The White House was forced to shut down bogus reports that a bird had pooped on President Joe Biden during an event in Menlo, Iowa that was held inside a grain silo after cameras captured a small white drop falling down on his blue suit jacket just above the pocket.
Right wing critics immediately seized on the incident and the British tabloid Daily Mail ran a piece claiming that a "feathered fiend" had relieved itself on the President.
A White House spokesperson said that it had not been bird droppings but "corn" that had fallen on the President, a statement that was backed by The Des Moines Register as well as other reporters who'd attended the event.
But the incident nonetheless empowered the Biden administration's Republican critics, particularly the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Did a bird just poop on Joe Biden?pic.twitter.com/p2Ywv8CbRU— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1649795762
Other prominent critics, such as Donald Trump Jr. and Newsmax contributor Jenna Ellis, also weighed in, using the incident as an opportunity to lambast the President and his administration's policies.
Even the birds know. Apparently a bird just shit on Biden in Iowa. That bird speaks for anyone who\u2019s filled their tank or gone shopping in the last 18 months.pic.twitter.com/fYeoWM9Nep— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1649798634
Shoutout to the bird that did what everyone else is thinking about Biden— Jenna Ellis (@Jenna Ellis) 1649798598
Apparently birds are also not supportive of Biden's latest gimmick to distract from the damage of his bad policies.https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1513979276240072716\u00a0\u2026— Matt Whitlock (@Matt Whitlock) 1649796034
BREAKING REPORT: A Bird Just SH*T ON BIDEN While He Was Talking About Inflation in Iowa..\n\nTHIS BIRD SPEAKS FOR ALL OF AMERICA..— Chuck Callesto (@Chuck Callesto) 1649803252
That bird was the American eaglehttps://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1513979276240072716\u00a0\u2026— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1649801278
Others jumped to the President's defense, particularly after the claim had already been fact checked by news outlets.
A friend who grew up in Iowa, on a farm, knows about distillers grain - still thinks a bird pooped on the president. People are gonna believe what they're gonna believe. \n\nBut it wasn't poop.https://twitter.com/DMRegister/status/1514261746164371461\u00a0\u2026— Cecelia Hanley (@Cecelia Hanley) 1649863921
DMR political editor Nic Garcia delves into the question everyone is asking: What was that stuff that fell on the president? Hint: not bird poop.https://twitter.com/NicGarcia/status/1514274073207050240\u00a0\u2026— Bill Steiden (@Bill Steiden) 1649867322
They will spin anything when it comes to him,he could holding a glass of water and they would spin it into something else.— PM (@PM) 1649886605
I was always told that a bird pooping on you meant Good Luck. \nSo, I guess he has something really good on the way. Hopefully it's lower gas prices!— Suz (@Suz) 1649887846
Even if it were bird poop, that\u2019s considered good luck. https://twitter.com/huffpost/status/1514359355830845460\u00a0\u2026— Hallie Sue S\ud83c\udf3b\ud83d\udc96\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9d\ud83c\udf3b (@Hallie Sue S\ud83c\udf3b\ud83d\udc96\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9d\ud83c\udf3b) 1649886642
Biden appeared at the Iowa event to announce he’ll suspend a federal rule preventing the sale of higher ethanol blend gasoline in a bid to lower gas prices that have spiked since Russia launched its war against Ukraine.
The President's move is expected to yield only modest results. Inflation is currently at a 40-year high and has accelerated in recent months. The White House has said it would save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon based on current prices, though only at "2,300 gas stations out of the nation’s more than 100,000," as noted by The Associated Press.
A report from the Department of Labor (DOL) showed prices for everyday goods in March spiked 8.5 percent, the worst reading since December 1981.
Biden has referred to the DOL report as "Putin's price hike," pinning the blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose war with Ukraine has forced both the United States and much of Europe to reconsider their reliance on Russian energy.
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