United States: in public, Joe Biden insults a journalist

Un little more than a year following coming to power, business is getting more complicated day by day for Joe Biden. Penalized by numerous international crises, fighting once morest a determined Republican opposition and a not always conciliatory Democratic majority, the Democratic president let himself go, Monday, January 24 during a press conference.

Responding to a question from a FoxNews reporter regarding inflation, and no doubt thinking his microphone was off, Joe Biden muttered “What a stupid son of a bitch”, which literally translates to “What a stupid son of a bitch”. bitch”.

This slippage is a new sign of the nervousness of the 79-year-old Democrat, faced with an anemic popularity rating and struggling to revive his presidency. Inflation, at a level not seen in 40 years, particularly affects Americans less than ten months from the mid-term elections, which promise to be particularly complicated for the Democrats.

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Customary bonhomie

Monday’s exchange contrasts radically with the customary bonhomie of this president who has promised to reconcile America and usually avoids the excesses of language of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Joe Biden was immediately bombarded with criticism from the Republican camp. “So presidential,” tweeted the very conservative elected Josh Hawley sarcastically, while some of his colleagues ironically reproduced old calls for moderation from Joe Biden.

Known for the incisive tone of his questions, the journalist targeted by the presidential insult, Peter Doocy, took the situation with humor. “No one has yet verified the veracity of his words,” he launched on his channel a few minutes later. Last week, following a very long press conference during which he had promised to go into more contact with the Americans, Joe Biden had already expressed his annoyance by murmuring “What a stupid question”, to a question launched by another Fox News reporter.

Approximate as he is sometimes, he had had vague remarks on Ukraine and the legitimacy of the elections which had forced his administration to make clarifications. His predecessor Donald Trump was regularly vilified for his verbal excesses and his diatribes once morest the media. After a heated exchange with the Republican billionaire, a journalist from the CNN chain had his accreditation temporarily withdrawn from the White House.

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Joe Biden’s repeated missteps have, since the presidential campaign, regularly raised doubts regarding his mental fitness. The majority of his voters, however, seem to forgive him for his blunders, deeming him sympathetic and authentic, and accuse the media of magnifying the controversies.