Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy continued to show on Monday night a level of class, light-heartedness, and professionalism most of the liberal media lack as he shared that President Biden called him to “clear the air” after blasting him as “a stupid son of a bitch” earlier in the day. In fact, Doocy told Sean Hannity that, now Biden said it was “nothing personal, pal,” it was “enough” and time to “move on.”
Doocy first explained to the primetime Fox host when he learned Biden had lobbed a vulgarity after Doocy asked this question about the economy: “Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?”
Once he rehashed how he didn’t even know what Biden said until another reporter told him, he broke the news about the call, including how the two talked about “moving forward” while Doocy would continue asking unique questions:
[W]e have some news tonight...[W]ithin about an hour of that exchange, he called my cell phone and he just said, “it's nothing personal, pal” and we went back and forth and we were talking about just kinda moving — moving forward and I made sure to tell him that I'm always going to try to ask something different then what everybody else is asking and he said, “you've got to.” And that is the quote from the President, so I will keep doing it[.]
Hannity insisted Biden give him a one-on-one interview, but then shifted gears because he noticed Doocy never said Biden told him he was sorry: “Did he apologize?”
Doocy replied that they “had a nice call” as Biden “cleared the air and I appreciate it,” but that led Hannity to point out: “That doesn’t sound like an apology.”
Doocy countered there’s a lot bigger things going on in the world:
Hey, Sean, the world is on the brink of, like, World War III right now. With all the stuff going on. I appreciate that the President took a couple minutes out this evening while he was still at the desk to give me a call and clear the air and that’s all.
He added that he doesn’t “need anybody to apologize to me” and, in fact, the President “can call me whatever he wants as long as it gets him talking.”
The Fox reporter then recounted his Monday afternoon back-and-forth with Jen Psaki in which he brought “two pages of questions about crime” he still had “rolled up in my pocket” that “I didn't get in at the press conference last week[.]”
When Hannity playfully tried one last time to lobby for Doocy to get interviews with Biden and Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the Fox reporter insisted it was time to “move on”:
I think that's enough. That's enough. So we can move on. We can now move forward. There will be years — three to seven years of opportunities to ask him about different stuff.
Hannity then wrapped by telling him everyone’s “proud of the good work you’re doing,” adding: “Keep it up and I think it’s a badge of honor myself. So, if I'm your dad, I'm very proud of you tonight.”
To see the relevant FNC transcript from January 24, click “expand.”
FNC’s Hannity
January 24, 2022
9:06 p.m. EasternSEAN HANNITY: Mr. Unity strikes again. In all seriousness, Joe Biden really shouldn’t be casting stones from an extremely fragile glass house. Here with reaction, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy who has an update on the story. First, what was your reaction? Words don't matter to me. I remember during the Trump years everybody would feign the vapors. “Oh, the President said this. I think I know you pretty well. You’re a pretty tough guy. What was your reaction initially when he heard what happened?
PETER DOOCY: My reaction, Sean, was delayed because as you can see in that clip, the Biden staff were ushering us out. They were telling us, “okay,” “thank you,” “time to go.” And you can see right there people are starting to move towards the door, myself included. It wasn't until we went to the basement and then outside and then back to the press room that somebody said, “hey, did you hear what the President said about you?” I said, “no, what did he say?” Said, “he called you a stupid SOB.” And I was thinking, that? And I did not hear that and I opened up my phone and he did and so, my response was delayed. But Sean, and we have some news tonight. After years of clips of the President and I kind of mixing it up on the campaign trail and during the transition and here at the White House, within about an hour of that exchange, he called my cell phone and he just said, “it's nothing personal, pal” and we went back and forth and we were talking about just kinda moving — moving forward and I made sure to tell him that I'm always going to try to ask something different then what everybody else is asking and he said, “you've got to.” And that is the quote from the President, so I will keep doing it
HANNITY: Alright, I want to be your negotiator here and I would like to negotiate a 20 minute sitdown with you and Biden, one-on-one. I think that would be — you know, I’m a Christian. I believe in forgiveness, okay? Did he apologize?
DOOCY: He cleared the air and I appreciate it. We had a nice call.
HANNITY: He’s — that's not an answer. Did he apologize? That doesn't sound like an apology.
DOOCY: He said — he said, “it's nothing personal pal.”
HANNITY: Oh, pal.
DOOCY: And I told him —
HANNITY: Okay, pal.
DOOCY: — that I appreciated him reaching out. Hey, Sean, the world is on the brink of, like, World War III right now.
HANNITY: Yeah, I get it.
DOOCY: With all the stuff going on. I appreciate that the President took a couple minutes out this evening while he was still at the desk to give me a call and clear the air and that’s all.
HANNITY: At least he called you, pal
DOOCY: But — but — you know what? I don't need anybody to apologize to me. He can call me whatever he wants as long as it gets him talking. And today, you know, you played some of the bit with Jen Psaki and I. I went in there with two pages of questions about crime. I actually still have them right here. They've been rolled up in my pocket. Two pages of crime questions I didn't get in at the press conference last week, that two hour press conference. And so, I'm in there and I’m looking, “okay, if he takes questions, what’s it going to be?” But he said, I'm not going to take questions about anything off-topic. So, I’m thinking, okay, well, the topic is inflation. “Hey, hey, over here.” And then it took, like, five minutes, but I later heard what he said.
HANNITY: I want — I think the President should apologize by giving you 20 minutes, uninterrupted, one-on-one interview and that would — and first, Jen Psaki. She owes you 20 minutes too. I’m trying to negotiate on your behalf.
DOOCY: She – Jen — Jen — hey, they keep calling on us at the briefing.
HANNITY: They do.
DOOCY: As the President said, “nothing personal, pal.” And so —
HANNITY: Pal
DOOCY: — I — I think that's enough. That's enough.
HANNITY: Come on, man. All right.
DOOCY: So we can move on. We can now move forward. There will be years —
HANNITY: Oh man.
DOOCY: — three to seven years of opportunities to ask him about different stuff.
HANNITY: We — we’re proud of the good work you’re doing. Keep it up and I think it’s a badge of honor myself. So, if I'm your dad, I'm very proud of you tonight. Anyway, Great job, Peter.
DOOCY: Thanks, Sean.
