US Elections | Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin to abortion rights, key takeaways from Joe Biden's State of the Union address

"I will not bow down," Biden said amid cheers from Democrats, in the run-up to the US elections.

Biden did not take Trump's name during the address and referred to him mostly as "my predecessor, a former Republican president."

Biden talked about a range of topics, including abortion rights, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war and the border crisis — for which he blamed the Republicans for not helping him to fix the issue.

The 81-year-old's election-year speech comes at a critical juncture as he seeks re-election, amid criticism from certain quarters of his own party for his management of Israel's aggression in Gaza, adding to the scepticism about his age and suitability for a second term.

"In my career, I've been told I was too young... and I've been told I'm too old. Whether young or old, I've always known what endures... My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy... To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbour. Now some other people my age see a different story: An American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That's not me," Reuters quoted Biden as saying.

As per reports, Biden was regularly heckled and booed by Republicans during the over an hour-long speech, but he responded with humour that mocked his opponents for everything from planning to cut billionaires' taxes to refusing to take climate change seriously.

In opinion polls, Trump, 77, has a narrow lead over Biden. However, the former US president is facing multiple criminal charges linked to his efforts to overturn his loss in the last elections.

During his speech, President Biden slammed the Opposition over abortion rights and said that those opposing have "no clue about the power of women in America."

While talking about the country's economic comeback, Biden asserted that "in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told."

"I inherited an economy that was on the brink... Now our economy is literally the envy of the world. Fifteen million new jobs in just — a record. Unemployment at 50-year lows," he added.

Ahead of the State of the Union address, Trump had accused the US president of "horrific devastation" during his three years in the White House, while mentioning the record numbers of migrants crossing the Mexican border.

However, Biden hit back at the Republicans on the issue and slammed them for refusing to pass a Bill that would have sharply increased controls.

"We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it. I'm ready to fix it. Send me the border bill now," he said amid criticism by Opposition leaders.