WASHINGTON — President Biden took a Pilates class in Lake Tahoe Wednesday as global news coverage focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apparent assassination of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a mutiny against the Kremlin two months ago.
Biden, 80, pulled into a shopping center in the Nevada enclave, where he is vacationing at billionaire Tom Steyer’s home, about 25 minutes after Russian state news agency TASS reported on the downing of Prigozhin’s jet outside Moscow.
When the president emerged, he told reporters he didn’t know enough to comment on the developments because “I’ve been working out for the last hour and a half.”
“The President, First Lady, and members of their family are taking a Pilates class followed by a spin class,” the White House said as cable news outlets focused almost entirely on the latest developments in Russia.
When he finished his exercise, Biden said he wasn’t sure what exactly had happened.
“You may recall, when I was asked about this by you, I said I’d be careful what I rode in. I don’t know for a fact what happened but I’m not surprised,” the president said.
Asked if he thought Putin was responsible, Biden said, “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
Biden arrived for Pilates about two-and-a-half hours after a plane with Prigozhin on the manifest crashed and burned outside Moscow, according to Russian state media.
Putin’s consolidation of control ensures the 70-year-old leader, who took power in 1999, has fewer threats to his rule as he continues to wage war in Ukraine, which he invaded in February 2022.
The US government has appropriateed $113 billion to aid Kyiv’s defense and Biden recently requested another $20.6 billion, despite mounting domestic skepticism.
Prigozhin’s apparent assassination came hours ahead of the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate.
“We have a leader that unfortunately falls asleep during meetings. He’s not the leader that we expect to have in the United States, the one that is setting policy direction, one that leads by example. And we need a new leader in the White House and tonight we’re gonna see a glimpse of some potential new leaders,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told Fox News Wednesday afternoon.
“I hope that they can talk about their vision for what role the United States plays in Ukraine and as well as Russia moving forward,” Comer added, “because I honestly don’t know what our role is right now from the Biden perspective, other than continuing to send Ukraine a blank check.”
