Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema declined an offer to ride with President Joe Biden on Air Force One, suggesting that even those in his own party don't want to be closely associated with him.
Sinema passed on the ride after the president traveled to Phoenix to visit the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. computer chip plant.
Biden is getting snubbed by his own!https://t.co/0zJxtaUu4f
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) December 8, 2022
"We always invite, as you know… when we go to a state, the president is always happy to give those congressional members in that state a ride on Air Force One to the state," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"I can't speak to Senator Sinema's schedule," she added.
Jean-Pierre says that the White House invited Sinema to fly on Air Force One to Arizona today with them but she isn't going hahaha. pic.twitter.com/rAYxMlKWw2
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 6, 2022
The Arizona senator has often been at odds with policies during the Biden administration. Along with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D), Sinema has often been the only Democrat in the Senate to oppose some of the party's most extreme legislation.
"She blocked partisan plans to abolish the Senate filibuster, preventing Senate Democrats from pushing legislation to the president's desk with only 50 votes," Newsmax reported.
"Sinema declined to campaign for Democrats during the recent midterm election. She was also the only Arizona Democrat to skip a pre-election rally with former President Barack Obama," it added.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., declined to travel aboard Air Force One with President Joe Biden to her home state. https://t.co/4IfZRAYTff
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 8, 2022
There has also been some speculation that Sinema will switch parties to join Republicans, though she has not mentioned the change. With Sen. Raphael Warnock winning the Georgia Senate runoff, the concern is not as critical, with Democrats now holding 51 of the 100 seats in the chamber.
"The bipartisan-minded senator has spoken of her friendship with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and earned the praise of GOP Sen. Mitt Romney," IJR noted.
Some have speculated that she could change parties and become a Republican. https://t.co/F7nsMNLrZZ
— IJR (@TheIJR) December 7, 2022
The turned-down offer does show that Biden is not the one Democrats want to help them to look good in their own states. Instead, it looks like the president is the one who needs positive public relations as he considers his run for reelection in 2024.