During a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior tech company executives on Friday, President Joe Biden made a lighthearted comment, jokingly stating that he had “sold a lot of state secrets” and “a lot of very important things.”
The remark came at the beginning of the meeting when Biden, addressing the attendees, expressed gratitude and humorously remarked, “I was just thanking, uh, uh, anyway… I started off without you, and I sold a lot of state secrets and a lot of very important things that we shared.”
The comment elicited laughter from Modi, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others present, Mediate reported.
President Biden quickly clarified that he was joking, emphasizing the light-hearted nature of his remark.
He then proceeded to highlight and praise the strong technology partnership between the United States and India.
Biden’s remarks stirred controversy among Republicans on social media following the release of a clip by the RNC.
The clip, which only included a portion of Biden’s statement without the subsequent clarification that he was joking, led to an outcry and amplified the backlash from Republican circles.
Written by staff
B.C. Begley 