President Joe Biden recently made a concerning gaffe while speaking to reporters on the White House lawn after he was asked about military conflict in the Middle East. After a reporter asked Biden about the Israeli airstrikes in Yemen over the weekend, the president seemingly suggested that he supported “collective bargaining,” appearing to confuse the question with the ongoing labor strike among port workers.
As Biden was exiting a vehicle, reporters jumped at the opportunity to question the president, to which he answered several inquiries about geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists. However, when one member of the press brought up the airstrikes in Yemen, Biden responded as if he was questioned about the labor strikes.
Footage of the incident begins with one reporter asking, “Mr. President, will you deploy more U.S. troops to the Middle East?” Biden succinctly responded, “No.” Posing a question about Israel, another reporter asked, “Mr. President, has Netanyahu gone too far?” Biden seemingly ignored this question as he approached the group of reporters.
“Any comment on the strikes in Yemen, Mr. President?” one person in the group asked Biden. Apparently misunderstanding the question, Biden said, “I’ve spoken to both sides. They gotta settle the strike. I’m supporting the collective bargaining effort. I think they’ll settle the strike.”
“Just so we’re all clear on what’s happening here — Jill Biden walks off without him, he is then asked about the Israeli IDF missile strikes in Yemen, and his reply is that he supports a union collective bargaining agreement and thinks that the strike will end soon,” conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller wrote on X. He added, “Back in June, you were called a conspiracy theorist and a cheap fake artist for pointing things like this out.”
“At the very least Biden being informed about the longshoremen contract negotiations – they strike on October 1st if a deal isn’t imminent. There really isn’t anything he can do about the war in Lebanon,” another person commented. However, some pointed out that the incident could been caused by the loud environment on the tarmac instead of Biden’s apparent cognitive decline.
“I love mocking Biden’s gaffes, he’s obviously way past the top of his game, but to be fair with all the background noise + considering the port workers are going on strike tomorrow, feels pretty reasonable that he simply didn’t hear the Yemen part. And I think it’s a win he’s trying to atleast talk about America’s issues instead of another country! Stay focused on the real issues,” one person said.
Another user questioned, “Wwwwhhhhaaaaattttt? So many questions. What did Jill say when she walked past him? Does he think that he spoke to some group that are striking? Was he reading about the collective bargaining agreement? Can he break down 3 key points from it? Why didn’t he just wave to the reporters? Can he borrow Kamala’s headphones? Why is he still President?”
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