At a press conference on Monday, President Biden playfully shut down a veteran reporter for asking an irrelevant question, calling the reporter a “pain in the neck.”
Biden called for questions surrounding the U.S. military in Iraq. Kelly O’Donnell, a reporter for NBC News instead took the opportunity to ask about the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) vaccine mandate, as the government begins mandating vaccines for certain groups.
Biden confirmed that the VA would be requiring that doctors working in their facilities get their COVID vaccination. He said, with slight frustration, “You are such a pain in the neck. But I’m going to answer your question because we’ve known each other for so long. It has nothing to do with Iraq.”
O’Donnell responded: “I take that as a compliment, Mr. President,” which earned a laugh from Biden himself. O’Donnell later took to Twitter to reflect on the lighthearted exchange, writing, “The president called me a “pain in the neck” (with a smile) as I pressed him on a NEW mandate for doctors at @DeptVetAffairs hospitals to get the COVID vaccine. He did not respond when I pressed if there would be further federal required vaccines.”
