The White House was obliged to walk back President Joe Biden’s statement regarding not visiting the border with incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
RTM previously reported that amid reports of rising crime and record illegal crossings into the United States, Peter Doocy asked President Joe Biden if he was planning to visit border crossing areas during his forthcoming visit to Arizona.
When Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked, “Why go to a border state and not visit the border?” The president responded, “Because there are more important things going on.”
The seemingly dismissive statement drew a flurry of criticism, particularly since the president and vice president have not visited the border since taking office and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declared “the border is secure.”
In response to the criticism, a White House spokesperson told the Daily Caller that “President Joe Biden’s top focus is the economy.”
White House assistant press secretary, Abdullah Hasan, clarified: “The President was clear that his top priority is investing in the American economy and in American communities, out-competing China, and bringing back American jobs from overseas.”
Hasan added: “In fact, as Daily Caller reported multiple times recently, the economy is the top issue for most Americans. If anyone believes that shouldn’t be the President’s top priority too, they should say that out loud.”
Republicans concede that the economy is a top concern for Americans. However, many argue that the economy and the border crisis are not mutually exclusive issues, and both demand the serious attention of the president of the United States.
Fox News reported that “the U.S. has seen record levels of illegal immigration throughout the Biden administration,” noting that in October, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a record 230,000 “border encounters.”
CBP sources told Fox News that in the 2022 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, there was a record 2,378,944 “migrant encounters.” The report noted that the figure does not include the 599,000 reported “gotaways.”
Speaking to the border crisis issue, Hasan said: “Of course, the President is also taking action to secure our border and build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system.
Hasan added: “He’s secured more funding than all of his predecessors to support the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, put forward a comprehensive immigration reform proposal, and brought 20 world leaders together to jointly manage the migration challenge impacting the entire Western Hemisphere.”
Though White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre intimated last week that President Biden had recently visited the border, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reported in 2021 that the “last time Biden was near the border was when he drove by it in 2008.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
