Joe Biden snapped at an interrupting climate heckler to “shush up” before telling him he would meet the man “immediately after” his speech.
President Biden, 80, was speaking at an event in Arizona on Thursday where he gave remarks about protecting democracy while honouring John McCain, who served as a Democratic senator from Arizona for more than 20 years until his death in 2018.
But events took a dramatic turn when the climate change protester, who identified himself as Kai Newkirk, began demanding the president declare a national emergency on the climate crisis.
Newkirk, the founder and president of For All, is seen in the video interrupting the 80-year-old in Arizona and yelling: “Why have you yet to declare a climate emergency? Hundreds of Arizonans have died.”
“We need you to use your full powers to confront this crisis. And keep your promise. Keep your promise. No new drilling on [federal lands]. Why have you yet to declare a climate emergency?”
The climate protester is then confronted by security and dragged from the room, but still shouts: “Not practically but actually. We need your leadership. We need your leadership.”
Biden then responds: “If you shush up, I’ll meet with you immediately after this.” That response was met with applause from the crowd at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
Following his interaction with the president, Newark in a statement to Fox News Digital: “I couldn’t hear President Biden’s offer to meet as folks yelled at me, but I would gladly have accepted and still do if the offer stands.
“I ask him to honour his offer to meet with me and with climate scientists and frontline leaders calling on him to use his full powers to confront what he himself calls an ‘existential threat’.”
He added in a press release: “Love and truth leave us no moral choice but to continue organizing nonviolent direct action until President Biden uses his full powers to solve this existential crisis.
“This starts with declaring a climate emergency and keeping his promises on phasing out fossil fuels.”
The bizarre exchange comes after Biden suffered another humiliating disaster live on stage after botching a speech in the latest in a series of verbal blunders.
The 80-year-old has been at the centre of a host of gaffes in recent weeks as critics increasingly question his age and ability to run in the upcoming presidential election.
During a speech to the Pacific Island leaders at a White House forum on Monday, he got completely stumped as he was trying to dictate the abbreviation of his administration’s initiative.
Biden told the round table of leaders: “Today I’m pleased to announce we’re working with Congress to invest $40 billion in our Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative.
“We call it the P, PI — anyways, it doesn’t matter what we call it but that’s what it is.” Laughter can be heard from some of those gathered at the 18-member forum.
The president continued: “I was gonna get back to acronyms and I’m gonna withstand not doing that.”
