News/Commentary

Biden makes bizarre cryptic threat to Speaker Johnson over SCOTUS ‘reform’

July 30, 2024 | | Print Article

The Supreme Court wasn’t all the president had seemingly set his sights on as one off-the-cuff remark left people warning House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

Monday, President Joe Biden traveled to Austin, Texas to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act amid his latest offensive against the federal judiciary. As even corporate media slammed the “wishlist” as a non-starter, it was the Resident-in-Chief’s slight against “dead on arrival” Johnson that took focus as many heard it as nothing short of a threat.

“Speaker Johnson said it’s dead on arrival,” a reporter could be heard calling out to Biden for comment after he stepped off Air Force One earning the reply, “I think that’s what he is.”

Seeking clarity over the noise, the reporter followed up in video shared by Washington Post White House reporter Matt Viser, “That he is?”

“He is,” the president added bluntly a moment before walking away with a grin. “Dead on arrival.”

In case it wasn’t bad enough that the incumbent’s remark was interpreted by many as a threat against the highest-ranking Republican official in the federal government, third in line to the presidency in the order of succession, the administration initially embraced the comment as a screenshot showing White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates reposting the remark.

ADVERTISEMENT

Worth noting, little more than two weeks after the Republican presidential nominee had actually faced an assassination attempt, Biden’s list of sought-after reforms for the Supreme Court surfaced in reaction to the ruling in former President Donald Trump’s immunity case.

The dissent written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor included radical hypotheticals on what they believed a sitting president would be permitted to get away with that had leftists decrying non-existent dictatorial powers. Among the reactions that called out the president’s seeming threat against the congressional leader, one user noted, “Seems Biden is already flexing that immunity that the Supreme Court gave him.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Of course, as the backlash ensued over the lame duck president’s tough guy routine, it appeared that the White House was not totally unaware of how the statement sounded as, during his Civil Rights Act address, Biden attempted a clarification as he said, “Well I was thinking his thinking is dead on arrival.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Meanwhile, it appeared that Johnson may have gotten the last laugh Monday with his own reaction to the alleged tarmac threat. Sharing the video of Biden’s remark without comment, the speaker instead included a clip from the president’s disastrous debate performance against Trump when the GOP leader had arguably delivered the line of the night, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

Kevin Haggerty
Latest posts by Kevin Haggerty (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles