Reporter Draws Laugh at White House Briefing by Asking If Biden Admin Will Congratulate Trump for ‘Person Of The Year’ Win

AFP White House correspondent Danny Kemp drew laughs when he asked if President Joe Biden or his administration plans to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on being named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for the second time.

The honor was accompanied by a lengthy bombshell interview that included a passage about Biden administration Ukraine policy.

“I think the most dangerous thing right now is what’s happening, where [Volodymyr] Zelensky has decided, with the approval of, I assume, the President, to start shooting missiles into Russia. I think that’s a major escalation. I think it’s a foolish decision,” said Trump.

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby joined White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at Thursday’s White House press briefing, fielding questions from reporters about various national security issues. Kemp asked about the Ukraine remarks — then drew laughs with his follow-up:

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Danny.

DANNY KEMP: Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Admiral. What’s your response to President-elect Trump saying in his Time Magazine interview that it was a “foolish decision” by the Biden administration to let Ukraine fire long-range missiles into Ukraine?

MR. KIRBY: Hey, look, I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with the president-elect and what he’s saying in the media space.

All I can do is — is reiterate what President Biden’s policy and guidance has been, and that is to do everything we can, including today with this package that we’re announcing, to make sure Ukraine can continue to defend itself so that if and when this comes to some sort of negotiation, that President Zelensky is in the best possible position that has the most leverage possible, that he has the most success on the battlefield that he can — that he can take into that negotiation.

That has included additional policy guidance that President Biden issued not long ago to allow for some long-range missile systems to be used to help Ukraine defend itself across that border, and that policy still stands.

DANNY KEMP: Very briefly, will you be extending any congratulations to President-elect Trump on his second Time of the — Time Person of the Year award? (Laughter.)

MR. KIRBY: I actually didn’t know that — that that had happened. I — I don’t have any — I don’t have anything more to say on that.

Watch above via The White House.