Global Courant
President Biden sat down for a recent interview in which he said the United States is running out of 155mm artillery ammunition, sparking outrage and competency questions from conservatives on social media.
During the interview, which aired Sunday morning, Biden defended his administration for sending cluster munitions to Ukraine as a “transition period” until more munitions are produced.
“This is a war related to ammunition. And that ammunition is running out, and we’re running out of it,” Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “And so, what I finally did, I took the Defense Department recommendation to — not permanently — but to allow this transitional period while we get more 155 weapons, these grenades, for the Ukrainians.”
Reactions on social media ranged from confused to outraged as conservative pundits and pundits alike wondered why Biden announced the US deficit during a nationally televised interview that would be seen by opponents.
President Joe Biden, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)
RFK JR BLASTS BIDEN FOR SENDING CLUSTER BOMBS TO UKRAINE A YEAR AFTER PSAKI SAID IT ‘MAY BE A WAR CRIME’
“I love when the president of America goes on CNN to tell everyone that we’re running out of ammunition,” noted political operative Logan Dobson.
“Joe Biden broadcasts to the world that the US is running out of 155mm shells,” tweeted conservative communicator Steve Guest. “Moron. Does Biden not care that our opponents in China are listening?”
“In a CNN interview, President Biden is not very clear, but he seems to be saying that the US is sending cluster munitions to Ukraine because we are out of 155mm artillery ammunition to send them,” wrote Byron York of the Washington Examiner. “It seems clear that this undermines the willingness of the US to defend itself.”
UKRAINE HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN THE WAR AGAINST PUTIN WITH CUSTOM-BUILT AI: ‘UNKNOWN TEST PLACE’
A White House official appeared to back down Biden’s comment that the United States is running out of ammunition when asked to comment on criticism in response to Biden’s interview on CNN.
“The military has specific requirements for the number of weapons systems and ammunition we have in our reserves in case of emergencies or military conflict,” a White House official said in an email to Fox News Digital. “Everything we send to Ukraine is more than that. So the US itself is out of ammunition.”
“Joe Biden wasn’t supposed to say the silent part out loud, ‘We’re out of ammunition.’ But now that the cat is out of the bag, one has to wonder if continued support for the Ukrainian military is even feasible as the conflict continues,” commented political commentator Ian Miles Cheong.
“The purpose of the proxy war was to weaken Russia,” tech entrepreneur David Sacks tweeted. “But the US was the first to run out of ammunition. So who weakens whom?’
Biden’s opponent in the Democratic presidential race, Robert Kennedy Jr., lashed out at Biden on Twitter on Saturday after giving his administration the go-ahead to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.
“Last year, WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the use of cluster bombs a ‘war crime.’ Now President Biden plans to send them to Ukraine. Stop the relentless escalation! It’s time for peace,” Kennedy wrote in a tweet.
“Biden was also against cluster bombs in 1982, when he opposed selling them to Israel,” added Kennedy, who entered the White House race in April. separate tweet. “What happened to his conscience?”
This view shows residential buildings damaged by a military strike in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine, on April 16, 2022. (Reuters/Serhii Nuzhnenko)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The White House official also defended the government greenlighting cluster munitions for Ukraine, saying they wanted to make sure Ukraine is not left “defenseless”.
“We are authorizing cluster munitions to ensure that Ukraine is not left defenseless while we wait for our own domestic munitions production to be significantly ramped up, which we are currently doing, as are our allies and partners,” the official added. “This cluster munitions is a bridge as we are significantly increasing munitions production in the coming months – and will soon have much higher production levels.”
Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
