President Joe Biden appeared to mock reporters as they shouted questions at him as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
The bizarre moment captured on video shows Biden sitting with Herzog laughing at the daily press pool.
After exchanging a telltale grin with Herzog, he slaps his own knee, watches the press, and moves his mouth quickly as if to impersonate the rapid-fire questioning reporters as the sparring continues between them and the president.
It comes just weeks after Biden complained that the White House press corps is the “only press in the world” raising questions about their country’s leader at formal events.
President Joe Biden appeared to mock reporters as they shouted questions at him as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
The moment on Wednesday is the latest incident in which the president has fired at journalists, much like his former President Trump who went so far as to call the press “enemy of the people.”
Earlier this month, things got a little tense between Biden and reporters when a task force meeting on abortion access was suddenly closed to the press.
When reporters were sent out of the room, they burst into questions addressed to the president, many of them about a report that the Georgian Republican Senate candidate paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in 2009.
But louder than the din of the reporters’ questions was a White House employee who screamed, sending the media out of the room.
“Thank you very much, press, we need you to move, thank you very much.”
“One of the only press in the world to do this. Seriously, seriously,” Biden joked with a smile.
Biden is known for sparring with reporters who pressure him about things he prefers not to talk about.
Biden complained that the White House press corps is the ‘only press in the world’ shouting questions at their country’s leader at formal events
A task force meeting on abortion access was open to the press, but at one point a White House employee announced that the meeting would switch to closed press, and they were ushered out
When reporters were led out of the room, they burst into questions addressed to the president
Just last week, Biden took a rare stop to talk to reporters before leaving the White House, but instead of just answering questions, the president berated journalists who asked about his campaign stops and abortion restrictions.
One reporter was called a “child,” while the president told another to “educate themselves.”
Biden ran to the line of reporters gathered for his departure and screamed over the sounds of Marine One as he delivered staccato answers to reporters.
“John Fetterman will appear with you in Pennsylvania today, but there haven’t been that many candidates campaigning with you —” CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang began.
Biden cut her off and leaned forward, yelling over the sounds of Marine One to say, “That’s not true!”
“It’s been 15,” he insisted. “Count boy, count!”
Biden switched to Pro-life EWTN White House correspondent Owen Jensen, who asked if he supports “absolute restrictions on abortion.”
“Yes, there should be,” replied Biden, a staunch Catholic.
“What should they be?” Jensen pushed.
“It’s Roe versus Wade. Read it, dude. You get an education,” the president said.
Biden tore in journalists who questioned his departure from the White House last week, when he called one reporter a “child” and told another to “educate himself” about Roe v. Wade
Biden ran to reporters for some staccato answers as he left for a stop with Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman
While speaking at FEMA headquarters last month about the response to Hurricane Ian, a reporter asked, “How would you describe your relationship and your conversation with Governor DeSantis?”
Biden replied, “It’s totally irrelevant, but I’ll answer. Okay. When I checked, he complimented me. He thanked me for the immediate response we had.’
In July, a reporter asked him about economists who said a recession is “more likely than ever.”
‘Not the majority of them don’t say that. Come on, don’t make anything up,” Biden retorted.
In January, Biden was caught on a hot mic when he called Fox News’ Peter Doocy a “stupid bastard” for asking if inflation is a “political obligation” for Democrats in the meantime.
That same month, Biden criticized Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich for asking a “dumb question” about why he was waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to take the “first step” of potentially invading Ukraine.
And in June 2021, Biden took to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for asking why he thought his summit with Putin in Geneva was constructive, telling her, “If you don’t understand that, you’re in the wrong business.” He later apologized.
During the 2021 conference, Biden chewed out the press, especially CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, screaming in the crowded auditorium.
Biden will head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Nov. 1, to campaign for Democratic governor candidate Charlie Crist in his bid to take the seat from Republican Ron DeSantis.
It’s unclear what kind of influence Biden has on voters in the meantime, as his endorsement lingers in the low 40s and polls consistently show that Americans feel the country is heading in the wrong direction and trust Republicans more than Democrats in Congress to to solve economic problems such as inflation and jobs.
Former President Barack Obama is also heading out this month, hoping to do his service to the role during the interim terms.
The 44th president will travel to Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan later this month and to Nevada on November 1, just a week before Election Day.