Outgoing United States President Joe Biden, while addressing the press briefing on California wildfires on Saturday (Jan 11), stunned onlookers by whistling in the Oval Office loudly to silence the questions asked by the reporters.
He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as the media asked questions about Ukraine and the Middle East, as per Daily Mail reports.
“Whoa, hey, I’ll talk later this afternoon about a number of things you’re asking about. But let’s focus on this issue now,” Biden said.
'Fire away': Biden's pun raises eyebrows
In another press briefing about the wildfires held on Thursday (Jan 9), the US president raised eyebrows as he told Vice President Kamala Harris, “I know you're directly affected, so you fire away.”
This drew a reaction from Harris as she looked at Biden with a stunned expression prompting the US president to add, “No pun intended.”
He then repeated this phrase several more times.
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Biden awkwardly announces 'good news' during sombre California wildfires briefing
Earlier, Biden awkwardly broke into announcing good news during the briefing on raging wildfires on Wednesday (Jan 8) where he told the reporters that he had become a great-grandfather.
The 82-year-old's granddaughter Naomi gave birth in Los Angeles.
“The good news is, I’m a great-grandfather as of today,” Biden said during a briefing on the blazes in the Pacific Palisades which have claimed the lives of five and left dozens homeless.
"I'll remember this day for a lot of reasons," Biden told the press.
Los Angeles has been struggling with multiple wildfires for several days, as winds of up to 100 miles (160 kilometres) per hour have spread flames.
The fires have so far claimed the lives of 16 people and destroyed 10,000 homes.
The wildfires are set to become the most expensive in US history, with economic losses estimated between $50 billion and $150 billion.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an independent investigation into why firefighters ran out of water early in the response, describing the situation as “deeply troubling.” Meanwhile, President Biden has warned that the death toll may rise, as many people remain unaccounted for.
(With inputs from agencies)