On Monday, Joe Biden met with Iraqi Prime Minister Shia Al-Sudani for a brief photo op in front of reporters to discuss their bilateral meeting.
As we noted, Biden needed note cards even to make those very brief remarks. Even reading completely from notes, he still had trouble, slurring his way through it. He also rudely checked his watch while the Iraqi prime minister was talking. His staff quickly tossed the reporters as they tried to ask questions at the end of the remarks.
But it was a little late because during the photo op, photographers managed to catch a copy of his cheat sheet, and you can see just how ridiculously, embarrassingly detailed it is. He’s operating completely from a script, and this is pretty bad.
Biden cheat sheet for Iraq PM meeting caught on camera — including instructions to ‘pause’ https://t.co/WJ950tZRiO pic.twitter.com/ix4qwll3PX
— New York Post (@nypost) April 15, 2024
The script cheat sheet even contained an all-caps stage direction about when to pause so that he could give the translator the opportunity to translate. You can see him following that direction here on the video of the remarks.
Biden — slurring as he reads directly from his pre-written notes — takes a victory lap over Iran’s attack on Israel pic.twitter.com/49LHHNVpUm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 15, 2024
I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that he didn’t read the stage direction here, something he’s done with the teleprompter in the past. When you even have to tell him when to pause for a translator, you know there’s a deep problem. He’s not able to operate without a script. So, who’s really running this chicken outfit that’s occupying the White House?
This was Biden’s first public comment after he had to come running (shuffling) back to the White House from his vacation at his beach house prior to the Iran attack on Israel.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi prime minister didn’t need any notes to make his off-the-cuff remarks like a normal person.
Biden has been caught with cheat sheets in the past and it’s even made donors hinky when he apparently had them at a private fundraisers, a place where you’re just supposed to be schmoozing and having off-the-cuff conversation. They revealed that he had the notes and vetted questions at an event in February.
READ MORE: Donors Worried Over Biden’s Use of Cheat Sheets, Preselected Questioners at Private Fundraisers
What must the Iraqi leader think of Biden with all that? What must our allies think in general? Especially when Biden’s policies tend to throw them under the bus, too, as he has done often with Israel, which has led to the mess we have with Iran now. I can’t imagine that this is at all reassuring.
beyond embarrassing- https://t.co/rqL01Ka44K
— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) April 15, 2024
This is fine. https://t.co/p4OeRUUu35
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) April 16, 2024
We are surprised he can read at this point, honestly. https://t.co/0o6pXwB5gt
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) April 15, 2024