"Dark Biden has entered the chat" — Internet reacts to Biden asking a reporter if she can get hit by a camera in response to a Hostage Deal question
US President Joe Biden recently asked an Israeli reporter, Neira Kraus, if she could "get hit in the head" by a camera in response to a question about hostage deals.
On Tuesday, November 12, a correspondent for News Israel 13, Neira Kraus, asked President Biden if he could get a "hostage deal" by the end of his term. The reporter's question was about the people still allegedly held hostage by Hamas since their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In response, the US President counter-questioned Kraus, asking:
"Do you think that you can get hit in the head by the camera behind you?"
The Democratic leader then discussed his remarks with Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, in the Oval Office. For those uninformed, Hamas and other militant organizations have allegedly kept 251 people hostage, out of which 73 were allegedly killed while being held hostage. One hundred seventeen people have reportedly been returned to Israel as of August 28, 2024, with an additional 37 bodies recovered.
Kraus shared her interaction clip with the US President on X, which has since gone viral. The clip sparked reactions from netizens online, with many finding the Democratic president's comments funny.
"Dark Biden has entered the chat. Go down as the villain rather than the loser," one X user wrote.
"Nah this is funny," another person jibed.
"Haha, that was funny because let’s face it. Joe Biden just doesn’t give a damn anymore. Joe has been savage ever since they made him step down, and they installed Kamala Harris," a netizen added.
"He doesn't give a...," an X user claimed.
Some other users criticized the president for his comments:
"That was kind of funny. Joe doesn’t have to be nice anymore," a netizen opined.
"He has been like this the whole 4 years. I can't wait to never see or hear from him again," a user commented.
"This is isn’t a tone and a response from a president !! I hope this is Ai !!!," another person chimed in.
"President Biden was very gracious"— Israeli President Isaac Herzog comments on his discussion with the US President ahead of Trump's takeover
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, US President Joe Biden met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss the situation in Gaza and the hostages still held by Hamas.
Shortly after the one-hour meeting, Herzog told reporters it was "very productive." He added that the Biden administration is keen on doing everything possible to help Israel's security ahead of January 20, when President-elect Donald Trump is set to take over the White House.
"President Biden was very gracious, very open, very friendly, and we had an open and frank discussion. And the most important thing out of this discussion is, of course, the commitment of the President and the administration to work until Jan. 20, until the last minute, to achieve goals that are so important to peace and stability, and predominantly, security and security of the state of Israel in the Middle East," President Herzog said.
As reported by Newsweek, Hamas had agreed to release all Israeli hostages at the beginning of the war in exchange for Israel releasing their Palestinian prisoners. Biden, however, rejected calls for a ceasefire in this week's meeting, saying:
"We should have those hostages released and then we can talk."
Meanwhile, Israel's government is set to meet a deadline on Wednesday, November 13, to increase humanitarian aid and support to Gaza, as per CBS. In October this year, the US President warned Israel that they would face a lack of US military support if they did not significantly increase the humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, reports CBS.
The current US government is reportedly keen on furthering its peace goals before Trump's takeover in January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he had spoken thrice to President-elect Trump that week.
Throughout his campaign in 2024, Donald Trump promised to end multiple wars across the world, including in the Middle East. The Republican leader has appointed Elise Stefanik of New York as his United Nations ambassador, which means she'll handle the Israel issue and other UN policy matters under his presidency.
In a November 4 press release, Elise Stefanik said:
"The United States must stand with Israel's decision to ban Hamas-infiltrated UNRWA from operating in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. UNRWA staff participated in the heinous terrorist attacks on October 7th, its headquarters housed an underground Hamas data center, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar carried the passport of an UNRWA teacher when he was killed.
"The Biden-Harris Administration has sent over $1 billion to UNRWA since 2021, filling the coffers of this terrorist front. This must end."
Following Trump's victory in the 2024 elections last week, Hamas laid out five points for the former President in a statement, urging to "end the blind bias toward the Zionist occupation."