Reporters aren’t living in the real world, and they’re not good at bargaining, Pres. Joe Biden said Monday, chiding the press as they repeatedly pressed him about the debt ceiling deal that he, reportedly, reached with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over the weekend.
One reporter asked Biden if there was “no question” that the deal will be passed by both houses of Congress by June 5th, prompting the president to call the question a typical, out-of-touch media query:
“Well — you guys are — you guys — you realize you’re not in the real world: ‘No question.’
“There is no reason why it shouldn’t get done by the 5th. I’m confident that we’ll get a vote in both houses. And we’ll see.”
Biden had already told multiple reporters that, while he’s confident the deal will pass, there’s no such thing as a sure thing, especially when it comes to Congress:
“Look, you know I never say I’m confident what the Congress is going to do. But I feel very good about it. I’ve spoken with a number of the members. I spoke to McConnell. I spoke to a whole bunch of people. And it feels good. We’ll see when the vote starts.”
What’s more, the reporters should realize that news stories saying he likes the deal and is sure it’ll pass will only hurt the bill’s prospects, Biden added:
“And, look, one of the things that I hear some of you guys saying is, ‘Why doesn’t Biden say what a good deal it is?’ Why would Biden say what a good deal it is before the vote? You think that’s going to help me get it passed? No.”
“That’s why you guys don’t bargain very well,” Biden said.
“It’s a bipartisan deal,” Biden insisted when asked “Who got the better deal, Democrats or Republicans?”