Biden Riles China with War Comment; 60 Minutes Reporter Stunned by His 'Hardly at All' Inflation Response

Benjamin Gill
09-19-2022

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President Biden made some surprising statements in a new interview on issues ranging from inflation to war with China to whether or not he'll run for re-election.

In a wide-ranging interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, Biden gave some eye-opening responses to Scott Pelley's questions. 

A SECOND TERM?

When Pelley asked if he will seek a second term, Biden replied, "It's too early to make that kind of decision."

"I'm a great respecter of fate, and so what I'm doing is I'm doing my job and I'm going to do that job and within the time frame that makes sense after this next election cycle going into next year, make a judgment of what to do," Biden said.

Pelley followed up with, "You say it's much too early to make that decision. I take it the decision has not been made in your own head."

"Look, my intention as I said to begin with, is to run again, but it's just an intention. Is it a firm decision, that I would run again? That remains to be seen," he replied.

WAR WITH CHINA

Turning to the possibility of war with China, Biden also raised eyebrows with his comment on U.S. support for Taiwan if China attacks, reportedly departing from an official U.S. policy of not commenting on whether the U.S. will send military forces.

When asked if U.S. forces would defend the island, Biden said, "Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack..." 

Pelley pressed further, "So, unlike Ukraine, to be clear, sir, U.S. forces, U.S. men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion?" 

"Yes," Biden replied.

China's communist regime claims Taiwan belongs to them, but Taiwan is an independent country.

The Chinese foreign ministry has lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. over Biden's remarks.

60 Minutes announced after the interview that it needed to clarify the president's remarks, tweeting, "President Biden tells 60 Minutes that U.S. men and women would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. However, after our interview, a White House official told us that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed."

Critics still see cause for concern. 

Media analyst Dan Gainor tweeted, "If Biden is going to commit us to a war for Taiwan, we should be sending Taiwan so much equipment that Hank Johnson thinks it will tip over."

INFLATION

Another major topic of the interview also seemed to raise eyebrows - inflation. The cost of living is more than 8% higher than it was last year, and Americans are struggling to keep up as the cost of some basic necessities has skyrocketed.

Pelley asked, “People are shocked by their grocery bills. What can you do better and faster?”

Biden seemed to dismiss the inflation concerns saying, "Inflation rate month to month was just up an inch, hardly at all."

Pelley replied, "You're not arguing 8.3% (inflation) is good news?"

Biden said, "You're acting like all of a sudden 'my God it went to 8.2%'" 

"It's the highest rate in 40 years," Pelley pointed out.

Watch the clip here:

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About The Author

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Benjamin
Gill

Benjamin Gill oversees internet and social media content as the Multimedia Manager for CBNNews.com. He has been on staff with CBN News as an internet and broadcast producer since 2000. Here are some of his commentaries and articles: Pursuing Truth in a World of Fake News: Reflections of a Christian Journalist After 20 Years with CBN News Plagues, the End Times, and Trusting in God's Protection: 'You Will Hear Us and Rescue Us' 12 Powerful Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Fight Fear During the Coronavirus Crisis 'Beasts of Darkness': The Satanic Hatred that Possessed Connor Betts, and What
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