Republican Gov. Jan Brewer said she was "breathless" after a verbal scuffle with President Obama on Wednesday.
“I was trying to be very gracious to [Obama] and he just reacted in just a very negative manor of which took me back – kind of left me breathless to tell you the truth,” Brewer said on Fox Wednesday night.
Brewer was at the Phoenix airport to greet Obama after he landing in her state but the two ended up exchanging heated words on the tarmac about the governor's book.
According to Brewe's account, she handed the president a hand-written letter expressing her willingness to talk about Arizona’s economic progress and border security.
But, instead, she said Obama confronted her about how he didn’t like how was portrayed in her book, ‘Scorpions for Breakfast.’
“I had written a hand-written note to him to deliver, welcoming him to Arizona and to thank him for being here and gave him the letter and he immediately took umbrage if you will with the book that I wrote ‘Scorpions for Breakfast’ and was somewhat disgruntled,” Brewer said.
Photographers also captured a picture of Brewer pointing her finger at Obama's chest — a photo that has become a rallying cry for opponents of the president who are looking for a conservative politician to take him on.
The White House claims Obama said nothing that warranted the finger pointing.
“The governor handed the president a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her,” the administration said in a statement. “The president said he’d be glad to meet with her again, but did note that after their last meeting, a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The president looks forward to continuing taking steps to help Arizona’s economy grow.”
Obama appeared to walk away from Brewer in the middle of their conversation, according to the White House pool report.
“I said I was sorry he felt that way but I didn’t get my sentence finished,” Brewer said. “Anyway, we’re glad he’s here. I’ll regroup.”
