Who Is Republican Senator Katie Britt?

After President Joe Biden gave his 2024 State of the Union address, Senator Katie Britt gave a rebuttal speech — which drew comparisons to Hallmark movies for all the wrong reasons. Some Americans may have never heard of Britt before her over-acted speech went viral. As Alabama's junior senator, she's the youngest female senator in the Republican party and the first female senator for her state.

She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022. Before that, Britt worked closely with former Alabama Senator Richard Shelby. After being a press secretary for Shelby, Britt became an attorney. Many years later, she worked with Shelby once more. Following some time as Shelby's chief of staff, Britt ran for the Senate. When Britt was elected, she took Shelby's seat.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Britt in 2022 — after endorsing her opponent in the Republican primary first. Trump switched it up when polling showed Britt was winning. She has since endorsed Trump in the 2024 election.

Katie Britt's official website includes a biography that provides brief information on some of the causes she's passionate about. One section reads, "Most recently, Katie worked to grow good-paying jobs and opportunity for all Alabamians while standing up for small and rural businesses — a passion first instilled by her parents, both small business owners in her native Wiregrass." The biography also states that "faith and family" are very important to Katie. Her husband is Wesley Britt, who is currently a state lobbyist but was previously a player on the New England Patriots. They share two children. 

In a photo shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) after her State of the Union rebuttal speech, Katie posed with her husband and children at their kitchen table — the very same table where she'd sat for the speech. Katie captioned the picture, "To the American people: Our future starts around kitchen tables just like this. With moms and dads just like you."

To the American people: Our future starts around kitchen tables just like this. With moms and dads just like you. pic.twitter.com/3lEUPCsmYB

— Katie Britt (@KatieBrittforAL) March 8, 2024

Katie seemed happy with the decision to shoot the speech there. However, Alyssa Farah Griffin, who used to work for Donald Trump and said on "The View" that she's scared of him, criticized Katie's speech specifically because of where it took place.

Although Alyssa Farah Griffin liked what Katie Britt said in her rebuttal, she said during a CNN interview it was "bizarre" that it was shot in Britt's kitchen. "Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen," Griffin said, "so to put her in a kitchen, not in front of a podium or in the Senate chamber where she was elected after running a hard-fought race, I think fell very flat and was confusing to some women watching it."

It's likely that Britt wanted to be in a kitchen instead of a more formal setting due to what she said in her speech about President Joe Biden losing his relatability. At one point, Britt said, "Let's be honest — it's been a minute since Joe Biden pumped gas, ran carpool, or pushed a grocery cart. Meanwhile, the rest of us see every day that our dollar doesn't go as far" (via PBS). 

Something else that Britt mentioned in her speech and on her website's biography was "the American Dream." Protecting that ideal is something she hopes to do, because she claimed in her rebuttal it's become "a nightmare for so many families." However, Britt's awkward speech has many people focusing less on what she said and more on how she delivered it, and it's unclear how that will affect her career long-term.