In yet another awkward, embarrassing moment for the elderly president, President Joe Biden was asked, during his press conference on the Middle East, about former President Donald Trump’s conviction by the Manhattan jury. Particularly, the reporter wanted to know if the former president is a “political prisoner.” President Biden, instead of answering, turned away from the podium, walked away, and then, a moment later, turned and smiled in an odd way for nearly ten seconds.
As background, former President Trump called himself a “political prisoner” on a fundraising page that went live after the conviction. In it, he said, “I was just convicted in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial: I DID NOTHING WRONG! They’ve raided my home, arrested me, took my mugshot, AND NOW THEY’VE JUST CONVICTED ME!”
Trump has also pinned his legal troubles on the Biden Administration, saying, for example, in a post-conviction presser that the legal troubles he faces were “all done by Biden and his people. Maybe his people more importantly, I don’t know if Biden knows too much about it cause I don’t know if he knows about anything.”
In any case, a video from the presser on the Middle East shows Biden, done with his speech on the volatile situation in the Middle East, slowly walking away from the podium and away from the reporters when one shouts out, “Mr. President, can you tell us, sir, Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What’s your response to that, sir?”
He didn’t give a verbal answer. Instead, the aging president halted in his tracks around when the question ended, turned around, and gave an odd grin. He then turned back around and finished walking off of the stage. Chris LaCivita, a GOP strategist, later posted the video that included the question and grin and called it “The face of corruption.”
Watch the awkward moment here:
Biden has also attacked Trump’s claim that the trial against him in deep blue Manhattan was “rigged” is a “dangerous” claim, saying, during a speech on the case against the former president, “It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this is ‘rigged’ just because they don’t like the verdict.”
During the speech on the Middle East, Biden, angering many on the right, vowed that America would help rebuild Gaza after the war with Israel ends, saying, “The United States will help forge a diplomatic resolution, one that ensures Israel’s security and allows people to safely return to their homes without fear of being attacked.”
He continued, “With a deal, a rebuilding of Gaza will begin [with] Arab nations and the international community, along with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, to get it done in a manner that does not allow Hamas to re-arm. And the United States will work with our partners to rebuild homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza to help repair communities that were destroyed in the chaos of war.”
Featured image credit: Screengrab from the embedded video
"*" indicates required fields