Search

Biden caught saying Netanyahu needs a ‘come to Jesus’ moment

Asked on Friday about the statement, Biden said ‘I didn’t say that,’ per the White House pool report.

By JNS

Some 22 minutes after he finished delivering the State of the Union address on Thursday night, U.S. President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have a “come to Jesus” experience.

Biden, who is Catholic, was talking about the Jewish leader with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and U.S. Secretary of State Atony Blinken, both of whom have Jewish ancestry, and with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who is Christian.

The audio is somewhat garbled, but Biden can be heard telling Bennet that he told Netanyahu that he had to have a “come to Jesus” moment.

“‘I told him, “Bibi”—and don’t repeat this, but “You and I are going to have a come to Jesus—,”’ Biden began as an aide rushed over to stop him from saying more, exclaiming ‘Sir!’ and whispering in his ear,” the New York Post reported.

“‘I’m on a hot mic here,’ Biden said out loud, adding sarcastically, ‘Good. That was good,’” the Post added.

The Hill quoted the president slightly differently. “You and I are going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting,” it reported Biden saying, “adding he didn’t want them to repeat what he said.”

Read  Give Benjamin Netanyahu next year’s Nobel Peace Prize - Opinion

“An aide to Biden then appeared to inform the president that his microphone was still on. ‘I’m on a hot mic here,’ Biden replied. ‘Good. That’s good,’” The Hill added.

Asked on Friday about the statement, Biden said “I didn’t say that,” per the White House pool report.

A reporter asked the president whether he said it after his State of the Union address. “You guys eavesdropped on me,” the president said.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the phrase “come to Jesus” as “designating a person or group of people who encourage others to accept Christianity; of, relating to, or typical of such a person or group.

Usually with disparaging implication: insincerely pious, hypocritical.”

The term can also refer to “a meeting, discussion, encounter, etc.: that results or is intended to result in a significant shift in the current way of thinking about or doing something; involving or characterized by facing unpleasant facts and the making of important, difficult decisions,” according to the comprehensive dictionary, or to “a meeting, discussion, etc., intended to settle a dispute or resolve a situation; an intense argument, a showdown.”

Prior to Biden’s hot mic declaration, Bennet said that he had told Blinken that he was recently in Jordan and Israel. “You gotta just keep pushing the humanitarian stuff,” the senator told Biden, as Blinken nodded several times.