Happy Friday! Super Tuesday and the State of the Union being in the same week was … a lot. Here’s a recap:

• You’d think you were watching a campaign rally last night during President Biden’s State of the Union address. He slammed former President Trump more than a dozen times, though not by name. He’s getting mostly positive reviews, fwiw.
• Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was expelled from Congress in December, showed up at the address in a bedazzled shirt and announced that he will run for Congress again. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. Keep reading for the sights and sounds and more great tidbits.
• Former President Trump posted a roughly $91 million bond this morning while he appeals the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

After delivering his last State of the Union address before the 2024 presidential election, President Biden lingered on the House floor until after 11 p.m., chatting with lawmakers and taking selfies. He stayed for so long, in fact, that the House adjourned and even turned down the lights.

That’s because the 81-year-old president went out, guns blazing, to deliver a feisty address — and seized the opportunity to calm some of the fears that he is too old to serve a second term.

How did Biden handle Trump?: Biden did not reference former President Trump by name, but slammed “my predecessor” 13 times throughout his speech, according to The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Alex Gangitano.

Read more on how Biden’s State of the Union address sounded more like a campaign rally.

How did Biden handle the Israel-Hamas war?: That had been a major question heading into the address. Biden reiterated his administration’s announcement earlier Thursday that the U.S. military will build an offshore emergency pier in Gaza to help with humanitarian efforts. The ceasefire discussions have been difficult, though, and it’s unclear whether Biden’s comments will satisfy pressure from the left.

^ In fact: “Ceasefire” protests formed Thursday evening on the route between the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Video of the protest / another video

One of the biggest moments: Biden had an impromptu exchange with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) over immigration. 📹 Watch the clip

Five takeaways from Biden’s address

Five memorable moments

Well, well, well. Look who it is: Ousted Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) made a surprise appearance at the address, wearing a bedazzled shirt. (Despite being expelled in December, Santos retains privileges to access the House floor.) Another surprise!: During the speech, Santos posted an announcement that he will run for Congress again. Yes, really.

📸 Santos in his bedazzled shirt

📹 Watch Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) walk by Santos

Journalist Matt Laslo got a compliment from Harris: “Like that haircut,” Harris said to Laslo. 📹 Watch the interaction

Not every seat is glamorous: Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) posted a photo of his seat for the address. “Note to self: get a seat earlier,” he captioned the photo.

Wow, this is pretty interesting stat: C-SPAN’s Jeremy Art pointed out that Vice President Harris has sat next to a different House Speaker for the past three State of the Union addresses. 👀 Side-by-side photos

Three Vermont senators in one place!: Sen. Peter Welch (D) posted a photo standing with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D).

It was fun to play ‘who’s missing from this photo?’: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland posted a selfie with a group of Cabinet secretaries. Every year, a Cabinet member is chosen to skip the address and stay in an undisclosed location as the designated survivor. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona was chosen this year. 📸 The Cabinet member selfie

Glamorous: Here’s a photo of a group of Capitol Hill staffers camped out on the floor of the crypt watching the speech.

Bob! Bobby!: Biden gave Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) a shoutout, calling him “Bobby.” Casey posted that he’s “considering a new logo” with the name Bobby.

How cute: Bloomberg’s Akayla Gardner posted a photo of White House staff and others gathered on the balcony for Biden’s State of the Union send-off.

The DC ~red carpet~: The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch posted a video of congressional leaders walking into the chamber.

Lol: Insider’s Bryan Metzger pointed out that “George Santos, Matt Gaetz, and Tim Burchett are all seated beside one another, with Burchett on the aisle. ‘Sinners row,’ Burchett quips.”

Interesting tidbit — Biden never said ‘abortion’: The Hill’s Brooke Migdon noticed that Biden avoided saying the word “abortion” even though he planned to say it. Read what he said vs. what he was expected to say

Meme time!: @WashProbs posted a photo of Biden’s reaction when entering the House chamber. “Caption this (DC edition).” The very meme-able photo

This had me laughing out loud: Check out second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s reaction to spotting his wife on the House floor.

I mean, it was late: New York Rep. Jerry Nadler was spotted taking a little snooze last night. His response?: “For those who are asking: I was endlessly scrolling through all of President Biden’s accomplishments.”

Biden’s speech got mostly good reviews: A CNN flash poll found that more than 6 in 10 Americans who watched the speech had a positive response. Keep in mind: This poll was conducted among speech watchers, not the overall electorate. (The Hill)

Johnson didn’t have a poker face: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) grimaced and shook his head through the speech. Johnson called the speech “overly partisan.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit back at Johnson, calling his criticism “literally false.” Buttigieg’s full reaction

Romney slammed Biden: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized Biden for taking “cheap shots” against Republicans when discussing domestic policy. “When he got into domestic policy, I’m afraid it was the same old liberal playbook, at least that’s the way I saw it,” Romney said. 📹 Watch Romney’s response

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a rising star in the Republican Party, was selected by Republicans to deliver their party’s rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union address. She delivered her remarks live from her kitchen table, slamming Biden’s record on the border, crime, the economy and on foreign affairs. (The Hill)

However…: Her speech received mixed reviews. Some questioned the setting and her style of delivery. Former Trump White House aide and current CNN pundit Alyssa Farah Griffin called the staging in Britt’s kitchen “bizarre.” Explainer from The Hill’s Al Weaver

💻 Watch Sen. Britt’s response video

Media journalist Brian Stelter posted, “Who media-trained and coached Sen. Katie Britt?”

Stelter also pointed out: “Last night was the most-watched speech of [Britt’s] life. Normally a moment to celebrate. But this morning there are zero video clips of the speech on her X feed. Zero … I sort of know the feeling; I’ve had TV live shots that have gone haywire, and I kept those clips off my social media accounts. Britt’s team apparently came up with a different solution … Britt and the @SenateGOP are posting *graphics* with key quotes from the speech instead of the video clips.”  The graphics

OK, this did make me laugh: @BeshearStan added “Twilight Zone” music to a clip of her remarks. Watch

“An internal Senate Republican war over earmarks in the government funding package is creating a new threat of a government shutdown Saturday, and it threatens to spill over into the race to replace outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

Read Alexander Bolton’s explainer in The Hill

Former President Trump posted a roughly $91 million bond this morning while he appeals the verdict in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit.

Keep in mind: “Trump had aimed to delay posting the bond or reduce the amount as he seeks a new trial and otherwise continues fighting the recent verdict. But after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected Trump’s latest request to delay a Monday deadline, the former president on Friday formally filed his appeal and posted the full $91.63 million bond.” (The Hill)

🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Peanut Cluster Day!

👩  Who run the world? GIRLS!: Today is also International Women’s Day!

📺 Peep the TV anchors: C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman posted a video of television anchors and media personalities leaving the White House after an off-the-record lunch with President Biden. 📹 Watch

🎵 Or they’re just singing the Ke$ha song … ?: A reporter asked Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) if she has a comment after her Senate retirement announcement. A staffer responds, “blah blah blah blah blah” and Sinema laughs. Watch the interaction

The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is en route to Arizona. (all times Eastern)

• 12:20 p.m.: Harris left for Phoenix.
• 1:40 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden leave for Philadelphia.
• 5 p.m.: The Bidens speak at a campaign event in the Philadelphia area.
• 6:25 p.m.: Harris delivers remarks in Phoenix on reproductive freedom. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also participates.
• 8 p.m.: The Bidens arrive in New Castle, Del.
• 10:05 p.m.: Harris lands in Los Angeles.

Because you made it this far, here’s a monkey chomping on a snack.