President Joe Biden abruptly left a live MSNBC interview on Thursday afternoon, before the show even cut to a commercial break. While the cameras continued to roll, Biden stood up from his chair, exchanged handshakes with host Nicolle Wallace, and somewhat awkwardly walked away after she thanked him for the rare opportunity to grant her an interview.
The president was on a day trip to New York City with the purpose of fundraising for his presidential campaign. However, before proceeding to other engagements, his first stop was at '30 Rock' to participate in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, the host of Deadline: White House. Wallace has earlier worked with Republicans such as President George W. Bush and the late Senator John McCain.
Biden At it Again
Biden's actions left everyone, including Wallace, stunned. "Don't go anywhere," Wallace told viewers as Biden made his exit, walking directly behind her.
It is atypical for guests to leave the set of cable news shows before the host transitions to a commercial break.
The video clip of President Biden walking off, seemingly unaware that the program was still live, swiftly gained widespread attention, with the video going viral.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS JOE BIDEN DOING? It's live TV!" former Republican National Committee staffer Steve Guest tweeted.
"The Biden Presidency in one clip," former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also tweeted sharing the video.
Some speculated that the oldest US president was rushing to get somewhere. "Bathroom run? Biden gets out of his seat before the commercials start and awkwardly walks off-set," Media Research Center associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro wrote.
"Oh goodness! Joe Biden is really lost," media and political consultant Jim Pfaff wrote in a tweet.
Biden and His Gaffes
In the 20-minute interview, President Biden addressed the recent Supreme Court ruling that declared affirmative action in higher education acceptance decisions as illegal. He expressed his viewpoint that many of the court's decisions are not aligned with the beliefs of the majority of the American people.
However, Biden refrained from endorsing the idea of Democrats adding more liberal judges to the court, commonly referred to as "packing the court."
"I think it's a mistake," Biden said.
"If we do start the process of expanding the court, we're going to politicize it maybe forever in a way that is not healthy."
During the interview, Wallace also questioned Biden about the perceived delay in the Justice Department's investigation into former President Trump's involvement in the Jan 6 Capitol attack.
In response, Biden asserted that it would be inappropriate for him to intervene or interfere in any ongoing case.
"I have not spoken once, not one single time, to the Attorney General on any specific case, not once," Biden said.
Biden criticized the "last administration" for attempting to exert influence over various institutions such as the courts and the Federal Reserve. He indicated his disapproval of any attempts to directly control or manipulate these institutions.
Shortly thereafter, President Biden stood up and walked away from the set, while Nicolle Wallace remained seated in the anchor chair.
