Antony Blinken, centre, appears to wince during his president's latest media outing, in which he called Xi Jinping a dictator
With the outbreak of war in the Middle East and a new detente in the US’s relationship with China, Joe Biden is facing the most difficult period of international diplomacy in his career.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the US president faced questions on his relationship with Xi Jinping, whom he met in San Francisco, and ongoing negotiations over hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.
As he declared the Chinese premier was a “dictator” – a descriptor Mr Xi is known to hate – and revealed “too much detail” about the negotiations, others in the room squirmed.
Revealing talks about a pause in fighting that “the Israelis have agreed to”, Mr Biden spotted the stony face of his secretary of state. “I’m giving too much detail,” he said. “I know, Mr Secretary, I’m going to stop. But I am mildly hopeful.”
Although Mr Biden acknowledged his response on the hostage negotiations made Mr Blinken uncomfortable, it is his comments about Mr Xi that appear to have done the most damage to America’s diplomatic efforts.
The Biden-Xi summit in San Francisco, their first in a year, was designed to improve top-level relations between the two countries and promote cooperation on climate change, tensions in the South China Sea, and halting the export of fentanyl ingredients from China.
But in response to a question about whether he thought the Chinese premier was a dictator, Mr Biden said: “Well, look, he’s a dictator in the sense that he is a guy who runs a country that is a Communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours.”
The Chinese foreign ministry hit back, calling the comments “extremely erroneous” and an “irresponsible political manoeuvre, which China firmly opposes”.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, dodged a question about what impact the comments could have on relations.
“The president comes away from the meeting yesterday feeling very good about the content of the discussions over the course of four hours, in the progress that we were able to make on some very significant fronts,” he said.
The incident reflects wider concerns about Mr Biden’s public comments during tense negotiations over the war in Israel.
Last month, the president mistakenly called for a ceasefire in Gaza – something the US administration does not support — before correcting himself on camera to call for hostages to be released.
On Oct 11, four days after Hamas’s terror attack, Mr Biden said he “never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children”. The White House was forced to issue a correction explaining that his comments were based on claims by Israel, not independent US intelligence.
The following week, as Mr Biden struggled to answer questions about a mass shooting in Maine, Mr Blinken could be seen standing behind the president looking visibly uncomfortable.
There has been speculation that Mr Biden has been intentionally kept away from the cameras during a period of tense diplomacy, amid fears the gaffe-prone president could make his officials’ work even harder.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, Mr Biden has made relatively few public statements and has largely stuck to scripted interventions from the White House, rather than press conferences.
Most high-profile interviews about the war have been conducted by Mr Blinken, a veteran diplomat, while day-to-day communications have been handled by national security officials such as Mr Kirby and Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, rather than by Karine Jean-Pierre, Mr Biden’s press secretary.
With relations between the US and China at a crossroads and negotiations ongoing in the Middle East, Mr Biden may find himself addressing the media less and less in the coming months.
Antony Blinken's hard work 'down the drain' after Joe Biden's response to dictator question
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s hard work with China went “down the drain” after Joe Biden’s response to a question on whether the President would still call Xi Jinping a dictator, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer says.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the APEC summit to discuss ways to manage strategic competition between the two global superpowers and improve lines of communication.
At the end of a press briefing on Wednesday, local time, President Biden was asked if he'd continue labelling his Chinese counterpart as a dictator, a term he'd used earlier in the year.
“Well, look, he is," he said.
"I mean, he's a dictator in the sense that he is the guy who runs a country that is a communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours anyway (inaudible)”.
A Chinese Foreign Minister spokesperson said the comments were “extremely incorrect and irresponsible political manipulation”.
@sideman7117 1天前
Never forget what Obummer said about Sleazy Joe: “Never underestimate Joe’s ability to f*** things up.” I don’t agree with Obummer on much, but that statement has proven to be true—time and time again.
@daz7122 1天前
Thought Blinken was gonna throw his shoe at Biden.
@Venim85 5小時前
Make Shoe Great Again
@AmaranthAcademy-ni2xq 1天前
Blinken feels worse that China was criticized, than for all the pain he and the administration he works for have brought to America...
@emilyhrabowskie5598 1天前
Blinkin was cringing before Biden could get a word out of his mouth.
@thomasformanek465 1天前
It's not wise to call your boss a dictator.
@khooboobeng2184 1天前（修改過）
no wonder mr xi did not want to take his call. This uncalled for and irresponsible action speaks for in itself.
@zachariahbarber5794 1天前
Can't say it enough.. " Bidens ability to F things up"
@mike48931 1天前
I imagine Blinken is very unhappy. This administration has put one hell of a mess in his lap since day one.
@bernkoh343 1天前
China prepare to dump another 1 trillion USD..????All credit goes to Biden.
@beatwafler9573 1天前
Antony Blinken man of the year. The most famous facial expression this year . What a honest man .
@thosearentpillows5638 1天前
Right up there with Richard Sherman.
@MJ-cl1dm 1天前
Thanks to his boss. What an embarrassment to even the non-Americans the world over. You are slapping your own face.
@rykwon4535 1天前
That face is truly the embodiment of the Biden presidency ????
@TerryKnight-hw3pg 17小時前
Blinken is no poker player.
@derfzus1040 1天前
Blinken's expression was 'Aw Shit!'
