Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, has been working overtime to try and deal with the disaster caused by Biden’s poor performance in the debate this past week.
She was forced to dodge questions about Alzheimer’s.
“But I believe the American people should get a definitive answer to this question: Does President Biden have Alzheimer’s or dementia, or other degenerative illnesses that cause these types of lapses, at age 81?” The reporter asked. “It’s either yes or no.”
Jean-Pierre, who was visibly irritated, replied, “I’ve got an answer to your question, are you prepared for it?” It’s not a yes. I hope that you are asking the other person the same question.
Her defense?
She tried to explain his excuse that he almost fell asleep during the debate due to international travel, despite the 12 days he had been home from Italy.
She was asked if she took naps in the daytime because of reports that he had taken naps while preparing for the debate. What does she not do? She does not answer the question.
Reporter Asks White House: Does President Biden Have An Afternoon Nap Every Day?https://t.co/pgHNZu53pz
“This is a president who wakes up every morning and puts the American people first… I’m not going to speak to unnamed sources out there.” pic.twitter.com/ozwe7wWjAx
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) July 3, 2024
“This is a President who gets up every day and puts America first… I won’t speak to anonymous sources.
She does not need to talk to an “unnamed source”. She only needs to tell the truth. She refused.
This pretty much confirms the answer. On his schedule, you could tell that his “workday” doesn’t start until 10 am most days. Then there is often nothing in the afternoon. When does he work?
Kelly O’Donnell asked Jean-Pierre to come to the White House Correspondents Association briefing and talk to them. KJP deflected, as one would expect. Newsmax reporter James Rosen, however, made the best point when he responded to O’Donnell’s invite with “if he’s awake.”
WHCA President Scolds Reporter During WH Briefing: “Inappropriate” To Ask If President Biden Is Awake Right Nowhttps://t.co/hiYvNlAC6e
“We would invite the President to tell us directly–”
“…If he’s awake”
“That’s inappropriate.” pic.twitter.com/FXLv9OU7mj
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) July 3, 2024
O’Donnell scolded him for his behavior, telling him “That’s not appropriate!”
Jean-Pierre then thanked O’Donnell, who had defended Biden.
It’s all there. You wonder why the media hasn’t reported properly on Biden’s issue?
Rosen is one of the few people who asks the hard questions. When he asked in the past about Biden’s cognitive issues, he faced months of blacklisting. It hasn’t prevented him from doing his work.
Then you have O’Donnell reacting to someone who is doing their job. Some reporters would rather defend Biden instead of doing their job. Why is this question “inappropriate?” The question is very appropriate, not only because of the reports but also because KJP refused to answer it. We need to know whether Biden will be available to take the call at 3 a.m. We don’t know if Biden will be awake at 5 p.m.
O’Donnell would have done better to defend Rosen than to criticize him, and then pressurize KJP more. It shows the problem with the media.