Not even the birds approved of President Biden in Iowa on Tuesday — as a winged spectator defecated on the beleaguered commander-in-chief as he gave a speech inside a barn.
Biden’s blue suit took a direct hit as he began a 25-minute address in which he blamed the US’ 8.5% annual inflation rate on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine rather than his own actions.
“I’m here today to talk about what we’re doing to lower costs for American families and put rural America at the center of our efforts to build a future that’s made in America,” Biden said moments before he was struck. “That’s not hyperbole!”
The president didn’t seem to notice the white splatter just above his US flag lapel pin and continued speaking — next to an enormous pile of cornmeal — about his decision to allow higher amounts of ethanol in gasoline this summer.
After he finished his remarks, Biden mingled with a couple dozen guests at the facility, none of whom notified him of the unsightly addition to his attire.
Biden’s trip was booked to announce an Environmental Protection Agency rule change allowing gas with 15% ethanol to be sold after June 1 — when ethanol in gas is ordinarily limited to 10% due to smog concerns — as annual inflation spiked in March after trending higher for months.
Biden blamed price spikes on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine despite the fact that consumer costs were already creeping higher over the past year — which critics blame on Biden’s policies and ramped-up government spending.
A poll released Sunday by CBS found that about 69% of US adults disapprove of Biden’s handling of inflation. Even among Democrats, 41% disapprove of the president’s response.
The president stepped on his own message Tuesday by speaking of how his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law might lower food costs by improving locks on the Mississippi River — before admitting he was growing tired of listening to his own speech.
Human beings also protested Biden’s arrival in the state that President Donald Trump carried by more than 8 percentage points in 2020.
A flock of Trump supporters greeted Biden’s motorcade with banners that said “TRUMP 2020/2024,” “F— BIDEN” and “LGB,” an apparent abbreviation of the anti-Biden phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” according to a pool report.