It’s a pretty straightforward and simple question.
But it’s also a question that has this White House in great difficulty: Does President Joe Biden believe what he is saying or not?
Consider NBC News’s report that “Biden is unhappy about a pattern that has developed inside the West Wing. He makes a clear and succinct statement — only to have aides rush to explain that he actually meant something else. The so-called clean-up campaign, he has told advisers, undermines him and smothers the authenticity that fueled his rise. Worse, it feeds a Republican talking point that he’s not fully in command.”
This concern takes root in apparent gaffes such as Biden’s statement about removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from power. This set off alarm bells not only within Biden’s own administration but around the world. Another example came this week as the nation grappled with the aftermath of another school shooting. Biden suggested banning 9 mm ammunition and firearms by amending the Constitution. As he put it, “They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life. A 9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”
The president continued, “So the idea of these high-caliber weapons is, uh, there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self-protection, hunting,” Biden added. “Remember, the Constitution was never absolute.” This extremist rhetoric is sure to stall any Republican cooperation on a range of gun laws. It certainly makes a political leap of faith by reform-minded Republicans harder to justify with skeptical constituents.
Another example, also this week? While being questioned over the baby formula shortage, Biden seemed confused about the timeline of events and the seriousness of the problem. The president said he was not informed of the shortage until it was too late. This statement did not match up with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s own claims that the administration had been on top of this problem as soon as they learned about it earlier this year.
If Biden believes he looks weak and uninformed in the face of several mounting crises, it’s because that’s exactly what seems to be happening. The decision to pull out of Afghanistan appeared rushed and chaotic. The administration called now-entrenched inflation and an oncoming recession “transitory.” When COVID-19 resurged earlier this year, Biden was again caught flat-footed on distributing tests. The spike in gas prices went from being temporary to Putin’s fault to now part of what Biden calls an “incredible transformation.”
If the messaging from this White House seems scattered and confusing, it’s because the person in charge of it often times looks scattered and confused. At times, this is even farcical. Such as when a communications person in an Easter Bunny costume was deployed to keep the commander in chief from creating an international incident.
Something needs to give. The president needs to say what he means and have the White House stand behind him. Or he needs to stay quiet.
Stephen L. Miller ( @redsteeze ) has written for National Review, the New York Post, and Fox News and hosts the Versus Media podcast.
