MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: President Biden sets up Zoom meeting all by himself
Best of Biden: Part 1 of 4
During the final four days of Joe Biden’s presidency, Battle Line is sharing four of our most popular stories that covered POTUS No. 46. Today’s story was originally published August 31, 2021.
President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan has attracted its share of criticism. However, it appears his approval ratings have steadied – if not even improved – after evidence has surfaced suggesting Biden at one point organized a Zoom meeting all by himself.
Multiple sources have now confirmed the findings and have even produced photographic evidence of the occasion (pictured above). Needless to say, this has gone a long way in restoring confidence in the 46th president and in America itself.
“Frankly, this is why I voted for him,” said Joanne Marte, 48, of Bar Harbor, Maine. “During times like these, America needs a leader who is cool under pressure, someone with a steady hand. Someone who can remember his username and password, set up the hyperlink, send a reminder email 24 hours in advance, and even take over host duties once the meeting begins. Now that's the kind of president the American people have been longing for.”
One report indicated that Biden wisely clicked ‘Save’ multiple times throughout the process, out of an abundance of caution. Still others have verified that he calmly reminded everyone to mute their phones when not speaking.
While the midterm elections are still 14 months away, most pundits agree the president’s handling of this situation has all but quashed Republican hopes of taking back the US House in 2022. Staffers for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) reluctantly confirmed they have heard the minority leader whimpering through his closed office door more than once.
Any notion, however, that the president’s perfect execution was guaranteed is far from accurate.
This has been a long road to hoe, and, in fact, some top advisors even urged the commander in chief to delegate the task of organizing Zoom meetings to someone else.
And they had legitimate reason for doubt. Besides the standard struggles of figuring out his computer’s camera, Biden would frequently nod off when it came time to inviting meeting guests. On another occasion, he made fun of a military general’s haircut, not realizing he had forgotten to mute his microphone. And then there were the several instances in which Biden would grab the mouse and aim it at the screen while saying, “What else is on?”
But despite these slip-ups, Biden, understanding the importance of portraying strength to the American people, chose to move forward on his solo mission. “Nobody said this was going to be easy,” said White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “But the president’s resolve never wavered. In the end, it was a resounding success.”
By and large, historians agree. “It’s still too early to know where this moment ranks in American history,” said author David McCullough. “But I don’t think it is a stretch to say it’s somewhere between Washington crossing the Delaware and the Confederate Army’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.”