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State of the Union: Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers Republican response

Huckabee Sanders: Biden has been hijacked by woke mob

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the youngest governor in the US, has delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

Mrs Sanders, 40, took the oath of office four weeks ago as the 47th - and first female - governor of the southern state of Arkansas.

But she is best known for her tenure as press secretary to former President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019.

In her 10-minute formal rebuttal, she repeatedly criticised Mr Biden.

She highlighted his age - at 80 years old he is the oldest president in US history - and accused his administration of failing Americans since taking power two years ago.

"I heard tonight from President Biden," she said in the pre-recorded video address which was played shortly after Mr Biden spoke. "From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you."

She also took aim at "woke fantasies" and "a left-wing culture war".

"Americans want common sense from their leaders, but in Washington, the Biden administration is doubling down on crazy," Mrs Sanders said from Little Rock, the state capital of Arkansas.

"It's time for a change," she said towards the end of her speech. "A new generation of Republican leaders is stepping up… not to be caretakers of the status quo, but to be changemakers for the American people."

In an address that lasted more than an hour, President Biden celebrated positive recent job figures and falling inflation. He called for a divided Congress to unite in the speech, which has been widely viewed as a blueprint for a potential run for re-election in 2024.

Mrs Sanders is the youngest child of former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

During her White House tenure, Mrs Sanders and journalists frequently clashed, and she faced personal attacks over her looks from comedians.

The State of the Union has been delivered every year since 1790, except in presidential inauguration years, but the history of the opposition's response is far more brief.

The first response came in 1966, after Lyndon Johnson upgraded the annual address from a daytime event to a primetime slot. Guaranteed a much bigger audience than initially expected, Republicans seized the moment and established a new tradition.

The rebuttal is often delivered by young rising stars in the opposition party and frequently from outside of Washington.

Watch: Following the State of the Union speech is no easy task

Also delivering a response to President Biden's State of the Union, but in Spanish, was Juan Ciscomani, a newly elected lawmaker in the US House of Representatives from Arizona.

In his speech, Mr Ciscomani focused heavily on the economy and inflation, arguing that the Biden administration's results "speak for themselves".

"The American dream feels more unattainable," he said. "Sadly, President Biden fails to show leadership and present any viable solution."

As an example, Mr Ciscomani pointed to the "out of control" cost of living.

"The price of milk and bread continues to rise, and buying eggs is now a luxury," he added. "Gas prices are still too high, which impacts everything that we buy."

Mr Ciscomani, 40, was born in Mexico and is the first foreign-born American elected to Congress from his state.

He sits as part of the new Republican majority in the House, a change from Mr Biden's first State of the Union last year, which came under unified Democratic control of Washington.