President Joe Biden is known for his folksy rhetoric. His you betchas and c’mon pals, his look busters and geez mans have long been a part of his political appeal, punctuating his speech like it does that of so many other American grandpas. Such 1950s Scranton–inflected grace notes are no small part of why many Democrats refer to him as “Grandpa Joe”—or, unfortunate predecessors aside, “Uncle Joe.”
Tuesday night’s State of the Union address was positively overflowing with such Bidenisms, in both the president’s prepared remarks and his ad-libs. We’ve compiled some of our favorites from the State of the Union below.
“Cowboys of the sky.”
“Let’s finish the job.”
“As my football coach used to say, lots of luck in your senior year.”
“Billion-dollar companies have to pay 15 percent, God love ’em.”
“Look I’m a capitalist … the tax system is not fair.”
“Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber-optic cables.”
“Those are the facts: Check it out. Check it out!”
“We’re tired of being played for suckers.”
“Give me a break.”
“That was part of the deal guys, look it up!”
