Yet another video of President Joe Biden has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, stemming from another poor performance at a press conference earlier this week.
Biden faced criticism online for seemingly reading an answer to a reporter directly from a document on his podium. This has fueled skepticism that Biden’s Q&A sessions with the press are staged, with preselected reporters and predetermined responses. The incident began when Biden asked a reporter to repeat her question, which was about whether his administration would increase its contributions to World Bank programs aimed at improving access to capital in developing countries.
“Sorry, I’m saying Africa is asking America to lead the way and double its contribution to the World Bank’s international development assistance to help developing countries to access financing to alleviate debt distress and to tackle climate change. What is your commitment on this?” the reporter asked the president. (see video below)
Biden’s response to the question about America’s commitment to the World Bank initiative involved him looking down at his podium for nearly the entire duration, presumably reading from pre-written notes.
“We made a major commitment to this. Number one, we said the United States has long championed international financial institutions that provide low cost concessional resources to the poorest developing countries, including from the IMF. To that end my administration helped design and establish the IMF’s new initiative that provides low cost funding for countries that are taking steps to enhance their resilience,” he said.
“Important partners in Africa have the capital … they need to invest in their futures. We heard them and we stand with them now. That’s why we work with Congress to enable the United States to make available in the coming weeks, up to $21 billion of new lending resources to the IMF trust fund that provides concessional lending to the poorest countries. So little like you know, having a go when you’re in debt and having to go and find someone to help you out. That’s what this is about. We believe supporting friends and this partnership is happy. We’re happy to do our part,” he added.
The recent press incident has further fueled speculation about Biden’s fitness to serve as President of the United States. As the country’s most prominent leader, voters expect the commander-in-chief to inspire confidence during public speaking engagements. Many have pointed out that moments like this have serious implications for how the country is perceived both domestically and internationally.
WATCH:
A reporter is forced to repeat her question for Biden, who proceeds to read his entire answer from pre-written notes in his binder. Very sad! pic.twitter.com/rjZdx8fxtG
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 23, 2024
RNC research commented on the video, “A reporter is forced to repeat her question for Biden, who proceeds to read his entire answer from pre-written notes in his binder. Very sad!” Another user added, “The debates will be the same way. Only Biden already given answers so he has time to memorize them and not read them.”
One person speculated, “So he’s getting questions in advance and the handlers are preparing the answers for him to read at the podium.” Another account suggested, “The fact that reporters went along with this staged Q&A tells us we can’t trust legacy media at all.”