'Stupid son of a b****': Biden curses Fox News reporter after he asks about inflation
Within about an hour of the exchange, Biden called Fox News reporter Peter Doocy's cell phone and said "it's nothing personal, pal"
US President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic cursing a Fox News reporter at a White House event on Monday after the journalist shouted a question about the impact of rising inflation on this year's congressional elections.
As journalists were ushered out of a meeting of Biden's Competition Council, Peter Doocy, a White House correspondent with whom Biden regularly spars, asked if it was OK to ask about inflation and if it was a political liability.
"That's a great asset, more inflation," Biden responded sarcastically over a din of reporters shouting questions, apparently not realising his microphone was still on. "What a stupid son of a bitch," he added.
US consumer prices increased solidly in December, culminating in the largest annual rise in inflation in nearly four decades.
Within about an hour of the exchange, Biden called Doocy's cell phone and said "it's nothing personal, pal," Doocy later told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment while Fox News pointed Reuters to a transcript of an interview with Doocy about the exchange on Monday evening.
Disclaimer: The headline has been modified