Joe Biden did not allow Rep. Jimmy Gomez to leave the room just because his six-month-old son became fussy during the president’s speech marking the 13th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Following his comments Thursday, Biden reassured the California Democrat’s baby boy, putting their heads together as photographers snapped pictures.
Baby Hodge began to cry during Biden’s speech, prompting Rep. Gomez, 48, to get up from his chair and start to leave the room. But Biden called the legislator with a baby strapped to his chest.
‘Okay, we like babies, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s fine, it’s fine,’ said the president.
“Actually, I like babies more than people,” he added to laughs from the friendly crowd gathered at the White House on Thursday afternoon.
President Joe Biden prevented Rep. Jimmy Gomez from taking his fussy baby out of the room during his remarks Thursday.
Rep. Gomez, 48, brought his 6-month-old son Hodge to Biden’s remarks to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
‘Okay, we like babies, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s fine, it’s fine,’ the president assured when Gómez went to take his crying baby out of the room. ‘In fact, I like babies more than people’
Historically, presidential candidates shake hands and kiss the head of babies when vying for office. Thursday’s interaction led some in the room to joke that it is a sign that Biden is running for re-election in 2024, even though he has yet to announce a run.
The event marked the 13th anniversary of former President Barack Obama’s passage of his key achievement: the Affordable Care Act.
Before traveling to Canada for his first official visit to America’s northern neighbor on Thursday, Biden helped celebrate the law he helped write as vice president.
Hodge, Gomez’s six-month-old son, was among those in attendance at Biden’s remarks.
The little boy has become quite the celebrity on Capitol Hill and in Washington, DC when Representative Gomez takes Hodge, who goes by Gomez’s wife’s last name, to work and other events.
‘Thirteen years ago today, we gathered in this room when President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Hard to believe: 13 days ago – 13 years ago. Seems like 13 days ago,’ Biden quickly corrected his mistake to laughter from the crowd.
The ACA became known as Obamacare, a namesake for the president who spearheaded the efforts.
After his comments, Biden took Gomez’s son off his hands for a few moments, hugged him and made faces at the baby.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi also had a one-on-one meeting with Gomez’s son at the ACA event at the White House on Thursday, March 23, 2023.
Gomez watches as Pelosi and others pull out their phones to capture the president bonding with the California Democrat’s young son.
Biden threw a few jabs at Republicans, making sure to distinguish between those he considers “normal” and “good guys” and the ultra-MAGA, pro-Trump Republicans he says are “bad guys.”
‘Friends, our Republican friends at MAGA, and by the way, I want to be clear: there are some good, decent Republicans out there, I’m not suggesting this is all about bad Republicans. But this new crowd, this is not your father’s Republican Party,” the president said.
He was referring to Republicans who have tried to repeal the ACA, not all of whom are pro-Trump.
Biden said another example of “bad” Republicans are those who opposed his Inflation Reduction Act, which was sweeping economic legislation that also targeted social issues like promoting green energy.
The law was relevant to Thursday’s event because it also lowered the prices of prescription drugs in an effort to ease Americans who have been hit hard by rising inflation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year I proposed and Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, for which no Republican voted, not even the good ones,” Biden lamented. “I don’t mean good in a moral sense, I mean normal Republicans.”
