Biden Answers Questions About Mysterious Plane Crash
President Joe Biden has come under fire after he was confronted by reporters asking for comments about the reported plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner Group founder, and 10 others near Moscow Wednesday. While Biden said he "doesn't know enough to comment" and that he "didn't know for a fact what happened," his response that he had been "working out for the last hour and a half" was met with backlash from social media users, who challenged him for taking a vacation instead of paying attention to international events.
President Biden, who is currently renting Tom Steyer's $18 million home in Lake Tahoe for a nine-day vacation, was called out for his lack of knowledge regarding the matter and making a "working out" remark while on vacation.
Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck said, "He's too busy on vacation to be attentive to major world events. 'Working out' means lifting ice cream to his mouth repeatedly." Karoline Leavitt, a Trump super PAC spokesperson, tweeted, "It's mid-day on a Wednesday, the country is going to hell, and Joe Biden is working out and sipping a smoothie."
GOP Rapid Response Director Jake Schneider joked, “'Working out' — yea ok, Big Guy."
"Working out" — yea ok, Big Guy https://t.co/42kpkTOJo1
— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) August 23, 2023
The Never Back Down PAC communications director Matt Wolking quoted from an "Anchorman" scene where the main character is trying to impress a woman with bicep curls, writing, "‘Ohh, it's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep. Oh, I can barely lift my right arm cause I did so many. I don't know if you heard me counting. I did over a thousand.’"
"Ohh, it's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep. Oh, I can barely lift my right arm cause I did so many. I don't know if you heard me counting. I did over a thousand." https://t.co/Ns7RFuQlK3
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) August 23, 2023
Many also mocked President Biden for his ongoing vacation schedule, as this is his third vacation since becoming president. His choice to take a vacation in Delaware in the midst of the Maui fires, which resulted in a rising death toll, also elicited criticism. Today News Africa White House correspondent Simon Ateba said, “Folks, you're merciless! You seem to doubt President Biden has been working out for the last hour and a half! He's on vacation...Haha."
Folks, you're merciless! You seem to doubt President Biden has been working out for the last hour and a half! He's on vacation...Haha
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) August 23, 2023
In response to the plane crash, the White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, "We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised. The disastrous war in Ukraine led to a private army marching on Moscow, and now — it would seem — to this."
President Biden is expected to wrap up his vacation next week. It is unclear if he will address the plane crash in Russia before then.