U.S. Sen. David Perdue might have had the worst morning in Washington Friday after a biblical joke about President Barack Obama earned him plenty of rebukes on social media. Now the White House has fired back.

The Washington Examiner reported this tidbit from the daily press briefing:

Presidential press secretary Josh Earnest said he "did make note of Sen. Perdue's comments," and said that if Perdue is considering an apology, "there are a variety of other Scripture he might consult."

The remarks were in response to a quip from Perdue that morning during a speech to religious conservatives that evoked Psalms 109:8 but also implied that Obama's days "be few." Perdue's office said the remarks were blown out of proportion by the media and that the freshman senator "in no way wishes to harm towards our president."

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com