Trump set to respond to Biden’s State of the Union speech

Former President Trump will respond to President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, according to a person familiar with Trump’s plans, offering a rebuttal that is separate from the official GOP response.

Trump, who has already launched his 2024 White House bid, will offer his remarks to Biden as the two men prepare for a potential collision course next year.

The rebuttal by Trump will also come as Republicans have tapped Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former White House press secretary and someone seen as a reliable ally of the former president, to deliver the party’s official response to the speech. While Republican leadership has pointed to Sanders’s speech as a platform for the GOP’s “optimistic” vision, Trump will take the opportunity to further his campaign against Biden.

Biden, who has said he plans to run for reelection, has yet to officially announce a campaign. But he is likely to use the speech on Tuesday night as a launch pad for a campaign announcement in the next couple of weeks. 

Trump will have to counter a speech from the incumbent president that is expected to champion the Biden administration’s economic achievements, arguing Americans’ day-to-day lives are better since he took office.