With President Biden out of public view for a second straight day following terrorist atrocities in Israel, a White House spokesman opted to go after Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Monday after she discussed how 2024 GOP hopefuls were responding to the war in Israel.
McDaniel had suggested over the weekend that GOP aspirants had a “great opportunity” to show leadership on foreign policy after the Hamas attack led to the slaughter of more than 1,000 people — including at least nine US citizens.
“While apparently some individuals like Ronna McDaniel consider this loss of life and pain a ‘great opportunity,’ most Americans see it as a horrific tragedy,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.
Bates added: “No one can ever welcome this kind of hideous behavior or try to divide our country when we need to be united.”
As of Monday afternoon, Biden had made no statement — either on-camera or otherwise — about the loss of American life in the attack or the reports that Americans are among those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
McDaniel’s Saturday remarks came after Fox News aired a package showing the 2024 Republican contenders criticizing Biden’s Middle East policy.
“I think this is a great opportunity for our candidates to contrast where Republicans have stood with Israel, time and time again, and Joe Biden has been weak,” McDaniel said.
“And when America is weak, the world is less safe. We’re seeing this not just with the war in Ukraine and with an emboldened China, but now with an attack on Israel.”
The RNC accused liberal critics Monday of distorting McDaniel’s comments.
“The RNC and Chairman McDaniel have long been fierce advocates for Israel, its people, and condemned the attacks immediately,” spokesperson Emma Vaughn told The Post.
“It’s despicable that the media is twisting Chairman McDaniel’s words and providing cover for Democrats that have repeatedly attacked Israel’s right to exist.”
On Saturday, Palestinian terrorist group Hamas unleashed a torrent of widespread attacks on the Jewish state, seemingly catching defense and intelligence officials off guard.
At least 1,000 Israelis have died in the carnage, with the State Department confirming that at least nine Americans are also among the dead.
Hamas has also taken at least 100 hostages into Gazan territory, and Americans are believed to be among that number as well.
Biden has not appeared in public since Saturday afternoon, when he gave a three-minute on-camera statement denouncing the terrorist attack and reaffirming US support for Israel.
“Like President Biden said in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu the morning of these horrific terrorist attacks, the United States’ support for Israel as it defends itself is ‘rock solid and unwavering,'” Bates said.
McDaniel, like many Republicans, slammed the White House for agreeing to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil assets last month as part of a prisoner swap.
“Let’s not forget that it was on 9/11 — just less than a month ago, when Joe Biden refused to go to any of the 9/11 sites — that he announced that he was giving $6 billion to Iran,” McDaniel said Saturday.
White House officials have insisted that Iran has not yet received any of that money, which is intended for humanitarian purposes only.
Iran is a backer of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups in the region who have mobilized against Israel.