President Joe Biden was being compared to Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy – known for reading the teleprompter verbatim – when he said ‘end of quote’ in a speech Tuesday.
Biden gave remarks before departing for Thanksgiving vacation, where he sought to reassure Americans about rising gas prices, supply chain issues, and the availability of holiday presents.
‘And, by the way, you may have heard the CEO of Walmart yesterday on the steps we’ve taken. He said, and I quote, “The combination of private enterprise and government working together has been really successful,”‘ the president said.
‘He went on to say, “All the way through the supply chain there’s a lot of innovation, because of the actions we’ve taken things have begun to change,” end of quote,’ Biden added.
While Biden has used similar language in the past to indicate that he’s quoting someone else – especially after a plagiarism speech scandal knocked him out of the 1988 presidential race – The right-wing Daily Caller, Politico and other outlets compared the president to Burgundy, who famously uttered the near-career-ending phrase, ‘go f**k yourself, San Diego,’ when it was entered in the prompter.
President Joe Biden was being compared to Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy – known for reading the teleprompter verbatim – when he said ‘end of quote’ in a speech Tuesday
Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy (left) was known for reading the teleprompter verbatim and famously uttered the near-career-ending phrase, ‘go f**k yourself, San Diego,’ when it was entered in the prompter
Biden once again sought to speak to reassure Americans who are focused on inflation or worried about the state of the economy – referencing mothers and fathers who are ‘asking will there be enough food we can afford to buy for the holidays. Will we be able to get Christmas presents to the kids on time and if so, will they cost me an arm and a leg?’
He made sure to show he is in tune to concerns about gas prices – including on the West Coast where they face high taxes.
‘Right now, I will do what needs to be done to reduce the price you pay at the pump,’ he said, touting a new action to release 50 million gallons from a strategic petroleum reserve.
‘Families can rest easy – grocery stores are well-stocked with turkey and everything else you need for Thanksgiving,’ he said.
He also spoke to supply chain issues, mentioning meetings with Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and other retailers.
He cited a 33 per cent drop in the time container ships were sitting on docks and said major retailers ‘have confirmed that their shelves will be well stocked in stores this holiday season.’ He called it ‘good news’ for parents worried about whether ‘everything from ‘bicycles to ice skates’ will be available.
Biden spoke for more than 11 minutes – but once again did not take questions from White House reporters.
The White House took other steps to make reporters comfortable – piping in jazz standards by Dexter Gordon and Dave…
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