Fox’s Chris Wallace knocks Biden for reading ‘talking points’

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace on Thursday criticized President Biden for what he said was his over-reliance on White House “talking points” while answering questions on foreign policy from reporters. 

“I was also struck by the fact that it seemed on every foreign policy question, not the others, but on foreign policy he went to his briefing book like Jen Psaki does and was reading obviously White House guidance, White House talking points,” Wallace said. “Covering Ronald Reagan for six years I never saw that. Watching a lot of news conferences over a lot of years, I’ve never seen that … a president in a news conference reading talking points.”

During his first official briefing with reporters on Thursday, Biden answered nearly three dozen questions on issues ranging from gun control to immigration and the Senate filibuster. 

In the foreign policy arena, specifically regarding reports of new missile launches by North Korea, Biden said his administration was prepared to respond in an appropriate manner. 

“We will respond accordingly,” Biden said. “But I’m also prepared for some form of diplomacy, but it has to be conditioned upon the end result of denuclearization.”

When it came to a proposed plan to draw down troops in the Middle East, Biden said he “can’t imagine” having U.S. troops in Afghanistan next year. 

“It is not my intention to stay there for a long time. But the question is how and under what circumstances do we meet that agreement that was made by President Trump to leave under a deal that looks like it’s not able to be worked out to begin with, how is that done?” Biden said. “But we are not staying a long time.