Biden gives three-word reply after woman confronts him about Gaza deaths on flight

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: Joe Biden found himself in an uncomfortable mid-air moment on Friday, 27 February, as a woman confronted him about children dying in Gaza while he was traveling to Columbia for a political event marking his 2020 primary victory in the state.

The 83-year-old Democrat, who was flying commercial from Washington, was headed to headline a 7 PM reception celebrating his South Carolina primary win six years ago.

Woman confronts Joe Biden over Gaza deaths mid-flight

The tense moment happened as the plane prepared to land. A brunette woman approached Biden’s first-class seat and began politely.

“Thanks for taking the time to talk with me,” she said.

But she quickly turned to a more serious point. “Children in Gaza are dying every day,” she told him. “We need to stop …,” she added, before one of Biden’s aides stepped in and interrupted the exchange.

Biden, who appeared wide-eyed, responded briefly. “I know that,” he said. “I know that …,” he continued, before cutting himself off and looking straight ahead as the woman was beckoned away.

The video of the exchange was captured by Meg Kinnard of Associated Press, who was also on the flight.

The Gaza war had been a major sticking point among Democrats during the 2024 race. At the time, Biden was caught between a vocal protest movement among younger voters and his administration’s historic support for Israel.

That division played into the party’s struggles in the election cycle, eventually contributing to the loss of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden at the top of the ticket in July 2024.

Polling conducted by the Institute for Middle East Understanding’s Policy Project in January 2025 showed that 29 percent of voters who had backed Biden in 2020 chose a different candidate in 2024 because “ending Israel’s violence in Gaza” was their top issue.

According to the survey, Gaza ranked as the leading reason why voters drifted away from the Democratic nominee.

Warm airport welcome and awkward selfie moment

Despite the mid-air confrontation, Biden received a friendly reception upon arrival in South Carolina. He posed for selfies outside the gate, greeted passengers and stopped to chat at both airports.

At one point, after de-boarding, he noticed a woman, who appeared to be in a wheelchair and wearing a cast, snapping a photo of him. Biden reached across the stanchion and gently plucked her phone to try to take a selfie himself.

What followed was an awkward but light moment. Biden and another woman who stepped in to help fumbled with the phone for about 20 seconds before finally figuring out how to use the camera.

South Carolina, Democratic primaries and the road to 2028

Biden’s trip to Colombia appeared aimed at keeping South Carolina as the Democrats’ first-in-the-nation primary state for the 2028 presidential cycle. 

Eleven other states are competing for that spot as the Democratic National Committee looks to reshape the early primary calendar.

South Carolina, along with Biden’s home state of Delaware, neighboring North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Tennessee and Virginia, have all submitted bids.

The DNC kicked off the process in October, with Chair Ken Martin saying the goal was to get the “strongest possible Democratic nominee for president through a fair, rigorous, and efficient process.”