President Joe Biden avoided answering questions regarding the suspected Chinese spy balloon hovering above the U.S. on Friday, dodging the press on two different occasions.
Biden refused to take questions on the balloon following his speech on the economy in the morning, and walked past the press shouting questions about the balloon on his way to Marine One in the afternoon.
Reporters yelled, “are you worried about the balloon?” as Biden walked out of the Oval Office.
Biden smiled and kept walking.
The president was first briefed about the balloon on Tuesday, and has “continued to receive regular briefings and updates from the national security team,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday. The president chose not to shoot down the balloon after being advised that doing so could present a “risk” to people on the ground, Jean-Pierre added.
China’s foreign ministry confirmed that the balloon was theirs, but said it was used for “research.” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder disputed China’s claim, and said it was used for “surveillance” purposes.
The balloon violated “international law” by entering U.S. airspace, and will remain above the U.S. for “a few more days,” Ryder said. He did not disclose the exact location of the balloon, but said it is hovering over the central U.S. (RELATED: Chinese Balloon Expected To Remain In The US ‘A Few More Days’)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his planned trip to China on Friday following the discovery of the balloon.
The “conditions were not conducive” to conversations with China, Blinken said. He would have been the first top-level U.S. diplomat to travel to China in five years.