Administration

White House knocks GOP attacks against Biden as a ‘clown carousel’

The White House on Wednesday criticized House Republicans for their attacks against President Biden, saying that their disjointed messaging about the president is a “clown carousel.”

“Instead of having a consistent, disciplined message, the congressional GOP’s public criticisms of the Biden-Harris Administration are now a fragmented grab-bag that runs the gamut from bizarrely opposing our fentanyl crackdowns to blasting us for trying to end rural poverty (not a joke, sadly),” the White House said in a memo from spokesperson Andrew Bates.

In a day, the memo said, Republicans will move from bashing drag queens to calling Biden old to calling Ukraine a U.S. adversary.

“By the time 4 o’clock shows up, it’s a game of mad libs with bizarre conspiracies about the President’s family and then something about ‘wokeness’ (we keep asking them what ‘wokeness’ is, but then they leave the chat),” the memo said. “Apparently, this clown carousel wasn’t weird enough. Now House Republicans are channeling their frustrated energy into a measured and purposeful urge to impeach… someone… somewhere… for something.”

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week signaled the House could move forward with an impeachment inquiry against Biden, though he made it clear no decision has been made. The House GOP has launched investigations into Biden’s family business dealings.


Hunter Biden was in a Delaware court Wednesday, where his plea deal — which has been criticized by Republicans — appeared to be on hold.


More on recent House GOP attacks against Biden from The Hill


The White House memo was titled “The message behind Republicans’ haphazard non-message: they can’t beat Bidenomics,” reflecting the Biden argument that the GOP is stepping up attacks on Hunter Biden and talk of impeachment because the economy is getting stronger and is now a less effective avenue for attack.

“[They] could keep telling the American people that they want to ship the new manufacturing jobs we’re delivering back overseas (we didn’t make it up — we couldn’t). I guess they could triple down on cutting Medicare benefits. Big constituency behind that one. Or the most likely: all of the above,” the memo said. “The bottom line is this. The subtitle to everything that makes up congressional Republicans’ disjointed message is this: ‘Bidenomics is working.’”

The Biden administration recently launched the term “Bidenomics” to tout its economic agenda, which includes boosting manufacturing and job creation.

The president and top officials have traversed the country in the past month to spread the message that Bidenomics has been a success because of low unemployment and falling inflation.