'Stupid son of a b****': Joe Biden caught cursing reporter
What's the story
United States President Joe Biden on Monday was caught on camera insulting Fox News reporter Peter Doocy after the latter asked him a question on inflation at the White House. At the end of a photo opportunity, Doocy had asked Biden whether inflation is a political liability. "No, it's a great asset—more inflation. What a stupid son of a b****," Biden replied.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
Democrats: Donald Trump’s attacks on the press are an attack on the First Amendment.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 24, 2022
Joe Biden to Peter Doocy: “What a stupid son of a b*tch.”
Democrats: *silence* pic.twitter.com/csPv2yjNPb
Details
Biden apologized to reporter later
Appearing on Fox News, Doocy played down the incident, saying he had not even heard Biden's response because of all the noise in the room. "Yeah, no one has fact-checked him and said it's not true," Doocy said nonchalantly. Later, Doocy said within about an hour of that exchange, Biden called him on cellphone and said, "It's nothing personal, pal."
Doocy
'It was a nice call'
Doocy told Fox News that it was a "nice call" and that he "appreciated" Biden for taking the time to "clear the air." Doocy said he told Biden that he is always going to try to "ask something different than what everybody else is asking." "He said, 'You've got to.' And that's a quote from the president...So I'll keep doing it," Doocy added.
Information
Was Biden aware the mic was still on?
It is unclear whether Biden knew his microphone was still on when he made the comments. As per CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, Biden was fully aware of the mic being on. "The microphone was literally right in front of him. It's not like he was walking into a back room and forgot that he had one clipped on his lapel," Collins said.
White House
White House transcript of event included comment
Meanwhile, the White House has also not shown any hesitation in owning up to the remark. This reflects in the transcript of the event put out by the White House, which included the remark, ensuring it passes into the official record. "Just adds a certain something," tweeted Katie Rogers, White House correspondent for The New York Times, while sharing a screengrab of the transcript.
Background
Doocy, Biden confrontation not new
Notably, this is not the first confrontation between Biden and Doocy. At a press conference last week, Biden had told Doocy sarcastically, "You always ask me the nicest questions," and added, "None of them make a lot of sense to me." Doocy then asked Biden why he was pulling the United States "so far to the left." Biden replied saying he was not.