President Joe Biden swiftly fact-checked Fox News reporter Peter Doocy after Doocy asked Biden why he was "trailing" former President Donald Trump in polls.
As Biden prepared to board Marine One on the White House's South Lawn, the exchange between the two escalated, with Biden asking:
“Why do you think I’ll always take your questions?”
Doocy wasted no time in asking the first of his two pointed questions:
"Why do you think it is that people should be more concerned about abortion access than your age?"
Biden responded that these two issues were not "comparable," highlighting the complexity and depth of the concerns surrounding both topics. Abortion access and a president's age are distinct issues that demand nuanced consideration.
Doocy's second question focused on recent poll results, specifically a New York Times poll showing Biden trailing Trump in five battleground states in a hypothetical 2024 rematch—but he didn't anticipate the President would fact-check him in expert fashion.
You can hear what Biden said in the video below.
After Doocy asked Biden for his thoughts on why he's "trailing Trump in all these swing state polls," Biden gave the following response:
“Because you don’t read the polls! There are 10 polls ― eight of them, I’m beating him in those states. Eight of them. You guys only do two.”
"CNN. New York Times. Check it out. Check it out. We'll get you a copy of all the other polls."
People appreciated Biden's swift response—and criticized Doocy in the process.
Earlier this week, the White House urged the public to exercise caution when interpreting the results of opinion polls, particularly those showing Biden trailing Trump in several battleground states.
The White House's stance on the recent poll results reflects a broader perspective on the limitations of polling in predicting electoral outcomes. While opinion polls provide valuable insights into voter sentiment at a given moment, they are by no means infallible indicators of future election results.
Democrats' success in this week's elections have also helped bolster the White House's position, indicating the party has more support than polls might lead people to believe.
While New York Times polls showing Trump ahead of Biden did have Democrats freaked out, they seemed to ignore other polls showing, as Biden notes, the exact opposite result.
As Simon Rosenberg posted on X:
