Bluff or deliberate outburst? Joe Biden berated a reporter yesterday Monday as a crowd of members of the press were leaving after an event at the White House.
When a reporter from the conservative-leaning Fox News television network shouted at him amid the bluster the question of whether he thinks rising inflation is a disadvantage in this election year, the US president, still seated at the table, sarcastically replied "it's a big advantage. More inflation." Before adding, without it being clear whether he realized his microphone was still on: "What a stupid son of a bitch" ("What a stupid son of a bitch.")
The expletive was included in the official transcript of the event transcript by White House officials.
The digression is a sign of the growing nervousness of the 79-year-old Democrat, who has anemic popularity and is struggling to inject new momentum into his presidency.
Inflation in the US, at a level unprecedented in the last 40 years, is hitting Americans ten months before the midterm elections, which are heralded as difficult and complicated for Democrats.
Traditionally good-natured
Yesterday's exchange, moreover, represents, if anything, a break with the traditionally good-natured tone the president promised when he took office to reconcile Americans and generally tries to avoid the rhetorical excesses of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Joe Biden immediately came under verbal fire in droves from the Republican camp.
"How presidential," commented the very conservative Congressman Josh Holly sarcastically, while his colleagues ironically echoed admonitions Joe Biden had made in the past to show moderation and restraint.
Known for the introspective tone of his questions, the reporter who provoked the presidential ire, Peter Ducey, treated the incident rather humorously.
"No one was fact-checking his statement," he said dryly on the network's airwaves a few minutes later.
Last week, after a lengthy press conference during which he promised to get out more to meet Americans, Joe Biden had let his irritation show by muttering "what a stupid question" when another Fox News reporter asked him if he expected Vladimir Putin to make the first move in Ukraine.
Joe Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, had made attacks on the media almost a habit at his campaign rallies and press conferences, much to the delight of some of his supporters. After a tense exchange with the tempestuous tycoon, a CNN reporter had seen his White House accreditation revoked for a time.
Joe Biden's repeated gaffes, faux pas, especially during the campaign, had raised doubts about his mental form. Yet most of his voters seem to forgive him the gaffes, judging them sympathetic or genuine, accusing the media of over-promoting them, creating polemics for no reason."
Source: APM
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