‘We’re About to Lose Mike Memoli!’: NBC News White House Correspondent Has Fun Mishap Aboard Air Force One
NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli injected some levity into an Air Force One briefing when his mishap caused Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to remark “We’re about to ose Mike Memoli!”
Jean-Pierre was briefing reporters en route to Florida on Thursday morning when something happened to Memoli, who is apparently known to some as “The Biden Whisperer.”
In the audio live stream, Jean-Pierre can be heard responding to a question about President Joe Biden’s visit to Surfside, Florida on the heels of the disastrous building collapse, when suddenly she says “Careful!”, then adds “We’re about to lose Mike Memoli! Oh my goodness! Hold on.”
Another reporter said “Perish the thought!” and with a laugh, Jean-Pierre agreed “Perish the thought, indeed!”
Later in the briefing, the deputy press secretary called back to the moment, saying “Memoli! You may not make it to Florida!”
What was the source of the levity? The pool reporter on the plane, Eli Stokols of the Los Angeles Times, tells Mediaite it was a simple door malfunction:
He’s fine, just a brief moment of levity. Mike was just leaning against the door to the next cabin as we all gathered around KJP in the aisle and it fell open for a minute and he surprised the secret service agents in their cabin for a just a second.
As doors flinging open unexpectedly on airplanes go, Memoli could certainly have done much worse.
Listen above via The White House.
