Katie Britt, With Smiles and Menace, Delivers G.O.P. Response to Biden

Senator Katie Britt of Alabama criticized President Biden as ill-equipped to lead the country in a speech on Thursday that served as both a rebuke to his State of the Union address and an introduction to the nation by a politician many Republicans have seen as a rising young star.

“Our commander in chief is not in command,” Ms. Britt said in the Republican Party’s official response to Mr. Biden’s speech. “The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader.”

Ms. Britt, 42, delivered an uneven speech, toggling between a wide, often strained smile and a furrowed brow paired with a fierce glare as she delivered ominous warnings about illegal immigration.

She spoke from the kitchen table at her home in Montgomery, Ala., an unusual setting aimed at underscoring her argument that Mr. Biden represents a threat to prosperity for American families. But the backdrop seemed to confuse viewers on social media, where Ms. Britt was mocked by some for using a dramatic, breathy voice to deliver critiques of the president.

“Under his administration, families are worse off — our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure,” she said. “I just wish he understood what real families are facing around kitchen tables just like this one.”

Ms. Britt has been mentioned as a potential running mate for former President Donald J. Trump, who has all but locked up his third consecutive Republican nomination.