’I will not bow down’: US President Joe Biden tells Russia’s Vladimir Putin at State of the Union address 2024

US President Joe Biden on Friday morning (IST) delivered his third State of the Union address as he faced an array of challenges such as stressed US economy, handling of the Isarel-Hamas war, and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The US President began his speech with a fiery attack on his "dangerous" November presidential election rival Donald Trump, warning that US democracy is under "assault."

In the dramatic start to the speech, Biden said he wanted to "wake up the Congress and alert the American people" to the danger.

Biden said "freedom and democracy" were "under assault."

He called for aid for Ukraine. Biden has been urging to pass more military aid to support Ukraine amid war with Russia. 

Biden vowed he will not "bow down" to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, fiercely criticizing Trump from the first moments of his State of the Union address.

"My predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, 'Do whatever the hell you want,'" Biden told the joint session.

"I will not bow down," Biden said. "In a literal sense, history is watching."

Biden said, “If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not”.

Biden reiterated that Ukraine is asking for military assistance and weapons to help fight back against Russia, not US personnel.

Further, pointing to the post-pandemic recovery, Biden touted the strength of the US economy, saying it is the "envy of the world".

"Folks, I inherited an economy that was on the brink," Biden added, "Now our economy is literally the envy of the world. Fifteen million new jobs in just three years -- a record. Unemployment at 50-year lows".

On abortion, the president said efforts to restrict abortion were an “assault on freedom,” and he derided the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, with three members of the Supreme Court who were in the majority in that decision, seated just feet away.

On Israel-Hamas war, Biden announced plans for the U.S. military to help establish a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza, an effort that the administration says should significantly boost the flow of aid into the besieged territory.

The speech was the final one of his term as the US gears up for the Presidential election in November this year. It's a high-stakes momentfor the US President as he looks to convince voters to give him a second term in the White House.

Meawhile, Biden team said that it raised $1 million today. According to a post on X by Deputy Campaign Manager Rob Flaherty, “We’ve already raised $1 million online today and POTUS is still an hour away from hitting stage! Our million+ person grassroots donor community (a third of whom new to the campaign since ‘20!) is strong and getting stronger!”