I can’t even remember the last time I bothered to watch the ball drop at Times Square on New Year's Eve. But it’s still a popular thing for many people to attend or watch on television. Naturally, the White House thought it was a good idea for Joe Biden to take a few moments away from his vacation to make an appearance with Ryan Seacrest during ABC’s live broadcast.
I bet they’re regretting that decision now.
This was by no means a hard-hitting interview. Heck, the softball questions couldn’t have been softer, and that’s perfectly fine. Frankly, this is hardly an event that needs to be politicized, so a few smarmy questions are par for the course, and Seacrest played his part well.
The very first question Seacrest asked was, "What sort of holiday foods have you been enjoying over the last few days?"
"Well, I've been eating and everything is put in front of me,” Biden quipped. “I've been [sic] pasta—which I love—eating a lot of chicken, chicken parmesan, I've been eating all Italian foods, basically."
Even this response felt awkward and overthought. Perhaps Dr. Jill knew what Seacrest was hoping for, and chimed in: “And ice cream."
“And ice cream,” Joe added. “Chocolate chip ice cream."
BIDEN (between coughs): "I've been eating everything that's put in front of me! I've eaten pasta, which I love. Eaten a lot of chicken, chicken parmesan..."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 1, 2024
JILL, ED.D.: "And ice cream!" pic.twitter.com/MIY4Inbv69
The funny thing about that is earlier this year, Jill was reportedly trying to get Joe to “ditch the ice cream.” I guess that’s not going so well.
The next question Seacrest asked of Joe Biden was: "As you look back and reflect on 2023, what sort of memories, highlights stand out for you?"
Easy stuff, right? Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if Biden’s team got all possible questions in advance and personally approved them.
But what happened next is hard to watch. With the energy of a leaking faucet, Biden attempted to respond with what is clearly a rehearsed answer to a different question.
"Well, one of the big highlights stands out for me is—my dad used to have an expression. He said, ‘Joey, a job's about a lot more than a paycheck; it's about your dignity. It's about respect.' So many people through the midwest and in the center in the country, their factories are shipped overseas the last couple of times are out."
I know what you’re thinking. What the heck? You know who else was thinking that? Jill Biden. Joe’s top handler, who has repeatedly been thrust by his side to corral him at public events when he starts to glitch, couldn’t help but glare at him briefly before looking back at the camera with what appears to be gritted teeth.
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"And then they were losing hope and faith,” Biden continued. "So we brought a lot of jobs back to the United States. People are in a position to be able to make a living now and they've created a lot of jobs, over 14 million. And I guess what, I just feel good that the American people got up, they've been through a rough time with pandemic and now we're coming back. They're back."
I honestly doubt that Seacrest was fishing for Biden to respond with a political answer designed to tout his record with a long-debunked talking point, because that’s not what the New Years Eve celebration is supposed to be about. Seacrest was just trying to get some easy questions and fun answers, and Biden botched that horribly.
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