In the latest episode of “the adults are back in charge” meaning “President Biden isn’t doing great,” both Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre and United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, who often speaks for the Biden White House, described Biden doing a real conference as a “big boy press conference.”
That absurd and somewhat frightening comment came during the Monday, July 8 press briefing and was about a Biden press conference that will happen later in the week. The two comments on the matter were ostensibly meant to highlight the president’s schedule as a way of attempting to show that he is capable of doing the job for another four years.
KJP, making the comment about the “big boy press conference” first, said, “This week, President Biden will speak to national labor leaders of AFLCIO, host the NATO summit to show the unprecedented strength of our alliance, hold a press conference – a ‘big boy press conference,’ according to Justin Sink from Bloomberg.”
Later in the press conference, Kirby used the phrase, though he was obviously somewhat uncomfortable with it, likely because of what the odd phrasing implies about the expectations for the elderly president. He said, “After that the president will hold a press conference. I guess a big boy press conference is what we’re calling it.” KJP, responding, said, “Yes.”
Watch them here:
Collin Rugg’s post about the incident took off on X, and one commenter, conservative X personality Gunther Eagleman, said, “Pretty pathetic to have to call it a BIG BOY press conference.” Collin, responding, said, “Calling the president, who is struggling with his public image right now because people think he is senile, a ‘Big Boy’ is incredibly ret*rded if you are his press secretary.”
KJP appears to have gotten the ridiculous phrase after it was used in an earlier press conferency by Bloomberg’s Justin Sink, who asked, “[Y]ou mentioned the press conference.” KJP said, “Yeah.” Sink then asked, using the absurd phrase, “Is that gonna be kind of the real, big boy press conference that we’re used to or —”
KJP, at the time, called him out, asking, “Did you just big boy press conference?” Sink said, “— like, one of these two and two is the they might be a little more limited.” KJP told him, “So, I believe and I know you guys are holding me to it, it is a — I believe it’s a solo press conference. We certainly have more to share with all of you as we get closer to next week.”
Watch that here:
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