At the end of his press conference in Geneva on Wednesday, Biden snapped at a reporter. This happened after the reporter asked why the president is “confident” that Russian Leader Vladimir Putin would change his behavior.
Biden’s meltdown
At that time, Biden was already walking away from the podium.
Upon hearing the question, Biden turned around and answered the reporter. The president claimed that he never said he is confident that Putin will change his behavior. Biden then exclaimed, “What in the hell,” adding a question asking the reporter what she does all the time.
Then, as Kaitlin Collins of CNN tried to speak, Biden stuck up a finger as he continued to speak. Biden asked them when he said that he was confident.
Biden says he's "not confident" Putin and the Kremlin will change their behavior, but "what will change their behavior is that the rest of the world reacts to them and it diminishes their standing in their world. I'm not confident of anything." https://t.co/PLngnYnuuB pic.twitter.com/gzqWW0oU3H
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 16, 2021
Biden appeared very visibly frazzled and upset at facing even the slightest challenge from the media.
Collins of CNN then continued to press Biden. She stated that Putin’s past behavior hasn’t changed, adding that after sitting down with Biden for hours, Putin still denies any involvement in the cyberattacks.
The reporter also added that Putin also downplayed human rights abuses. After which, Collins asked how Biden’s meeting with Putin accounts as a “constructive meeting”
Bident snaps at a reporter: “You’re in the wrong business”
Biden snapped. He told Collins that if she doesn’t understand that, the reporter is in the “wrong business.” Then, the president walked away after delivering his angry response. This response didn’t sit well with reporters.
If you’re the most powerful person in the world and you can’t field questions from the media without losing your temper, maybe you’re in the wrong business.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) June 16, 2021
Olivia Nuzzi of New York Magazine posted a tweet saying that if you are the most influential person in the world and cannot answer questions without losing your temper, maybe you are in the wrong business.
The unscripted rage came after Biden, once again, answered pre-selected questions from journalists. before answering some shouted out at the end.
After losing their temper in front of the media, Biden apologize for his tone. He was boarding Air Force One when he mentioned that he should not have been a “wise guy.”
Biden conducted a solo press conference after the completion of the summit in Geneva on Wednesday.
According to reports, Biden and Putin talked about the recent tensions between the two countries. Included among them were the suspected cyberattacks coming from Russia as well as human rights issues.
In the press conference, Biden also mentioned that the next few months after the summit will be a test of how effective the summit truly was.
Biden then stated that they will look back in three to six months from the summit and ask themselves if it worked. Biden said that will be the test; however, it is very clear that Russia doesn’t take Biden — or America — very seriously.
