Biden caught on State of the Union hot mic warning saying he told Netanyahu we ... trends now
President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic making tough talk on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the two men will need to have a 'come to Jesus meeting.'
Biden made the comment Thursday night on the House floor after his State of the Union address while he was speaking with Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The incident was another sign of Biden's growing frustration with Netanyahu as the president comes under pressure from home and abroad to do more about the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinian people.
The UN has warned the Gaza strip faces famine conditions and Israel has not helped as much as it could in getting food and medicine into the area, citing concerns the supplies will be taken by the Hamas terrorists they are fighting against.
President Joe Biden (second right) speaks with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (left), Secretary of State Antony Blinken (second left), and Senator Michael Bennet (right with back to camera) as he made his remarks about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
In the conversation on the House floor, which played out live on television cameras that had recorded Biden's speech, Bennet congratulated Biden on his address to the nation and urged him to keep pressing Netanyahu on humanitarian crisis.
Blinken nodded along in agreement.
Biden answers using Netanyahu's nickname, saying: 'I told him, Bibi, and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting.'
Biden's bodyman Jacob Spreyer then leans in and whispers to the president, apparently warning Biden he is on a hot mic.
'I'm on a hot mic here,' Biden says after Spreyer spoke to him. 'Good. That's good.'
Biden has already ordered US airlifts of aid to the Gaza strip. And, in his speech, he announced that he's directing the military to build a port on the Gaza coast to bring relief to the population there.
'The United States is a leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance to Gaza,' he said.
He noted the temporary pier 'will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza.'
That does not mean U.S. military personnel will be on the ground in the war torn region.
White House officials offered no time line for when the pier will be built or where exactly it will be located but said its construction will allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items to be delivered to the 2.2 million Palestinians.
They said the White House will coordinate with the Israelis regarding security on the ground and with the United Nations and humanitarian groups on getting aid delivered.
