Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders plans to excoriate "the radical left's America" in her response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, according to excerpts released ahead of the speech.
"Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country," Huckabee will say, according to the advance remarks.
"Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols … all while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is — your freedom of speech," she will continue. "That’s not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong."
Sanders took office last month and previously served as former President Donald Trump’s press secretary. Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, left the White House in 2019, and Trump then encouraged her to run for governor.
Being chosen to deliver the response to the president's State of the Union is considered both an honor and a risk, with some past attempts becoming famous flops.
Nevertheless, the task is often given to politicians seen as rising stars, including Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former Amb. Nikki Haley, who are both potential 2024 presidential candidates. Sanders — currently the country's youngest governor — has been mentioned by some as a potential vice presidential candidate.
Within hours of taking office, Sanders signed an executive order banning the term “Latinx” from official use in the state government. She also issued an order prohibiting Arkansas schools from teaching critical race theory.
“[T]he Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” Huckabee plans to say Tuesday night. “Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight."
