everyone’s fucking losing it,” this Republican said, requesting anonymity to discuss private conversations. “It’s one of our biggest disasters ever.”
The setting of the kitchen table—more so the kitchen than the table—for Britt’s speech also left some seasoned Republican strategists confused.
“Senator Katie Britt is a very impressive person. She ran a hell of race in [Alabama],” Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House communications adviser and Nikki Haley supporter posted on X. “I do not understand the decision to put her in a KITCHEN for one of the most important speeches she’s ever given.”
Olivia Perez-Cubas, the former spokesperson for Haley’s 2024 presidential bid, said in a post on X that while Britt “is incredibly impressive, unsure why she felt the need to deliver the SOTU response from a kitchen.”
Tim Miller, the former Jeb Bush aide turned ex-Republican, called the kitchen setting “creepy” and said it made former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s much-maligned response to Barack Obama in 2009 “look like the Finest Hour speech.”
Biden Brutally Goes After Trump During State of the Union—Just Not by Name
State of the Union responses from rising stars in the opposing party are notorious for generating awkward, unflattering moments that can follow a politician through an otherwise solid career. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is still remembered for awkwardly taking a sip of water during his response speech over a decade ago.
The GOP strategist likened Britt’s speech to Rubio’s water moment, only worse, saying she “lowered her stature.”
A Britt spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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