White House national security spokesman John Kirby drew widespread mockery after referring to an upcoming appearance by President Biden as a “big boy press conference.”
Kirby was discussing the President’s upcoming schedule when he made the reference.
“I guess a big boy press conference, we’re calling it, and take some questions from you all,” Kirby told reporters.
It’s unclear what constitutes a press conference of the ‘big boy’ variety and if it means Biden will avoid cheat sheets or calling on pre-determined reporters.
Critics note that diminishing the press conference with such a phrase is “humiliating” for the President, sets a very low bar for his appearance, and downplays the damage this administration has done to the country over the last few years.
The phrase “big boy” is trending on social media.
How bad are things getting at the White House?
John Kirby just said Biden will have a ‘big boy press conference’ this week.
This is bad. This is really, really bad.pic.twitter.com/RaZHh7Okyk
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 8, 2024
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Biden’s ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference
Kirby’s announcement comes after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also used the term to describe the upcoming press conference.
President Biden, she said, will “hold a press conference – a big boy press conference,” at the White House.
To be fair, Biden’s aides didn’t come up with the term initially, as a reporter last week asked if the press conference Biden was planning would be a “big boy press conference that we’re used to.”
That said, a couple of thoughts – One, since when are they used to him holding professional press conferences? This guy does not battle the media the way his predecessor did on any level.
Two, how embarrassing is it that they think the President’s cognitive decline and the worries of foreign leaders and the American people about it are just a big joke?
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All this talk about President Biden holding a “big boy” press conference is reminiscent of First Lady Jill Biden’s infantilization of her husband following his disastrous debate performance.
“Joe, you did such a good job. You answered every question, you knew all the facts,” Mrs. Biden shouted to the President while he continued to stare blankly out into space.
It had all the feeling of a child reading from their ‘Dick and Jane’ books.
While this is all absurd, what might be even more absurd is that Kirby shortly after referencing the “big boy” press conference insisted the President is as sharp as a tack.
“What I can tell you is, what I saw in that debate is not reflective of the man and the leader and the commander in chief that I have spent many, many hours with over the last two and a half years in terms of the specificity of the way he probes the questions he asks,” Kirby said.
“Just this morning, he was asking me questions about the situation on the European continent that I couldn’t answer, and I told him I had to get back to him.”
In other words, what you see with your own eyes is not what his handlers see in super-secret moments behind the scenes. Do you even believe that for one second?
