Biden has awkward exchange with reporter about not attending Pope Benedict's funeral

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Biden explains why he isn't attending Pope Benedict's funeral

President Biden tells reporters why he isn't attending Pope Benedict's funeral.

President Biden was pressed on why he was not attending Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral on Wednesday during an awkward exchange with a reporter ahead of his trip to Kentucky. 

"You're not attending his funeral tomorrow though, why?" EWTN's Owen Jensen asked the president. 

"Well, why do you think?" Biden responded. 

"Well, you tell me," Jensen said. 

President Joe Biden pressed on why he won't be attending Pope Benedict's funeral. (Fox News)

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Biden insisted "you know why," as the reporter followed up again with, "you can tell me." 

"The reason I'm not attending the funeral tomorrow is it would take an entourage of a thousand people to show up," Biden said. "We would move everything in the wrong direction."

The president also said "we would just get in the way" and added that Pope Benedict XVI was a "fine man." 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, would be representing the U.S. at the funeral. 

Pope Benedict XVI waves from a balcony at the White House after being welcomed to the United States by President George W. Bush, April 16, 2008. (Reuters/Larry Downing/File)

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"The U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, will represent the United States at the funeral of the pope, in line with the wishes of the late pope and the Vatican.  This is what — this is what their requests were. This is what their wishes were. And so, that’s what you’re seeing from the U.S.," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Pope Francis is set to preside over Pope Benedict XVI's funeral, which will take place on Thursday in St. Peter's Square. 

"The reason I'm not attending the funeral tomorrow is it would take an entourage of a thousand people to show up," President Biden told a reporter. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Biden is set to appear in Kentucky on Wednesday with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to tout the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.