Biden Stares Blankly and Picks at His Teeth as Reporters Ask About Putin, Stumbles Over Energy Secretary’s Name, Jokes About Ukraine

On 2/22/2022, as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, President Biden stared blankly and picked at his teeth when Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked “Do you think you may have underestimated Putin?” — while staffers shooed reporters from the room. Biden had shown up over an hour late for remarks on the crisis, joked that he didn’t “have much going on other than Russia and Ukraine,” stumbled repeatedly over Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s name and title, and asked staff for permission to continue speaking. The White House initially refused to call Russia’s actions an “invasion” before being forced to reverse within hours.

”Do You Think You Underestimated Putin?”

After delivering remarks on mineral supply chains — not the Ukraine crisis dominating global headlines — Biden was asked by Doocy whether he had underestimated Putin. Biden responded by staring blankly at the reporter and picking at his teeth while his staff cleared the room.

Secretary Blinken later pushed back on the characterization. “I think to the contrary, we’ve not underestimated him. We’ve actually laid out for the world his entire playbook,” Blinken said. “What the President laid out, what I laid out at the United Nations a week ago, is exactly what’s happening.”

Not an “Invasion” — Until It Was

The White House initially resisted calling Russia’s military action an invasion, drawing immediate criticism. When CNN’s Brianna Keilar pressed a Biden advisor on why they were using “the beginning of the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine” instead of simply calling it an invasion, the exchange became testy.

“Why not call it an invasion? Just call it an invasion,” Keilar pressed.

“I don’t know how much more clear I can be, Brianna. This is the beginning of an invasion,” the advisor finally conceded.

A commentator noted: “His minions go out onto the airwaves, refused to call it an invasion. It took nearly a day — his advisor was twisting in the wind as CNN was trying to get him to utter the word ‘invasion.’"

"Don’t Have Much Going On”

Biden opened his mineral supply chain remarks with a joke that fell flat given the gravity of the situation. “We don’t have much going on, you know, other than Russia and Ukraine,” Biden said. “And anyway, so we start — I guess I’m starting, huh? I guess already started.”

Stumbling Over Granholm’s Name

Biden repeatedly stumbled over Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s name and title. “I’ve asked the Secretary of Energy, governor-grand-home, senator-grand-home, senator — Secretary Granholm,” Biden said, cycling through multiple incorrect titles before getting it right.

He then turned to his staff for guidance. “Do I yield to you now? Do I go on?” Biden asked. “I can go on, okay. You got to let me know when I’m supposed to stop here."

"Two Embassies Evacuated in One Year”

A commentator drew a sharp comparison. “Harris: two embassies evacuated in one year of Biden. Two countries gone essentially in one year of Biden. That is all you need to know,” the commentator said.

Another added: “There is no greater supporter of the Democrat Party than Vladimir Putin because he got Crimea on Obama’s watch, and now he’s getting exactly what he wants on Joe Biden’s watch.”

Inflation Hitting Poor the Hardest

The broadcast also addressed inflation data showing the crisis disproportionately affected low-income Americans. “At the very bottom of the income distribution, poor people are coming out way behind — their bills went up way more than their actual earnings went up,” an analyst said. “At the top end of the income distribution, it’s the opposite — people who are higher income have found that their total earnings have vastly outpaced inflation.”

“The consequence is that poor people are falling behind. Rich people are pulling ahead,” the analyst continued. “That’s a little bit to the contrary of the narrative you’ve been hearing from the White House.”

Border and Global Credibility

A commentator connected the border crisis to America’s global credibility. “The Russians and the Chinese see this — if we’re not going to be serious about our own border, why would we be serious about helping any of our allies?” the commentator said.

Key Takeaways

Biden stared blankly and picked at his teeth when asked if he had underestimated Putin, ignoring all questions as staff cleared the room.
The White House initially refused to call Russia’s military action an “invasion” before reversing under media pressure within hours.
Biden joked “we don’t have much going on other than Russia and Ukraine” while opening remarks on mineral supply chains — not the war.
He repeatedly stumbled over Energy Secretary Granholm’s name and title, then asked staff “do I go on?” and “you gotta let me know when I’m supposed to stop.”
Inflation data showed poor Americans “falling behind” while rich Americans pulled ahead — “contrary to the narrative from the White House.”

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

We don’t have much going on, you know, other than Russia and Ukraine. I guess I’m starting, huh?
I’ve asked the Secretary of Energy, governor-grand-home, senator-grand-home — Secretary Granholm. Do I go on? You gotta let me know when I’m supposed to stop.
This is the beginning of an invasion. Why not just call it an invasion? I don’t know how much more clear I can be.
Two embassies evacuated in one year of Biden. Two countries gone. That is all you need to know.
Poor people are falling behind. Rich people are pulling ahead. That’s contrary to the narrative from the White House.
If we’re not going to be serious about our own border, why would we be serious about helping our allies?

Full transcript: 736 words transcribed via Whisper AI.