By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S. Political Reporter
20:16 10 Sep 2023, up to date 04:53 11 Sep 2023
- President Joe Biden held a press convention in Hanoi, Vietnam Sunday evening
- He whispered, walked concerning the stage and used the phrase: ‘mendacity canine confronted pony soldier,’ telling a story about ‘Indians’ and John Wayne
- The president spent two days in India for the G20 Leaders’ Summit and can depart Vietnam Monday for Alaska, circumnavigating the globe
President Joe Biden whispered, he walked concerning the stage and he used that now-famous phrase ‘mendacity canine confronted pony soldier’ whereas taking questions Sunday evening in Hanoi, Vietnam from a set checklist of reporters.
After spending two days in India for the G20 Leaders‘ Summit, Biden jetted to Vietnam Sunday to upgrade the nations’ diplomatic ties and ended the day with a press convention.
In what was alleged to be a present of stamina – Biden is circumnavigating the globe in 5 days – the 80-year-old commander-in-chief joked about not understanding if it was morning or evening and ended the 26-minute occasion by saying, ‘I’m going to go to mattress.’
He regaled reporters with a narrative he says is from a John Wayne film and options the ‘Indians’ – not those he simply met with – who do not buy it when a Union soldier says ‘every thing might be good’ in the event that they return to the reservation.
‘And the Indian seems to be at John Wayne and factors to the Union soldier and says, ‘He’s a mendacity canine confronted pony soldier.’ Well, there’s a whole lot of mendacity canine confronted pony troopers on the market about global warming. But not anymore,’ Biden stated. ‘All of the sudden, they’re all realizing it is an issue,’ the president stated, whispering into the mic.
The president had been requested if he was involved that there was no settlement on fossil fuels that got here out of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
He’s used ‘mendacity canine confronted pony soldier,’ as soon as at a 2020 marketing campaign occasion in New Hampshire and at an event in Connecticut in June, the place he additionally muttered, ‘God save the Queen, man.’
Sunday’s weird second got here at a press convention that began greater than an hour late and kicked off by the president acknowledging that his aides advised him who he could be calling on.
‘They gave me 5 individuals right here,’ Biden stated, returning to his customized of each calling from, and talking about, the checklist apologetically.
‘I’m simply following my orders right here,’ he stated at one other level, as he checked out his checklist to name one other information organization or identify, as reporters within the viewers yelled and waved their arms frantically to be known as on.
The questions have been China-heavy and Biden skipped answering queries after they have been piggybacked on one other query – so he did not tackle Russia and North Korea going into business collectively, nor Ukraine’s discontent with the G20 assertion on the struggle, which did not identify Russia because the aggressor.
The alternative of journalist additionally appeared to have Biden largely ignoring a bunch of U.S. print and TV reporters who have been girding to get into home considerations like his low ballot numbers on account of his superior age and a attainable indictment of his son, Hunter, on a gun cost.
Those polls present a broad concern about his age going right into a second time period, with a survey final week from AP-NORC displaying that 77 % of Americans, together with 69 % of Democrats, imagine Biden is too old to run for reelection.
A Wall Street Journal poll out Monday had related findings, with 73 % of voters saying Biden is simply too old to run once more, together with two-thirds of Democrats.
White House aides pointed to this whirlwind journey as proof that Biden is as much as the job.
‘It is night is not it?’ Biden cracked on the prime of the press convention.
‘This world wide in 5 days is fascinating,’ he additionally famous.
He later joked that the schedule was ‘no downside.’
‘I can think about. It is night, I’d like remind you,’ a BBC reporter quipped to the president.
At one level, Biden grabbed the hand mic and began walking.
He moved towards the facet of the stage the place one of many 5 chosen reporters was standing, but it surely briefly gave the looks he was abandoning the press convention.
Every reporter on the checklist was a lady, one thing that wasn’t misplaced on a journalist from the impartial U.S.-backed Voice of America.
‘Thank you Mr. President. I hope you did not suppose that calling solely on ladies would get you softballs tonight,’ she advised him.
Biden stated that wasn’t the case.
‘Oh I do know higher than that. If you despatched me a softball, I would not know what to do with it. I’d in all probability strike out even worse,’ Biden joked.
After Biden answered one of many two questions posed to him by VOA, he advised the journalists, ‘I let you know what, I do not find out about you, however I’m going to go to mattress.’
But reporters within the viewers saved shouting questions, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre then stepping in.
‘Thank you all people. This ends the press convention. Thanks everybody,’ she stated.
As the president tried to reply a couple of extra, loud jazz music began taking part in over him, which prompted Biden to walk offstage – and head to mattress.
