Biden cheat sheet for Iraq PM meeting caught on camera — including instructions to ‘pause’

Politics

By Ryan King

The commander-in-cheat?

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.

“The United States is committed to Israel’s security. We are committed to a cease-fire [between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip] that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading beyond what it already has,” Biden said during his brief remarks Monday.

The president has a history of leaning on note cards for what have traditionally been impromptu comments. In April of last year, he was seen using a card that appeared to include a question from a reporter before Biden called on the journalist to ask a question..

Biden has also leaned on note cards for private fundraisers, something that has rattled some donors, Axios reported in February of this year.