President Joe Biden appeared to snap at a reporter by calling her a “pain in the neck” after she had asked him a question.
On Monday, the 46th US President held a White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
Following the discussions, President Biden took questions related to the current situation in the Middle East and the country’s relationship with Iraq from the reporters who were present during the meeting.
After reporters began leaving the White House room, Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News appeared to upset the president by asking him about the new mandate that will require all Veterans Affairs medical staff to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
Responding to the reporter’s inquiry, Biden said: “You are such a pain in the neck, but I’m going to answer your question because we’ve known each other so long.”
After O’Donnell said she’d take that as a compliment, Biden chuckled before confirming that “Veteran Affairs is going to in fact require that all docs working in facilities are going to have to be vaccinated.”
Pushing the matter further, O’Donnell then asked the president whether Covid-19 vaccine requirements will also extend to other federal agencies and employees. Biden, however, reportedly did not respond to the follow-up question.
The White House meeting followed shortly after the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a mandate requiring all of its healthcare workers to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
By doing so, the VA became the first US federal agency to issue such a mandate. Affected by the mandate are some 115,000 employees who will now be required to get the jab or face being fired from their job.
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