President Joe Biden cracked a joke when asked about Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) thoughts on the shooting that took place at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Outside of the White House Tuesday, a reporter asked Biden if he believed Christians were targeted in the shooting at the Covenant School.
He replied, “I have no idea.”
When asked for his response to Hawley’s suggestion that Christians were targeted, Biden responded, “Well, I probably don’t then. No, I’m joking. No, I have no idea.”
Watch Biden’s remarks below:
Joe Biden laughs when asked if he believes Christians were targeted in yesterday's horrifying Nashville school shooting pic.twitter.com/hsM6vVCNmn
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 29, 2023
Hawley reacted to Biden’s comments on Twitter.
“Christians targeted for hate crimes – in America – and Biden laughs,” Hawley tweeted.
Christians targeted for hate crimes – in America – and Biden laughs https://t.co/a6OWeWEMyE
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 29, 2023
Hawley was not the only one to take issue with Biden’s reaction to the question.
Author Jim Hanson wrote, “What a sickening garbage human.”
What a sickening garbage human https://t.co/Sl6iG0t3Ya
— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) March 29, 2023
Journalist Lara Logan tweeted, “A Christian school is hit and he has ‘no idea’??”
A Christian school is hit and he has “no idea”?? https://t.co/sPYoiP8PN7
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) March 29, 2023
Foreign policy analyst Nile Gardiner called Biden a “disgrace.”
Biden is a disgrace. https://t.co/zUARUxrDPf
— Nile Gardiner (@NileGardiner) March 29, 2023
Another user added, “Always a good look to laugh when asked about mass shootings, right?”
https://twitter.com/jeremysrazor/status/1640902037104730113
On Monday, a shooter killed six individuals, including three children at the school.
Hawley penned a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to investigate the shooting as a hate crime.
“It is commonplace to call such horrors ‘senseless violence,’” Hawley wrote.
He added, “But properly speaking, that is false. Police report that the attack here was ‘targeted’ — targeted, that is, against Christians.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) also asked Garland during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting whether a hate crime investigation would be opened.
“As of now, motive hasn’t been identified,” Garland said.
He continued, “We are certainly working full time with them to determine what the motive is and of course motive is what determines whether it’s a hate crime or not.”