Republicans were wrong when they criticized Biden for not shooting down the Chinese spy balloon sooner. It turns out that Biden gave the order on Wednesday, and the military was waiting until it was safe.
Video:
Biden says he told Pentagon to shoot down #ChineseSpyBalloon on Wednesday, ” I told them to shoot it down…On Wednesday. They said to me, let’s wait until the safest play to do it. ” pic.twitter.com/1Sy6iQ0ess
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 4, 2023
Biden said, “Wednesday when I was briefed on the balloon, I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible. They decided, without doing damage to anyone on the ground, they decided that the best time to do that was as it got over water within a 12-mile limit. They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it, and we’ll have more to report on this a little later.”
When he was asked by reporters if he ordered the Chinese spy balloon to be shot down, the President said, “I told them to shoot it down.”
President Biden is making it very clear to China that he will not be messed with. It was a very important message to send to the Chinese and other rivals and adversaries that this President will protect the nation.
Republicans have been complaining that Biden should have shot the balloon down sooner, but the smart and safe thing to do was to wait until falling debris no longer posed a threat to life or property.
Biden handled this the right way, and all of the complaining that Republicans have been doing over the last two days has crumbled as the President made a quick decision.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
