President Joe Biden is coming under criticism from Republican lawmakers for hosting a barbecue on Sunday as the war in Israel rages on, following Hamas’ surprise attack on Sunday.
The death toll on both sides of the conflict has surpassed 1,200 as Hamas and Israel continue to exchange fire. Following Saturday’s unprecedented attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and vowed to inflict an “unprecedented price.”
Biden has pledged his unwavering support for Israel, telling Netanyahu on Saturday that the U.S. stands “ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel.”
But after reports began circulating of Biden hosting a barbecue the day after the fighting broke out, some Republican lawmakers expressed concern about how seriously he is taking the situation in the Middle East.
According to a press pool report, the barbecue was held for White House Executive Residence
staff and their families and included a live band.
“Israel is under attack, Americans are being held hostage by Islamic-Nazi murders, the Middle East is unraveling & JOE BIDEN hosted a BBQ at the White House,” wrote Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). “This is the same man who left Americans behind in Afghanistan & was tracking time when our dead heroes returned home.”
“While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band,” posted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
At least nine Americans were killed in the attacks. Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer says Americans were also among the more than one hundred people taken hostage by Hamas.
Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) similarly joined the condemnation in a pair of posts on X, writing “I AM OVER THIS” and criticizing the Biden administration’s response time in condemning Hamas’ attack.
“Biden was briefed yesterday that 9 Americans had been murdered by Hamas. The administration knew yesterday that hundreds of Israelis had been murdered by Hamas,” Hunt added in a separate post. “And they still went on with their BBQ at the White House. Let that sink in.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters on Monday that Biden should “turn off the barbecue and speak to the American people.”
Other prominent conservative figures voiced their criticism as well, including commentator Katie Pavlich and Ron DeSantis’ rapid response director Christina Pushaw.
And Donald Trump Jr. weighed in Monday morning, writing: “Did Joe Biden have one or two scoops of ice cream at yesterday’s White House picnic as women and children were murdered and raped in Israel? I remember that used to be a big topic of discussion amongst the media.”
While Biden did not deliver a public statement on Israel on Sunday, Axios reported that he spoke to Netanyahu—who said that Israel has no choice but to respond with force and will have to mobilize into Gaza.
According to the report, Biden did not try to convince Netanyahu not to go through with a ground operation and asked about a scenario in which a second front is opened along the Lebanese border.
