Fox White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, “Would you take a question on inflation … ? Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?”
“It’s a great asset — more inflation,” Biden deadpanned. “What a stupid son of a bitch.”
Doocy said on Fox late Monday evening that Biden called his phone shortly after their exchange to apologize for his remark. “Within about an hour of that exchange, he called my cell phone and he said, ‘It’s nothing personal, pal,'” Doocy said.
“He cleared the air, and I appreciated it. We had a nice call,” he added. Doocy said he told Biden he plans to continue asking him unexpected questions, and that the President responded positively to the comment.
Doocy had said on Fox earlier Monday that he had asked Biden about inflation because the President, when asked about Russia and Ukraine, said he wouldn’t take any questions that were off-topic.
Doocy also said other reporters “had to tell me that he said it because I couldn’t hear anything over the shouting from (White House staff telling press to leave the room).”
The President has grown increasingly frustrated when facing tough questions publicly in recent days.
When another Fox White House correspondent, Jacqui Heinrich, asked Biden why he was waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to make the first move with Ukraine, he responded under his breath, “What a stupid question.”
Earlier Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during a press briefing that “the President has shown that he respects the value of the freedom of the press.”
At the root of the frustrations toward the reporters are two major crises the Biden administration continues to deal with: addressing inflation and the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Just ahead of the President’s Monday meeting on lowering prices, Biden held a video conference with European leaders to discuss concerns over Russia’s troop build-up at Ukraine’s border.
The administration’s inflation problem has already had political consequences.
This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.
CNN’s Aaron Pellish, Kaitlan Collins and DJ Judd contributed to this report.
