Biden ignores China spy balloon, claims wife cheered on Philly sports brawl

President Biden said nothing about the Chinese spy balloon floating over the central US during a Friday speech in Philadelphia — instead going on a bizarre tangent claiming that first lady Jill Biden once cheered on a fistfight at a local hockey game.
“I’m Jill Biden’s husband. She’s a Philly girl. So the first thing I’m going to say is Go Eagles! Fly, Eagles, fly!” Biden said, alluding to the Feb. 12 Super Bowl between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The good news is I happened to mean it, but if I didn’t I’d say it,” the president added. “You know why? Otherwise I’d be sleeping alone.”
“As the mayor knows, she is one self-assured Philly fan,” Biden said of the first lady.
“My wife hates violence, she says. But I told [Sen.] Bobby Casey this: We went to a Flyers game a couple years ago … and the Secret Service is in a box next to us and anyway, and there’s a fight that breaks out and my wife, who hates violence, goes, ‘Hit ’em! Get ’em!’ She was jumping up and the Secret Service looked [like], ‘Where the heck did that come from?’”
President Biden said first lady Jill Biden shouted “hit ’em” during a fight. AFP via Getty Images
Biden didn’t mention the Chinese spy balloon floating over sensitive US sites. AP
The first lady’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The Bidens attended Flyers games during his vice presidency, meaning it’s possible the account is true — though the 80-year-old president has a habit of sharing false, unverifiable or embellished personal anecdotes while attempting to establish a connection to his audiences.
Biden shared the tale during an event on lead pipes with Vice President Kamala Harris. AFP via Getty Images
First lady Jill Biden is a Philadelphia sports fan. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
President Biden said he’s a genuine Eagles supporter ahead of the Super Bowl. AP
Biden is facing pressure to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon. AFP via Getty Images
Biden shared the story while appearing with Vice President Kamala Harris at an event celebrating funding to remove lead water pipes — after he ignored reporter questions throughout the day about the spy balloon hovering over America’s heartland. He will speak again Friday night at the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee.
The commander in chief, whose family has had extensive business relations with Chinese government-linked entities, has not publicly uttered a word about the jarring and brazen espionage by Beijing.
The Chinese spy balloon is not a weather monitor, the US government said Friday.
The Pentagon and State Department said Friday that the balloon is a snooping device, not an errant weather balloon as China claims.
Biden is facing pressure to shoot it down — though White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that he decided not to do so after the Defense Department warned of possible civilian casualties.