Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary, refuted claims that President Joe Biden checked his watch during a ceremony honoring soldiers who died in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. According to an excerpt from her book “Say More,” Psaki clarified that Biden only glanced at his watch after the ceremony had ended, despite images and videos suggesting otherwise. This clarification comes in response to criticism from Republicans and former President Donald Trump’s team.
“The president looked at his watch only after the ceremony had ended. Moments later, he and the First Lady headed toward their car,” Psaki writes in her boo.
Psaki then went on to try and turn the attention to those who noticed Biden checking his watch, saying they “appear insensitive, concerned only about how much time had passed,” Axios reported.
The assertion made in the book is in direct contradiction with multiple fact checks conducted in September 2021. These fact checks reveal that the president checked his watch on several occasions during both the dignified transfer of the soldiers and the ceremony. USA Today specifically points out that Biden did indeed check his watch at the conclusion of the dignified transfer, but also did so during the ceremony. The Associated Press (AP) captured two photos just ten minutes apart, showing Biden checking his watch during the ceremony, as reported by USA Today.
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY:
Joe Biden shamefully checks his watch during the dignified transfer of the 13 servicemembers killed in his botched Afghanistan withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/tEHnrMmapi
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 29, 2023
“A video from C-SPAN shows Biden checking his watch once, near the end of the dignified transfer ceremony,” USA Today’s fact check writes.
“Footage leading up to the moment, which was widely shared on social media, shows Biden with his hand over his heart for about 30 seconds as vans carried the service members’ remains off the tarmac. After the vans left, Biden closed his eyes briefly before dropping his arms and glancing down at his watch,” the fact check continues.
There were also several eyewitness accounts who caught Biden’s blunder:
“While I stood there on the tarmac watching you check your watch over and over again, all I wanted to do was shout out, ‘It’s two fucking thirty, asshole,’” Mark Schmitz, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, said.