I’m probably the only person on earth that believes this was a total and complete set up. The question was a setup, a planted question from the CIA. And Biden’s answer was a set up. I believe we wanted Biden to call XI a “dictator” and it was no mistake. But with demented Biden, he could say it and then the entire world would hear it, and the “excuse” would be that Biden has dementia.
But the bottom line is that we wanted to call XI a dictator, because it’s an insult, and they wanted to insult XI after they have been insulting us.
Except the Maalox Moment look of shocked surprise on Blinken’s face upends that premise.