Republicans and Democrats agreed on one thing following the State of the Union rebuttal from Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.).
Words like “cringe,” “acting,” “creepy” and “fake” were some of the reactions from both sides of the aisle as the junior Republican senator gave an impassioned response to President Joe Biden’s address.
“I decided to go back and watch all of Katie Britt’s #SOTUResponse. I cannot believe it is real,” said Steve Deace, host of The Steve Deace Show is on the Blaze Media platform, on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s the worst and most cringe political performance I’ve ever seen that wasn’t a fictional portrayal. It’s parody come to life, albeit unintentional. I cannot believe it is real.”
Andrew Weissmann, MSNBC legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, reacted, “I don’t think Katie Britt is going to get the lead in the school play this year.”
Britt, the youngest Republican ever elected to the Senate, gave her rebuttal from her kitchen and displayed a range of emotions.
Britt spoke about Biden’s economic and border policies, Newsweek reported.
“Biden proudly proclaims that ‘Bidenomics is working,'” she said at one point. “Goodness, y’all. Bless his heart. We know better.”
Some tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Allie Beth Stuckey, a popular conservative podcaster, thought Britt was a good choice for giving the rebuttal. But she had a change of heart after seeing her speech.
“Katie Britt is exactly the right pick for the response, but this is hard to watch. She’s acting instead of just speaking,” Stuckey wrote on X.
Stuckey’s opinion of the speech softened in later messages, though, and she followed up by writing that in “Britt’s defense, this kind of speech is very hard to do for people who aren’t used to doing it.”
“What the hell am I watching right now?” a Trump adviser asked, according to Rolling Stones. “Creepy” was one response from a Republican pollster.
Radio host Jesse Kelly wrote, “ Katie Britt has mastered the ultimate weapon of dimes everywhere; the fake cry. That’s a seasoned pro right there.”
Many other responses came flooding into X:
But not everyone was critical.
“The speech from the freshman senator is a stark example of how Republicans continue to make immigration and border security their top election year issue,” Axios reported.
“America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are the cornerstones of a great nation,” Britt said.
While some took aim at Britt’s venue — her kitchen — Axios pointed out this was done on purpose.
“Britt used the speech from her home as a way to paint Biden as an out of touch career politician,” Axios reported.
This hit close to home when she talked about the fentanyl crisis in America.
“From fentanyl poisonings to horrific murders, there are empty chairs tonight at kitchen tables just like this one,” Britt said. “The American family needs to have a tough conversation. The truth is, we’re all worried about the future of our nation.”
“The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader,” Britt said.
Rolling Stone reported, “One Republican staffer described it to Business Insider as ‘giving high school freshman speech.’”
“She really thinks she’s killing it. But it’s comical, like SNL quality,” the person added.