The White House finally provided remarks on the death of polarizing former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 17 hours later.
Kissinger – who also served as a national security adviser and became one of the most controversial and influential foreign policy figures – died at the age of 100 at his Connecticut home on Wednesday.
His death, announced that night, set off both tributes from global leaders and criticism from social media users who considered him a war criminal.
Notably absent from the conversation was any statement from President Joe Biden or his administration.
During the daily White House press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Biden’s National Security Council spokesman John Kirby gave updates on the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars.
A reporter then asked him how Kissinger shaped the Biden administration’s policies, noting that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had consulted with him.
‘Well obviously our condolences go to his entire family over this loss, to his wife Nancy and to everybody else in his family of course,’ said Kirby.
‘It’s a huge loss.
‘This was a man who, whether you agree with him or not, whether you hold the same views or not, he served in World War II, served his country bravely in uniform and for decades afterward, which I think we can all be grateful for and appreciate just the public service.’
Kirby continued that ‘whether you saw eye to eye with him on every issue, there’s no question that he shaped foreign policy decisions for decades’, and that ‘he certainly had an impact on America’s role in the world’.
Another reporter then asked why the administration had not issued a formal statement, including from Biden.
‘I wouldn’t read anything into that just yet,’ Kirby said.
Kissinger escaped Nazi Germany when he was a teenager in 1938 and became a US citizen in 1943. He served on the US Army, taught international relations at Harvard University and was appointed as national security adviser to President Richard Nixon in 1969.
Through his service as both national security adviser and secretary of state, Kissinger oversaw the end of the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and established ties with Communist China.
Former President George W Bush and his wife Laura stated that ‘America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs with the passing of Henry Kissinger’ and that they ‘will miss his ‘wisdom, his charm and his humor’.
President Nixon’s daughters, Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, stated: ‘Henry Kissinger will long be remembered for his many achievements in advancing the cause of peace, but it was his character that we will never forget.’
Chinese President Xi Jinping in a message to Biden on Thursday said, ‘Dr Kissinger will always be remembered and missed by the Chinese people’.
Aged 100, Kissinger remained active and made a surprise visit to China to meet Xi in July.
At the time, Kirby said, ‘It’s unfortunate that a private citizen can meet with the defense minister and have a communication and the United States can’t.’