‘I Sold a Lot of State Secrets,’ Biden Jokes During Meeting With Modi: ‘A Lot of Very Important Things’
President Joe Biden joked that he “sold a lot of state secrets” and “a lot of very important things” during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tech CEOs on Friday.
Biden opened the meeting with Modi and senior tech company executives by remarking, “I was just thanking, uh, uh, anyway… I started off without you, and I sold a lot of state secrets and a lot of very important things that we shared.”
Modi, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others at the table laughed before the president noted that he was “kidding.” He went on to praise the technology partnership between the US and India:
Now all kidding aside, look, we’re teaming up to design and develop new technologies that are going to transform the lives of our people around the world. And together, we’re lifting the private and public partners to make this possible, including launching a new program between India and America — American astronauts, Indian astronauts, and entrepreneurs, scientists, students. Simply put, our countries are taking innovation and cooperation to a new level in our relationship, and thanks in large part to the folks around this table. So my message today is really simple. We’ve got to keep it up, and we have to make sure we aim even higher.
Biden’s remarks sparked uproar among Republicans on social media after the RNC published a clip that cut off before the part where Biden noted he was joking.
The president’s joke appeared to be a reference to Republican accusations that the Biden family sold state secrets and influence to Chinese entities during the Obama-Biden administration.
Last week, whistleblowers released a text message which showed Biden’s son Hunter Biden demanding money from a Chinese businessman while mentioning his father.
“I am sitting here with my father and would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” he wrote to the businessman in 2017. “I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
In a statement, Hunter Biden’s attorney blamed the threatening message on his client’s “horrible addiction” at the time.
Watch above via the White House.
