Biden blasts reporters for ‘eavesdropping’ after being caught on hot mic on live TV saying Netanyahu needs ‘come to Jesus’ meeting

President Joe Biden initially declined, saying he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the two men needed a “come to Jesus meeting” before accusing the media of spying on him.

Biden was asked about his comments, which were heard over a hot microphone on the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday evening after he delivered his State of the Union address.

“I didn’t say that in the speech,” Biden said.

When asked what he said after the speech, Biden replied, “You guys are listening in on things!”

The president sparked a firestorm when he was caught on a hot microphone while speaking to Democratic Senator Michael Bennet ColoradoState Secretary Antony Blink and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg after his speech.

In that conversation in the House of Representatives, which was played live on television cameras, Bennet congratulated Biden on his address to the nation and urged him to continue pressuring Netanyahu on the humanitarian crisis.

Blinken nodded in agreement.

Biden responded using Netanyahu’s nickname and said, “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat it, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”

Biden’s body man Jacob Spreyer then leans in and whispers to the president, apparently warning Biden that he is on a hot mic.

“I’m on a hot mic here,” Biden said after Spreyer spoke to him. ‘Good. Fine.’

The incident was another sign of Biden’s growing frustration with Netanyahu, as the president faces pressure from home and abroad to do more about the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinian people.

The UN has warned that the Gaza Strip is facing famine and Israel has not helped as much as possible in getting food and medicine into the area, citing concerns that supplies will be taken by the Hamas terrorists they are fighting.

Biden has already ordered US airlifts of aid to the Gaza Strip. And in his speech he announced that he is ordering the army to build a port on the coast of Gaza to provide aid to the population there.

‘“The United States is leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” he said.

He noted that the temporary pier “will enable a massive increase in humanitarian aid in Gaza.”

That does not mean that American military personnel will be on the ground in the war-torn region.

White House officials did not provide a timeline for when the pier will be built or where exactly it will be located, but said its construction will allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential goods to reach the 2.2 million Palestinians are delivered.

They said the White House will work with the Israelis on security on the ground and with the United Nations and humanitarian groups on obtaining aid.

The temporary pier will allow hundreds of additional truckloads of aid to arrive each day, officials said. It will provide an additional route for humanitarian aid, which is currently limited to two land crossings into the southern part of Gaza.

Other countries will be involved in the construction, but it is unclear whether Israel will be as well.

Construction of the project could take more than 30 to 60 days and would involve hundreds or thousands of U.S. troops on ships just off the coast. Armed escorts and other protective measures are also needed.

Some of Biden’s own Democrats are frustrated with his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

During that part of Biden’s State of the Union address, Democratic Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Alyanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Cori Bush held up “lasting ceasefire now” signs.

The president has seen a worrying number of Democrats vote “uncommitted” in primaries in key battleground states like Michigan and Minnesota, most of whom are dissatisfied with his treatment of the Palestinians.

In Minnesota, nearly 20 percent of the state’s Democratic voters voted uncommitted on Tuesday. The week before, more than 100,000 voters in Michigan voted the same.

A famine has not yet been declared for Gaza, but 20% of households suffer from extreme lack of food, 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition and 2 in 10,000 people die every day due to outright starvation or the interaction between malnutrition and disease,” according to the World Food Program.

In his speech on Thursday, Biden called on Israelis to do more to alleviate suffering even as they seek to eliminate Hamas. He called the situation in Gaza “heartbreaking.”

“To Israel, I say this humanitarian assistance should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden said.

The White House has gone from all-out support for Israel to showing its frustration with Netanyahu. The government is pushing for a ceasefire in the region to get hostages out and crucial aid.

Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the White House – a move that infuriated Netanyahu.

Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu who has frequently criticized the prime minister, spoke with several senior Biden administration officials during his trip to Washington DC, including Harris, Blinken, National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk and Jake Sullivan , the White House. national security advisor.

He also met with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

Gantz, who polls show could be a formidable candidate for prime minister if a vote were to take place today, is seen as a political moderate. As the If the heavy fighting subsides, Gantz will leave the government, which would increase pressure for early elections.

Netanyahu was reportedly furious at Gantz’s meeting at the White House.