President Biden appeared to read technical instructions from his teleprompter during a Tuesday speech about rising gas prices.
“Because of the actions we’ve taken, things have begun to change,” Biden said.
“End of quote,” Biden added before moving on to his next sentence.
But Biden in fact was ending a quote he had started. Fox News and several other outlets mistakenly reported that he was reading a teleprompter cue.
His full comment was:
“And, by the way, you may have heard the CEO of Walmart yesterday on the steps we’ve taken. He said, and I quote, ‘The combination of private enterprise and government working together has been really successful.’ He went on to say, ‘All the way through the supply chain, there’s… a lot of innovation.’ Because of the actions we’ve taken, things have begun to change. End of quote.
Biden’s aside came during a speech about rising gas prices and the economy, during which he also delivered a Thanksgiving message.
“I want you to know how grateful I am to serve as your president,” he said. “And I promise you that I’ll never stop working to address your family’s needs. And together we’re going to face challenges. We’re going to face them honestly. And that we’ll keep building this economy around hardworking folks who built this country. Happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless you, and may God protect our troops.”
Biden later told the press he had to leave to help out at a soup kitchen and took no questions, prompting one reporter to shout, “When will you answer our questions?”
The Biden administration has repeatedly faced accusations that the president is not in charge of his communications. In September, the White House abruptly cut the feed of Biden’s briefing on wildfires with federal and state officials in Boise, Idaho.
In August, the president’s audio feed was cut as he was about to respond to a reporter’s question on his administration’s military withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan.
The White House also cut Biden’s feed in March when he said he was “happy to take questions” while speaking to Democratic lawmakers at a virtual event.
Fox News’ Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.
