Biden frustrated with aides for walking back his statements, worries he looks weak: report
Biden is reportedly annoyed with his staff's walk-backs of his remarks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden is reportedly frustrated with his staff in the White House and their efforts to "rush to explain" something the president has said.
"The so-called clean-up campaign, he has told advisers, undermines him and smothers the authenticity that fueled his rise. Worse, it feeds a Republican talking point that he’s not fully in command," NBC News reported Tuesday.
The White House has walked back several of the president's statements, including when Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The president was angry that his comments were being interpreted as unpredictable, according to the NBC report. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates pushed back on the NBC report.
"The breathlessness of paragraphs 1 & 2 versus the denial being relegated to graph 28 tells you what you need to know about this story. And as we've said before, no clarifications of the President's remarks are ever issued without his direct approval," he said in a statement.
Joe Biden is unhappy with his staff's clarifications of some of his statements, NBC reported Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
BIDEN CONTRADICTS WH ASSERTION HE ‘WAS NOT DISCUSSING PUTIN’S POWER IN RUSSIA' IN WARSAW
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We don’t say anything that the president doesn’t want us to say," an official reportedly told the outlet in response to a question about clearing up the president's statements.
The White House has walked back and clarified a few statements the president has made, in addition to the one about Putin.
Other Democrats are frustrated as well, according to NBC. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., said the White House has not been able to introduce an "intellectually honest" inflation plan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Biden also believes he isn't getting credit from the media or Americans on the economy, NBC reported.
BIDEN ASSERTS PEOPLE LIKE PUTIN ‘SHOULDN’T BE RULING COUNTRIES,' BUT US POLICY IS NOT REGIME CHANGE
An NBC news report revealed Tuesday that the president believes he's not getting enough credit from media outlets or Americans on the economy. (Julia Nikhinson/Pool via AP)
The president explained that he doesn't think the Republican Party is shouldering enough blame for lack of action in Congress.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The president has also told aides he doesn’t think enough Democrats go on television to defend him," the report said, adding that the fact that his poll numbers were lower than former President Donald Trump was a huge "sore spot."
Biden has gotten a lot of complaints from members of his own party, according to NBC, with one top Democratic donor telling the outlet that "all he's hearing is, ‘Why can’t you get anything done?'"
WAPO, NYT SPILL A TON OF INK EXPLAINING AWAY BIDEN'S TAIWAN GAFFE: 'HIS STRENGTH IS AUTHENTICITY'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The outlet added that there's no letting up after the midterm elections, either.
"No sitting president wants to be challenged for the party’s nomination; Biden can’t count on a free ride," the report said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The president said on May 23 that the U.S. military would defend Taiwan "if it comes to that." A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital at the time that the policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
"As the president said, our policy has not changed," the spokesperson said. "He reiterated our One China policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself."
Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.