President Biden was caught once again wielding a crib sheet bearing scripted remarks to the press during an Oval Office sitdown with Iraq’s prime minister Monday.
Biden, 81, turned to the script — which included an all-caps stage direction on when to pause in his comments to allow for an interpreter to translate — to make his first public statement since Iran launched an unprecedented direct missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend.
The president glanced down at his script repeatedly as he sat beside Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’a Al-Sudani.
Al-Sudani did not rely on note cards of any kind when he made brief remarks following Biden.
In lieu of Biden making an on-camera statement while Saturday’s attack was underway, the White House called a lid just after 5 p.m. and released photos of the president and his national security team tracking the onslaught in the Situation Room.
Biden also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to convey US support for the Jewish state. The following day, the president convened leaders of the Group of Seven nations to discuss a diplomatic response.
Behind the scenes, Biden reportedly pressed Netanyahu to temper any response to Iran, fearing the prospect of the conflict escalating dramatically.
