Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California, was one of First Lady Jill Biden's guests for the State of the Union address on Thursday—and now a photo of the two women at the event has gone viral.
According to the White House, the guests in the first lady's box in the House Chamber were chosen "because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration's policies at work for the American people."
Journalist Shriver, the ex-wife of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, founded the Women's Alzheimer's Movement and she also assisted in announcing a White House initiative to boost women's health research.
Shriver took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a photo of herself with the first lady—and at the time of writing, the post had been viewed 414,900 times.
I’m so honored to be a guest of @flotus for tonight’s State of the Union. I will be sitting in the first lady’s box in the House Chamber, along with 19 other amazing guests. I’m excited to hear about the state of this nation and where @potus sees us moving forward. I hope you’ll… pic.twitter.com/8cyZjFpbaP
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) March 8, 2024
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Shriver and Jill Biden for comment Friday.
"I'm so honored to be a guest of @flotus for tonight's State of the Union. I will be sitting in the first lady's box in the House Chamber, along with 19 other amazing guests," Shriver wrote in the photo's caption.
"I'm excited to hear about the state of this nation and where @potus sees us moving forward. I hope you'll be tuning in as well! #StateOfTheUnion."
Her post proved to be divisive, with people taking to the comments to share their thoughts, with many showing their support for Shriver and Jill Biden.
"Two of the best examples of women who always, always lead in the best possible way! Bravo to both of you phenomenal women!!!!" one person commented.
"Two wonderful gorgeous Ladies on a Movement to change Women's Lives !! I'm hoping to watch tonight's #StateOfTheUnion but don't have TV but need to find on a livestream that hopefully is free. Wishing our @POTUS lots of Good Luck tonight ! Hoping everyone is watching !" said another.
A third added: "I liked your sincere support of the women next to you. The warmth came through."
However, others slammed Biden's speech and sharing their thoughts on the state of America.
Two of the best examples of women who always, always lead in the best possible way! Bravo to both of you phenomenal women!!!!
— Wyler Smith (@WSSmith_wsg) March 8, 2024
"It sucks for everyday Americans. The rich like you could care less," a different X user wrote.
"It's terrible for regular people, nobody expects you rich commies to get it," someone else commented.
"Not sure if you know but that's not a flex. Says alot about your character," said another.
In one part of Joe Biden's speech before Congress on Thursday, he said he was going to help transform women's health research.
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"Women are more than half of our population but research on women's health has always been underfunded. That's why we're launching the first-ever White House Initiative on Women's Health Research, led by Jill who is doing an incredible job as First Lady," he explained.
"Pass my plan for $12 Billion to transform women's health research and benefit millions of lives across America."
In response to the president's speech, Shriver posted to X: "@POTUS tonight made history! He rocked women's health research in a powerful transformative way. I thank him and @FLOTUS for listening and acting to level the playing field for women of all ages. We are going to find the research! We are going to get the facts! We are going to help all women kind. This is our moon shot... let's go! #StateOfTheUnion."
Joe Biden's address comes as he seeks to make his reelection case to the American people. He appears poised to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, setting up a likely rematch against former President Donald Trump in November. Republicans, meanwhile, have used the address to draw attention to what they see as errors in the administration's foreign and economic policy.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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