What Mike Johnson said to President Biden after he was caught eye-rolling during the State of the Union

Speaker Mike Johnson revealed what he told Joe Biden after he was caught rolling his eyes during his State of the Union address.

During the annual address to Congress, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and other distinguished guests, Speaker Johnson could be seen biting his lip and quietly taking in everything President Biden had to say.

Although he had instructed his conference to maintain decorum and not interrupt the 46th president, Johnson’s facial expressions gave him away.

The Louisiana Republican frowned, grimaced and rolled his eyes as Biden simultaneously praised his own achievements while bashing the Republican’s agenda.

Just over a week later, at a Capitol Hill event celebrating the relationship between Ireland and the US, Johnson stole a moment with Biden to “apologize for the eye-roll memes that went around the world,” he said. the speaker. Real clear politics.

Despite instructing his Republican conference to maintain decorum and not interrupt the president, Johnson couldn’t help but express some skeptical looks of his own.

The apology made the president laugh, and Biden told Johnson he appreciated the speaker’s behavior.

Biden noted that Johnson’s etiquette was better than that of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi during Donald Trump’s final State of the Union address.

“I’m just grateful that you didn’t tear up my speech,” Biden told the speaker.

Johnson responded, “Well, Mr. President, don’t think my friends back home didn’t want me to burn it down.”

The exchange between the two highlights Johnson’s evergreen desire to be seen as a gentleman as well as a politician.

“When I go home,” Johnson has said, “I want to look my children in the eyes and tell them that Dad acted like a gentleman.”

That may have played a role in why he tried to apologize to Biden, whom he has often criticized.

And Johnson generally doesn’t worry when he takes aim at the president.

Speaker Mike Johnson made Joe Biden laugh when he apologized for rolling his eyes during the president’s State of the Union address

“Joe Biden’s foreign policy has been an absolute disaster,” Johnson said last week.

“Look, the Biden border catastrophe is the first priority of Republicans in the House of Representatives, and it remains the first priority of the American people,” he said recently, criticizing the president for his handling of the U.S. border and Mexico.

The speaker criticized Biden for his State of the Union address shortly after it ended, calling it a “campaign speech, and a pretty vitriolic one at that.”

When pressed immediately after the speech, Johnson thought he had played it cool.

“People say I made funny facial expressions, I tried to keep a poker face, but it was very difficult,” he said at the time.

However, his apology to Biden for his eye-roll confirmed doubts about his friendly nature.

But as politics grows more damaging for everyone involved, Johnson’s apology is a rare and welcome move in Washington.