Sen. Tim Scott: 5 things to know about this SC senator and 2024 presidential candidate
2. Delivered the Republican response to Biden's State of the Union in 2021
Scott gave the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress in 2021. While not officially a State of the Union address, the joint session marked Biden’s first opportunity to address the American people and their elected federal representatives since taking office. As is the case with State of the Union addresses, the opposing party recruits someone they view as a rising star and/or influential political figure to offer their own analysis of he current state of American politics.
In his remarks, Scott pushed back on the president’s assertion in his speech that “systemic racism” plagues contemporary American society. “America is not a racist country,” Scott proclaimed.
Additionally, Scott drew upon his personal life story when deriding the ongoing lockdowns that ensued during the COVID-19 pandemic as attacks on “every rung of the ladder that helped me up.” He lamented that “so many small businesses have gone under” and “for months, too many churches were shut down.”
In addition to criticizing policies and proposals embraced by Biden and the Democrats, Scott used his opportunity as a platform to share his faith. As he concluded his speech, he quoted from the worship song “The Blessing,” which was inspired by several passages in the Bible: “May the Lord bless you and keep you … make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May His presence go before you and behind you and beside you, in your weeping and your rejoicing.”
“He is for you. May His favor be upon our nation for a thousand generations and your family and your children and their children,” Scott continued.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]