‘DON’T REPEAT THIS’

Biden Threatens ‘Come to Jesus Moment’ for Netanyahu on Hot Mic

The president made the remarks to a group of lawmakers before being interrupted by an aide who reminded him that was he was on a hot mic.

U.S. President Joe Biden was recorded saying he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu they are going to have a “come to Jesus moment” in a conversation on the sidelines of the State of the Union address on Thursday. “I told him: ‘Bibi, and don’t repeat this, you and I are going to have a come to Jesus moment,” Biden whispered to a group of lawmakers who had gathered around him—including Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)—after his main address. During the conversation, the president was interrupted by an aide who warned him that he was a “hot mic,” to which Biden responded “Good. That’s good.” The hot mic moment comes as tensions between Netanyahu and Biden have reached an all-time high, exacerbated by the high civilian death toll of Israel’s war in Gaza, Netanyahu’s total rejection of Palestinian statehood, and recent meetings between top U.S. officials and Netanyahu’s main political rival, Israeli minister Benny Gantz.