Getty Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) stands on stage in an empty Mellon Auditorium while addressing the Republican National Convention.
President Joe Biden is giving his first address to a joint session of Congress today, and the Republicans will respond to his speech with a message from Sen. Tim Scott. (Biden’s speech is commonly referred to as the State of the Union, but in a President’s first year it is simply referred to as a speech to Congress.) What time does Scott’s GOP response to Biden’s speech begin?
Expect Scott’s Speech To Begin Around 10 PM Eastern, Possibly Later
Although there’s not a specific time that Scott’s speech will begin, it will start shortly after Biden’s speech finishes. Biden’s speech is slated to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern tonight. Biden isn’t typically known for giving long speeches like former President Donald Trump did, so it would be best to start tuning in for Scott’s speech around 10 p.m. Eastern, possibly earlier. However, there is also a chance that Biden’s speech will go longer, so Scott’s speech might not even start until closer to 10:30 p.m. Eastern or a little later. Most TV stations have two hours set aside to cover both Biden’s speech and the GOP response.
Trump’s State of the Union speech last year was 78 minutes long. In 2019, his SOTU speech was about 90 minutes long, which is about how long he spoke during his rallies. However, Bill Clinton’s 2000 address was one hour and 28 minutes in length, so long SOTU speeches definitely aren’t just a fixture of the Republican party.
Scott’s speech will likely begin sometime between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Eastern, but it could start sooner or later than that. If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, then tune in before 10 p.m. Eastern, but be prepared to wait until 10:30 p.m. or even later for the response to start.
How to Watch the Republicans’ Response
You should be able to watch the Republicans’ response on any major cable network. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and C-SPAN will likely be airing not just Biden’s speech, but the Republicans’ response too. The response will also be live-streamed, which you can watch in the video below.
CNN reported that when it was announced that Scott would be delivering the response, he said in a statement: “We face serious challenges on multiple fronts, but I am as confident as I have ever been in the promise and potential of America. I look forward to having an honest conversation with the American people and sharing Republicans’ optimistic vision for expanding opportunity and empowering working families.”
Scott has not been afraid in the past to call Biden out when he disagreed with him. When Biden said the infamous “he ain’t black” comment, CNN reported that Scott replied: “That is the most condescending and arrogant comment I’ve heard in a very long time.”
Scott said that more than 1 million African Americans had voted for Trump in the 2016 election, and that Trump had won 8% of the Black vote.
Biden’s statement was made during an interview on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne Tha God. He told Biden that he should come back for another interview and Biden responded, “Well, I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Scott said: “(Biden’s) saying to 1.3 million African Americans that you are not black? Who in the heck does he think he is?”
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