Fox Reporter to Earnest: Is Obama ‘Enjoying His Photo Op’ Today?

During Tuesday’s White House Press Briefing, reporter Wendell Goler, sitting in for Fox News’ Ed Henry, decided to use his time to poke fun at President Barack Obama’s assertion last week that he’s “not interested in photo ops” when it comes to the crisis at America’s border with Mexico.

“Is President Obama enjoying himself at his photo op this afternoon?” Goler asked White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, prompting chuckles from the rest of the press corps. He was referring to a speech the president delivered on the economy from the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in Virginia. “And is he likely to be just as unhappy with the photo op he has planned later this week on infrastructure?”

Earnest answered, well, earnestly, saying, “The president seemed to be in good spirits today,” before realizing exactly what Goler was getting at.

“I’m getting back to his blowing off photo ops on the border,” Goler clarified. “Was he concerned that might send the wrong message to people in Central America if he went to the border?”

“What the president’s concerned about is focusing on solutions,” Earnest answered. “And that’s exactly what the president was focused on last week.”

“But he said he didn’t like photo ops and he seemed to having a pretty good time,” the reporter said. Actually, President Obama said, “I’m not interested in photo ops, I’m interested in solving a problem.”

As Earnest explained it, Obama’s concern is people who “put photo ops ahead of actually finding solutions to problems.” He pointed to Republicans who were “eager to appear on camera” saying the country needs to spend more on border security while simultaneously blocking legislation that would do just that in Congress. “They’re focused on photo ops and not on solutions,” he said.

Watch video below, via The White House:

[h/t WFB]
[Photo via screengrab]

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