Earlier this week, Baby Doocy asked Miss Jen if Pres. Joe Biden has ever been to the southern border. Psaki wasn't sure, but invited him to explain why he was asking. This led to Doocy explaining how compassionate and informed Biden is, and wouldn't that seem to suggest he should visit? Psaki reassured him that the president has a team of very competent people who keep him super informed, and he isn't exactly needed there at the moment.
Today, Doocy asked the exact same question AGAIN. Again, Psaki tried to get him to explain why Biden should go in the first place.
"What would you like him to do at the southern border, and what impact do you think that would have on the policies?" she asked.
He refused to answer that (because he doesn't know) and instead, simply reworded his original question.
"Why doesn't he want to go?"
"I don't think it's an issue of him not wanting to go. I think it's an issue of what's most constructive to address what we see as a challenging situation at the border, and a broken immigration system," she explained. "And his view is that the most constructive role we can play is by helping to push immigration reform forward, help reform the broken policies of the last several years, and listening to his team of advisors who have been to the border multiple times about what the path forward should look like."
The president cannot be everywhere at once, Peter. He must prioritize.
"Why is this the one crisis, then, that he thinks he can manage better from here, without having seen it, than going to the southern border and seeing it?" Doocy whined.
Well, Peter, perhaps it's not the "crisis" you're making it out to be. Also, consider that his reason for visiting places might not for the purposes of "managing" them, but rather to lift morale and see circumstances first-hand. The real question is, who are the people with whom Doocy wants Biden to connect? Something tells me it isn't the migrants, but the white people in the towns along the border who make up Fox's audience. White grievance is their love language.
If I had to place my bets, though, and Biden did indeed visit the southern border, I imagine him visiting first with people seeking refuge and asylum — to see if their needs are being met, to make sure they aren't being abused by ICE agents and CBP. Increasingly it seems THAT might be a good idea. Biden could even give Doocy credit for the idea.
