Staff Reports
The White House was working hard to explain comments made by President Joe Biden about Japan’s stance on immigrants during a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. Biden’s statements came after he welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state visit at the White House. The campaign event where Biden spoke was mostly attended by Asian American donors.
Japan and India are two of our very stoutest and important allies. We should speak of them with respect, which they command and deserve.
Applying parochial progressive views to our allies is patronizing and foolish. https://t.co/zOGe4gqUKm
— Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby) May 2, 2024
During the event, Biden grouped Japan and India with Russia and China, asserting that all four nations were xenophobic and that their opposition to incoming migrants affected them economically. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned about Biden’s remarks while traveling with the president to North Carolina. She claimed that Biden was trying to contrast those countries with the United States’s acceptance of migrants, emphasizing that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants.
Reporters continued to press Jean-Pierre about why Biden used a “pejorative and negative word” to describe an ally, to which she reiterated that the U.S. is a country of immigrants and that this makes the nation stronger. She emphasized that the president has focused on diplomatic relationships with India and Japan over the last few years.
Overall, the Biden administration attempted to clarify the president’s comments by emphasizing the U.S.’s acceptance of immigrants and downplaying the potential negative impact on relations with Japan and India.
