The White House tried to make a big deal out of Joe Biden’s trip to Asia for the G20, with a few other stops added in. It was clearly an opportunity to try to point out that Sleepy Joe isn’t really sleepy at all and is Getting Things Done. In a follow-on stop in Hanoi, Vietnam, Biden was even sent out to give a speech at a press conference, and in a rare exception to his typical routine, he even agreed to answer five questions. It was immediately obvious that the reporters who would be allowed to ask questions had been selected in advance and they were screened to ensure nobody would ask anything “awkward.” Biden’s team had to have been nervous because all of this was taking place late in the evening, particularly as compared to the Eastern time zone. And they had good reason to be nervous. After the five staged questions had been answered, Biden suddenly decided to go off script and take another question and make more comments. That was a bridge too far for his handlers. In a rather shocking display that I don’t recall seeing during any other administration, Karine Jean-Pierre rushed forward, cut the President off in mid-sentence and Biden was guided away from the crowd. It was a remarkable enough event that even CNN felt compelled to cover it.Read More
KJP ends presser while Biden is still talking
