President Joe Biden faced blowback on Tuesday for his response to a journalist asking about an Israeli hostage deal with Hamas more than a year after the group’s October 7 terrorist attacks.
The bizarre exchange took place in the White House as Biden, 81, met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“President Biden, do you think we can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?” asked Neria Kraus, a reporter for Israel’s Channel 13.
Biden’s reply was somewhat muddled. According to Kraus, he said: “Do you think that you can get hit in the head by the camera behind you?”
I asked President Biden if he thinks that he can get a hostage deal done by the end of his term. He answered, commenting on the number of cameramen in the room: “do you think that you can get hit in the head by the camera behind you?” pic.twitter.com/B3DCJoHdaw
— Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) November 12, 2024
The White House, which has faced controversy for altering a transcript of Biden’s infamous “garbage” insult against supporters of President-elect Donald Trump, offered a slightly different version.
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“Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a — a camera behind you?” Biden said in reply, according to the White House transcript.
QUESTION: President Biden, do you think we can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a — a camera behind you? pic.twitter.com/JjD0pSIVJW— Matt Viser (@mviser) November 12, 2024
After the exchange, Biden began delivering remarks, declaring that his commitment to Israel is “ironclad” and introducing Herzog.
Kraus shared video of their exchange on X, noting Biden was commenting on “the number of cameramen in the room.”
The clip quickly went viral, with many users — including journalists — describing Biden’s remark as odd, rude, or just plain combative.
“Huh? weird,” said PunchBowl News co-founder Jake Sherman.
“Biden unburdened by what has been,” quipped The Washington Examiner’s Christian Datoc.
“What a complete a**,” said Fox News host Lawrence Jones.
“Seems aggressive,” observed journalist Salina Zito.
“This man has jello for brains and was still a better candidate than Kamala,” said commentator Dave Rubin.
The exchange happened one week after Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, lost to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Biden had been running for a second term but dropped out in July after a fumbling debate performance against Trump while facing pressure from allies who raised concerns about his age, mental acuity, and electability.
In his remarks that followed Biden’s introduction, Herzog noted there were still 101 hostages in Gaza and emphasized that bringing them home is a priority — a stance with which the U.S. president said he agreed.