@jimdandy7323 1天前
A. Blinken deflated faster than a chinese spy balloon when Clueless said dictator...
@johnwalker3620 1天前
Did you really expect anything more from Biden? What has he not failed in! I will breathe a sigh of relief when is out of our WH!
@allgood5780 1天前（修改過）
This White House is smoking some bad stuff. Blinken's face says: no, no, no, tell me he didn't say that.
@scottrobinson3281 1天前
Biden will learn, you don't insult your boss and get away with it. (No matter how true the statement was).
@eliso5973 1天前
We have different definition of what is dictator. If you ask people in China, most of them will say Xi is not a dictator.
@DOWNUNDER. 1天前
Re : blinken hard work.
If by hard work you mean lie.
Blinken is working his ass off and always has
@tonycameneti1608 1天前
It takes a dictator to recognise a dictator
@cherylfranklin7382 1天前
I guess Joe has never heard the saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you"?
@istiaqmujibtafader7366 17小時前
Thanks to dedicated diplomatic efforts by the US, the leaders of both countries, the US and China, convened in person after a year to enhance their challenging relationship. After engaging in a direct conversation, Biden once again commented on Xi's leadership style, which was perceived as lacking diplomatic etiquette and deviating from the customary diplomatic protocols. The video captures Antony Blinken's unease in response to President Biden's characterization of Xi as a dictator, which differs from the prudent approach upheld on the same day.
@RG-zt2og 21小時前
We in the west will only be alright when we stop thinking this way, other countries being dictatorships or democracies should not be our business at all, also seeking regime changes in other countries in order to (dictate democracy on others) will totally kill the purpose of democracy in the eyes of other nations.
@obi-wankedogi 1天前
you should've put Blinkens' hard work in quotations.
@Lionking-tl5nv 1天前
Honest answer from biden but it was very funny????????????
@Ironmind10 1天前
Blinkens response was classic! His guy????
@ebubejamesoriehi2921 1天前
Blinken's reaction is one for the ages????
@pennyrichards6585 1天前
Tho one thing Obama sed that was 100% accurate quote ( Joe can fuc# anything up ) !
@absoluteit1614 1天前
Joe is a disgrace & and he's hilarious at the same time ????
@GIN.356.A 22小時前
At that moment, Tony B thought "Hey, maybe working for the Chinese might not be such a bad idea afterall"
@rule3039 1天前
Blinken was shiting himself himself even before the question was asked.
@philiptan2051 11小時前
Blinken was already extremely nervous during the summit as he was staring at Biden tensed and in constant fear that his boss would say a “bad” word, and indeed minutes later when he thought “we have made it”, the disaster came like an atomic bomb fell on his lap as his face turned wrinkled from left to right and his hands clutched together when he heard a devastating thunder has just hit his eardrum. Poor Blinken.
@NetiHidayat-pi6cm 1天前
Blinken merasa frustasi dengan jawaban biden????
@MrDedvalson 1天前
2 steps away from not screwing it up! Please keep walking Joe????????????????
@motorsportfreak1 1天前（修改過）
He doesn’t know what’s going on anymore. Even if it is true this was a moment diplomacy was needed for the world’s sake. Old Joey going off scripts.
Not a Democrat supporter but Blinken does work very hard and is schooled well in the art of diplomacy. Unscripted/unmanaged Joe is such a risk. It happens all the time as he’s so far mentally gone.
@ciarankelly4338 1天前
Poor Blinken- Joe just screwed it all up again!
@gppjkt2161 1天前
Wang Yi: bro, what the???? hell's your boss doing? Blinken: oh no.. what else can I do?
@timwilson3150 1天前
That stroll at the end is classic. Biden can’t speak Chinese and Xi Ping can’t speak English yet it looks like they’re having a conversation. Seriously?
@user-ks6ou3tz4y 1天前
After all the hard work by Anthony Blinken , Biden has just flashed it in the toilet ????
@SacredOwl 1天前
and mashed potato brains is going to run again?
@rahulsls 1天前
I feel sorry for Antony Blinken
@user-hp1xd4oh5w 22小時前
I’m sorry for blinken ???????????????? all those hard work he did!!????????????????
@Gary-btme 22小時前
The foreign policy guy? The world is in crumbles !!!
@user-sn6we8nj5x 9小時前
After Blinken did all hard work measuring the grass height and buying the right flowers, it takes just a few seconds for his boss to flush all his work into the toilet. I fell sorry for him -- this happened to me too :(
@20greeneyes20 1天前
Somebody Needs To Create An
A I Biden. It Could do a better job I'm sure of it.
@NoOne-tg9tk 1天前
Blinken looks like he's gonna Burst out crying in frustration when he's with Biden
@paulhaube 12小時前
Blinken’s face is memorable. Tells all.
@gtfivehundred1521 1天前
Im sure Xi was in town to sign the contract on his purchase of half of California
@xenia4479 1小時前
Was Blinken the one who had his security guys load his bicycle into the SUV and then unloaded it a couple of blocks from the Capitol so that Blinken could make it look like he rode his bike to work every day? ????
@MrPrgomes777 1天前
Blinken- "oh god i work for a complete moron"
@anksssssssss 1天前（修改過）
It's all blinkin's fault , they should have updated script given on dictator question to Biden , Biden just repeated the script he was given weeks back
