House Republicans sharpen their knives ahead of Biden's State of the Union, say they expect ‘more gaslighting’

House Republicans are sharpening their attacks against President Biden ahead of his primetime State of the Union address.

House GOP leaders arranged a counter-programming offensive for Biden’s big speech on Thursday, lining up rank-and-file lawmakers at a "media row" event where they promoted a message of Republican unity against the Democratic White House.

Members wore buttons that said "Stop the Biden border crisis" while speaking to outlets, including Fox News Digital, in a cavernous meeting room dotted with posters that pointed out "over 8.7 million illegal crossings nationwide" occurred since Biden became president. Others accused Biden of not being "mentally fit" to be commander-in-chief.

When asked about their expectations for the speech, one phrase escaped lawmakers’ lips more than the rest — "gaslighting."

"I think it's going to be ‘Gaslighting of the Union.’ He's going to tell America how rosy everything is, that the economy is great, the border’s secure, as if Americans are idiots. And I find that quite insulting," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital.

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GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, said, "I think he'll try to — I don't know the best term, I think the kids nowadays are using ‘gaslight’ — he's going to try to make it seem like it's House Republicans’ fault that the border is not fixed. And we've seen the worst outcomes that we've ever seen at the border under his three years."

The ongoing border crisis as well as Americans’ poor perceptions of the economy were the two main attack lines lawmakers discussed, arguing that Biden’s public dedication to fixing both has resulted in