U.S. President Joe Biden made a bizarre appeal to the American people during a signing ceremony for Democrats’ anti-Asian hate crime COVID bill on Wednesday, declaring that viewers should “look around,” “Look in the mirror,” and “Look in the eyes of your children” to fight the bigotry and hatred onstensibly addressed in the bill.
“But of all the good the law can do, we have to change our hearts, we have to change the hearts of the American people, hate can, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, hate can be given no safe harbor in America,” Biden said. “I mean it, no safe harbor. It can’t be dismissed, like ‘well, that’s just what happens.’”
Biden continued, “My message is to all of those who think this doesn’t matter to them, or this is not a problem, look around. Look in the mirror. Look in the eyes of your children. Every one of us are lessened. Every one of us are lessened, and we’re all hurt by this hate.”
President Biden at signing of anti-Asian hate crime bill:
“To all those who think this doesn’t matter to them, or this is not a problem, look around. Look in the mirror. Look in the eyes of your children.”pic.twitter.com/nUytRYCFHV
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 20, 2021
Biden’s bizarre remarks come just two days after he joked about running over a reporter who asked him a question he didn’t want to answer about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, eliciting hysterical giggles from reporters:
During Joe Biden’s visit to a Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan on Tuesday, he engaged in a bizarre interaction with the press corps which saw him joking about crushing the reporter under Ford’s new all-electric pickup, before driving away as the gaggle of reporters collectively burst into shrill giggles.
The press fawned over Biden as he sat behind the wheel of the Ford truck, asking softball questions about how it felt to drive a nice truck. One reporter eventually broke the streak of easy questions by asking the president about the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Mr. President, can I ask you a quick question on Israel before you drive away, since it’s so important?” the reporter asked.
“No you can’t,” Biden shot back. “Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it. I’m only teasing.” He then peeled away from the crowd of onlookers as the press corps serenaded him with hysterical high-pitched laughter and applause.