#Sen. Blackburn says Pres. Biden was ‘sexist’ to Fox News reporter

Sen. Marsha Blackburn has claimed President Biden was being “sexist” when he called Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich’s inquiry about Russia-Ukraine tensions “stupid” on Thursday.

“This is extremely sexist and uncalled for. @JacquiHeinrich is a well-prepared, smart reporter, and Biden should apologize immediately,” Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tweeted.

Biden made the snipe Thursday afternoon as reporters were being shooed out of the White House-adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

“Why are you waiting on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to make the first move, sir?” Heinrich asked.

The president gave a disbelieving look and muttered to a group of science policy advisers, “What a stupid question.”

Others defended Heinrich’s question on its merits — saying that proactive US action to deter a possible Russian invasion would be wise.

“It isn’t a stupid question,” tweeted Brett Bruen, who served as White House director of global engagement under President Barack Obama. “It’s a really important one. We continue to allow Putin to set the terms, timeline, & trajectory of this crisis. It’s time we stop being so reactive & start creating some of our own conditions.”

Biden’s dismissal of Heinrich was the second time in as many days the president trashed a reporter for asking something he didn’t like.

At his second solo White House press conference on Wednesday, Biden implied that RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann might not know how to read when Wegmann asked about Biden’s controversial speech earlier this month, in which he claimed Republicans who opposed federal election reform legislation would be “on the side of” famous historical racists.

“I know that you dispute the characterization that you called folks who would oppose those voting bills as being ‘Bull Connor’ or ‘George Wallace,’ but you said that they would be sort of in the same camp,” Wegmann said.

“No, I didn’t say that. Look what I said. Go back and read what I said and tell me if you think I called anyone who voted on the side of the position taken by Bull Connor that they were Bull Connor,” Biden fumed. “That is an interesting reading of English. You — I assume you got into journalism because you liked to write.”

Biden campaigned for president last year on ending the divisive politics that defined President Donald Trump’s four years in office.

Although Trump often blasted “fake news” or “third-rate” reporters and contended that some were “the enemy of the people” — spurring significant media condemnation — Biden also has had a number of clashes with journalists.

In July, Biden knocked NBC News reporter Kelly O’Donnell for disobeying his request to only ask questions “about Iraq” when she asked the president instead about reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs would require staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“You are such a pain in the neck. But I’m going to answer your question because we’ve known each other for so long. It has nothing to do with Iraq,” Biden said, before confirming that the VA would be the first federal agency to compel vaccination.

In June, Biden lashed out at CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins when she shouted a question at a press conference following his in-person summit with Putin in Geneva.

Collins asked, “Why are you so confident he’ll change his behavior, Mr. President?”

“I’m not confident he’ll change his behavior! What the hell? What do you do all of the time? When did I say I was confident?” Biden shot back as he walked toward her with his finger in the air.

Biden erupted again when Collins followed up by noting that Putin had denied any involvement in cyberattacks against the US and downplayed Russia’s human rights violations before asking the president how the meeting between the two leaders could be considered constructive.

“If you don’t understand that, you’re in the wrong business,” Biden shot back before storming off.

Shortly after that encounter,  Biden apologized “for having been short” with Collins before boarding his return flight to the US.