Biden’s State of the Union Address Sparks Gaza Protests in D.C.

As President Joe Biden prepared for his pivotal 2024 State of the Union on Thursday, protestors demanding a ceasefire in Gaza gathered outside the White House and near the Capitol.

The protests forced Biden’s motorcade to take an alternate route from the White House to the Capitol, CNN reported. The pool traveling with the president said he took “the long way” to the Capitol, avoiding a large group of protesters just blocks away from the building. Demonstrators could be heard outside as reporters loaded up into vans to head to the Capitol.

Biden’s State of the Union address sparked protests not just in Washington, D.C., but across the country, with demonstrators blocking traffic in Boston and Los Angeles, according to Reuters. “We are here today because enough is enough,” Ahmad Abuznaid, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told the outlet.

The president is on track to be the Democratic nominee in November — but the results in Tuesday’s primaries indicate he has a growing political problem on his left. Biden has received harsh criticism from activist Democrats who are calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. This dissent has appeared in election results as a movement of Democratic voters have been casting ballots for “uncommitted,” as a way to register their disapproval of the president’s refusal to take a stronger stance toward Israel.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, in which 1,139 were killed and more than 200 were kidnapped, Israel has laid waste to Gaza with the Biden administration’s support. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, 2 million have been internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands are at imminent risk of famine, according to the United Nations.

As President Joe Biden prepared for his pivotal 2024 State of the Union on Thursday, protestors demanding a ceasefire in Gaza gathered outside the White House and near the Capitol.

The protests forced Biden’s motorcade to take an alternate route from the White House to the Capitol, CNN reported. The pool traveling with the president said he took “the long way” to the Capitol, avoiding a large group of protesters just blocks away from the building. Demonstrators could be heard outside as reporters loaded up into vans to head to the Capitol.

Biden’s State of the Union address sparked protests not just in Washington, D.C., but across the country, with demonstrators blocking traffic in Boston and Los Angeles, according to Reuters. “We are here today because enough is enough,” Ahmad Abuznaid, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told the outlet.

The president is on track to be the Democratic nominee in November — but the results in Tuesday’s primaries indicate he has a growing political problem on his left. Biden has received harsh criticism from activist Democrats who are calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. This dissent has appeared in election results as a movement of Democratic voters have been casting ballots for “uncommitted,” as a way to register their disapproval of the president’s refusal to take a stronger stance toward Israel.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, in which 1,139 were killed and more than 200 were kidnapped, Israel has laid waste to Gaza with the Biden administration’s support. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, 2 million have been internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands are at imminent risk of famine, according to the United Nations.