Rep. Katie Porter Shuts Down Fox News Reporter’s Attack On Biden Without Breaking Stride
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Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) had a short, sharp response to a Fox News reporter who approached with a question about an unexpected root canal dental procedure that President Joe Biden underwent earlier this week.
Hillary Vaughn noted to Porter how Biden “had to take off work” for the treatment, then appeared to push the right-wing talking point that Biden isn’t fit for office when she asked: “Do you think he has the stamina for a second term?”
Porter, without breaking stride, replied: “Have you ever had a root canal?”
The moment went viral on Twitter, garnering millions of views.
Porter, who is running for Senate in the 2024 election, later shared a video of the exchange.
She wished Biden a “speedy recovery.”
Watch the clip here:
Wishing @JoeBiden a speedy recovery! 🦷 https://t.co/8PgOQ65eu7
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) June 14, 2023
Biden missed a scheduled appearance at a college athlete event at the White House on Monday and rescheduled a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for Tuesday.
He was not anesthetized for his dentist visit, so the power of the presidency did not temporarily transfer to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden was back at work on Tuesday and even joked about his root canal with Stoltenberg.
“I apologize for having to reschedule yesterday,” said the president. “I had a lot of fun yesterday afternoon. I had a little toothache problem they took care of.”
A root canal, which removes inflamed or infected pulp on the inside of the tooth, was in the past a painful procedure, the American Association of Endodontists acknowledges on its website. But modern techniques mean “you won’t experience any more pain than if you went to have a cavity filled,” the organization says.
