Biden Chides Fox’s Peter Doocy Asking About ‘Old Friend’ Xi Jinping: ‘Let’s Get Something Straight, We Aren’t Old Friends’
President Joe Biden’s press conference following his summit with Vladimir Putin ended chaotically, as reporters who did not make the White House list of pre-approved questions, got their own queries in by the sheer force of will.
ABC’s Cecelia Vega started the trend and was summarily dismissed, but Fox News Peter Doocy asked Biden about China, the Wuhan Lab, and diplomatic efforts to get to the bottom of the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
“You keep saying there’s no substitute for face-to-face dialogue, and what you said at NATO, the biggest problems right now you are Russia and China,” Doocy noted. “You have spoken many times about how you have spent perhaps more time with President XI than any other world leader.”
Doocy then asked, “Is there going to become a time where you might call him, old friend to old friend, and ask him to open up China to the world health organization investigators who are trying to get to the bottom of Covid-19?”
“Let’s get something straight,” Biden shot back. “We know each other well, we’re not old friends. It’s just pure business.”
Nonetheless, Doocy persisted. “China basically says they don’t want to be interfered with anymore,” he asked President Biden. “So what happens now?
“The impact….world’s attitude as China develops. China’s trying very hard to project itself as a very responsible and very, very forthcoming nation. They are finding it hard to talk about how they’re helping the world in terms of Covid-19, and vaccines, they’re trying very hard. Certain things you don’t have to explain to the people of the world, they see the results.”
“China really trying to get to the bottom of this,” before pivoting by promising to rally the world to detect the next pandemic and how to respond properly.
Credit to Doocy in this clip for showing the hustle and insistence in getting a question in despite not making the list, and yes, to Biden also, for taking questions from reporters, not on the approved list.
Watch above via CNN.
