President Joe Biden watched Hamas attack Israel on Saturday, along with the rest of the world.
The following day, Biden reportedly hosted a barbecue with a live band the following day. Then on Monday, Biden called a lid before noon.
A public figure “calls a lid” to signal that he or she won’t be available to the press for the rest of the day. Critics have pounced.
“I guess there’s nothing going on in the world,” one person tweeted sarcastically, referring to the war in Israel.
One conservative joked that Biden called an early lid because “he had bigger fish to fry… on his barbecue.”
Time magazine’s White House correspondent reported Saturday, “In the late afternoon and early evening, a live band could be heard coming from the area near the Rose Garden. Your pooler asked why a band was playing. From the White House: The President and First Lady are hosting a BBQ for White House Executive Residence Staff and their families.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted, “While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band.”
The State Department said Monday that at least nine American citizens have been killed in the region since Saturday. It said an undetermined number of American citizens remain missing and unaccounted for. On Sunday, an official said that the number was fluid and had ranged from six to 12.
It was not clear whether the missing had been taken hostage, were killed or were in hiding. The State Department is in touch with families “and providing all appropriate consular assistance,” said spokesman Matthew Miller.
Take a look —
He had bigger fish to fry. On his barbecue.
— MetalThink (@MetalThink) October 9, 2023
While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band pic.twitter.com/0xqRDwyuoR
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 8, 2023
Conservatives have also slammed Biden for unfreezing roughly $6 billion in Iranian assets a month before Saturday’s attack, planned by Hamas with alleged assistance from Iran.
Last month, the Biden administration brokered a deal to release five U.S. citizens detained in Iran. As part of the deal, the administration allowed Iran’s assets to be transferred from South Korea to an account in Doha, Qatar.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott alleged the attack was “the Biden $6 billion ransom payment at work.” Scott added in a statement, “We didn’t just invite this aggression, we paid for it.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said his country would spend the money “wherever we need it.”
However, the U.S. has said in response that it’s exercised rigorous oversight and reserves the ability to freeze the funds again.
Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, told the Associated Press that she could not directly address Republican criticism due to federal restrictions.
“But I can clarify the facts: Not a single cent from these funds has been spent, and when it is spent, it can only be spent on things like food and medicine for the Iranian people,” she said Saturday in a statement. “These funds have absolutely nothing to do with the horrific attacks today and this is not the time to spread disinformation.”
Biden himself addressed the Middle Eastern conflict in a speech Saturday. He described the attack as “unconscionable,” and his administration promised Israel “what it needs to defend itself.”
“In this moment of tragedy, I want to say to them and to the world and to terrorists everywhere, the United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back. We’ll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves,” Biden said. “This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. The world is watching.”
Biden added that he’d spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.