By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-23 23:10:35 | Updated at 2024-09-30 15:38:20
6 days ago
President Joe Biden flexed his authority Monday and overruled his staff – on stage directions for a White House photo-op.
Biden, who is overseeing a military buildup in the Middle East amid rising tensions there, remarked Monday about how his aides sometimes try to fence him in, but called an audible anyway during a light-hearted event with Gotham FC at the White House.
It was the first-ever White House event with the winner of the National Women’s Soccer League.
When it came time for the traditional photo-op with the 2023 champs, Biden remarked: 'I thought when I got to be president I'd get to do things that I want to do, but my staff tells me what I can't do.'
The crowd's chuckles turned to coos when he announced his decision. 'Anyway, all the young women, young kids out there, come on up and do this with me,' he said, exercising his authority and enjoying the opportunity to take a few liberties now that he is no longer his party's candidate for reelection.
That brought a new take on the traditional sports team snap, where the president holds up a customized jersey with the championship team.
Biden said his staff tells him 'what I can't do,' but elected to call children onto the stage for a photo-op with FC Gotham anyway
This time, he was flanked by young children, with the powerhouse team, also a contender for 2024 thanks to a playoff birth, arrayed behind him.
After greeting kids individually who were in the audience, Biden and the team posed.
When the event began, Biden singled out part co-owners Phil and Tammy Murphy, saying the New Jersey governor and first lady were on a trade mission abroad and couldn't be there.
Then he noted the presence of New Jersey Sen. George Helmy, who was sworn in weeks ago after Sen. Robert Menendez was convicted on corruption charges.
‘George, you don’t get to take the trophy home,’ Biden joked to the lawmaker, who was seated in the front row in the East Room, with the gleaming trophy on a table placed in front of the victorious team. It wasn’t clear if the comment had anything to do with ‘gold bar’ Menendez.
The president invited children to come on stage after the event
Biden greeted Ali Krieger, former member of the Gotham FC and the team's ambassdor
'It was super rewarding,' said former team captain Ali Krieger
Biden hailed the team and vouched for his interest in women's soccer and the rise of women's sports generally. ‘There were doubts about turning things around,’ Biden told the team. ‘But you never gave up, never gave up, and you kept the faith, as my mother would say.’
Biden himself appears to revel in such events, now that he decided to hang up his own political cleats after his performance in a televised debate against Donald Trump.
‘In my family we have an advantage: all the women are smarter than all the men,’ Biden told the crowd at one point.
He wasn't the only member of the White House team who was a fan. When it was over, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Office Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young came to the podium of the briefing room with team members.
FC Gotham ambassador Ali Krieger, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, told DailyMail.com she had a short conversation with Biden before the event.
'He remembers us coming in 2015 and he remembered me coming with the national team to celebrate the World Cup win ... It was super rewarding,' she said.
Krieger, who got her start in DC's Virginia suburbs, indicated that players steered clear of political pitches. 'He was just saying hopefully we can continue to inspire our generation to want to just be better and do more,' she said.
'It's always an honor and a privilege to be invited to the White House, especially on an occasion like this on behalf of winning a championship,' said team forward Midge Purce, who also grew up near the White House in Silver Spring, Maryland.
