Joe Biden addressed America’s governors on Friday, as the governors were in D.C. for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting from Thursday to Saturday. Biden talked about immigration and the broken border but also made a number of curious comments that have people talking once again about the 81-year-old president’s mental faculties.
Biden often makes unsuccessful attempts at humor, instead coming off as weird and stiff. Naturally, the fawning media and his staffers laugh hysterically, leaving the president to think he is actually pithier than he really is. Biden started his comments on Friday with odd comments, and it didn’t improve from there.
When he started talking, as usual, he mentioned First Lady Jill Biden and jokingly alluded to her actually being in charge. Biden said: “If I were smart, I’d leave right now.” He then said, “I know you just heard— did Jill already speak? My wife? Well what the hell am I doing here?” That is indeed a question that many Americans would like to ask Biden on a daily basis and one that might be solved in November.
Biden touched on a number of topics, including one of his favorites in Ukraine, and criticized Republicans, claiming they are on ‘vacation’ despite the president himself spending roughly 40% of his term on holiday. However, his remarks on the border and immigration were what many of the Governors in attendance were concerned about.
The president admitted on Friday that the U.S. immigration system is “broken,” perhaps coincidently just hours after Fox News dumped video of hundreds of migrants being released in San Diego by Border Patrol. Biden continued to push the border bill, which he claims represents“most fair and humane reforms in a long time.”
Republicans have stalled the bill due to back-door funding for Ukraine and Israel, and despite Biden claiming the need to hire more Border Patrol, allegedly, the new hires will be to process and release migrants into America rather than secure our own border. Biden said: “I didn’t get everything I wanted in it. It also included the toughest set of reforms to secure the border ever in history. Our bipartisan bill got the Border Patrol the agents they need. It funded and hired 1,500 more agents and officers, 100 more immigration judges, 4,300 more asylum officers to get asylum decisions in months instead of years.”
Rather than examine the bill and eliminate the waste included or simply use the powers he already has, Biden instead defaulted to blaming Republicans. He continued: “But then, as we all know, petty politics intervened. The speaker of the House has refused to vote on the bill, even though, again, there’s significant support. Talk to your Republican colleagues, there are the votes on that floor to pass that bill. All of a sudden, people started to go silent, but they’re in a tough spot. Tell that to the Border Patrol that we can’t get this done.”
Biden saved his best joke for last when he said: “In the absence of any political courage from the Republican Party, California has once again stepped up – making historic investments and serving as a model of partnership for a safe and humane border. It’s past time for the spineless politicians in Congress to do their job.” Perhaps it is part of the problem that Biden thinks California is the role model for anything. Either way, the border is coming back to bite the president, and bad jokes aren’t going to save him.
Featured image screen grab from embedded video
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