Senator Tommy Tuberville praised fellow Republican Katie Britt for playing the role of a "housewife" after she delivered the GOP response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday.
"You've got to remember that she was given the role of a mom, given the mom approach, you know, the housewife. I thought she did good. I mean, what else are you going to do? She talked about, you know, family and the direction that she would like to see the country go, and I thought she did good," Tuberville of Alabama told Newsweek on Friday.
Newsweek reached out to Britt's office for comment via email.
The Context
Senator Britt, also an Alabama Republican, delivered her party's rebuttal to Biden's fiery address on Thursday, criticizing the president on issues including immigration and the economy.
However, her delivery of the speech drew backlash, with critics comparing it to a Saturday Night Live skit or the dystopian television show The Handmaid's Tale.
What We Know
Tuberville defended Britt's speech in remarks to Newsweek and also weighed in on whether Britt cleared up concerns about issues surrounding access to in vitro fertilization treatments.
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos created during IVF have the same rights as children under the law, sparking concerns about access to IVF treatment.
"That's totally false what Democrats are pushing. You know, the Supreme Court jumped in to help out a disaster when somebody dropped some of those embryos," he said. "But the Statehouse jumped in, and they did a clarification, passed a law, and Governor [Kay] Ivey's already signed it. We're all for IVF."
Alabama lawmakers passed a bill protecting IVF treatments on Wednesday.
Views
Britt's speech has sparked a wave of reactions on social media.
"Senator Katie Britt is a very impressive person. She ran a hell of race in AL. I do not understand the decision to put her in a *KITCHEN* for one of the most important speeches she's ever given," Alyssa Farah Griffin, a co-host on The View and a former Trump White House aide, wrote on X.
"Katie Britt is exactly the right pick for the response, but this is hard to watch. She's acting instead of just speaking," wrote conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey.
"I 've watched thousands of hours of political videos in the past 20 years and I have never seen anything like Senator Katie Britt's rebuttal to the State of the Union," journalist Yashar Ali wrote.
What's Next
Britt has not responded to the criticism surrounding her speech.
Meanwhile, Biden's State of the Union address has been met with praise from Democrats, who cheered him on for tackling key issues such as the economy and immigration ahead of the 2024 election.
Republicans, however, have described his speech as angry and divisive.
Update 3/8/24, 1:51 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 2/8/24 2:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
