President Biden stormed out of a press availability Thursday afternoon when asked if his ability to deal with China was “compromised” by his family’s business relationships — complaining journalists were not being “polite” and telling them to “give me a break” before walking away.
Republicans say Biden can’t properly confront China on issues ranging from fentanyl and COVID-19 origins to the surveillance balloon that traversed US airspace this month because of his family’s financial links to Chinese state entities.
“Is your ability to deal with China compromised by your family’s business relationships in China, President Biden?” a reporter for The Post asked following a seven-minute address on the Chinese balloon and the subsequent shoot-down of three yet-to-be-identified objects.
At least four other reporters shouted questions at the president, who had not faced the press for nearly six days, but Biden chose to answer only The Post’s query.
“Give me a break, man,” Biden said, with a dismissive laugh.
Two American TV journalists and reporters for Polish and Japanese outlets proceeded to pepper Biden with a cacophony of competing questions, with The Post belatedly adding, “Does your son still co-own a company with Chinese government entities?”
Biden said, with an apparent disdainful hand gesture toward The Post’s reporter: “You can come to my office and ask a question when you have more polite people with you.”
It’s common practice for reporters to loudly shout competing questions at the president, but journalists standing near NBC News’ Peter Alexander, who was about 25 feet from The Post, said it appeared Biden was trying to call on him.
Biden granted an exclusive interview to Alexander moments after the chaotic end of the event.
“I think the last thing that [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] wants is to fundamentally rip the relationship with the United States and with me,” Biden told Alexander, addressing how the spy balloon impacts foreign relations.
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