White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced intense questioning from reporters on Tuesday regarding Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate showing, which reignited concerns about his mental acuity.
A reporter pointedly inquired whether 81-year-old Joe Biden suffers from Alzheimer’s, dementia, or any degenerative illness, emphasizing the need for a simple yes or no answer. “I think the American people need to get a yes or a no answer on this,” the reporter demanded.
Scenes from today’s White House Press Briefing. It’s absolutely criminal that these questions even have to be asked and it’s more shameful that it took this long for the press to ask them.
When asked if the President has a degenerative condition, KJP says “No.”
Remember… pic.twitter.com/UsOxnoJb76 [1]
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) July 2, 2024 [2]
Clearly exasperated, Jean-Pierre retorted, “I have an answer for you, are you ready for it? It’s a no. And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question.”
The reference to the “other guy” was presumably aimed at Biden’s opponent, former President Trump.
That was the only reporter who had questions. One even went so far as to ask it bluntly. Watch:
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: “Is he [Biden] disabled?!
KJP: “No.. no..”pic.twitter.com/2kz3kw7y12 [3]
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 2, 2024 [4]
Here’s another one. Watch:
🚨🇺🇸KJP: BIDEN DOESN’T NEED A COGNITIVE TEST
“His medical team said it is not warranted ( a cognitive test) in this case. It is not necessary.
The president’s record speaks for itself.”
Source: White House Press Conference https://t.co/9lD9q8jxJK [5] pic.twitter.com/c4WEgwTmJK [6]
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 2, 2024 [7]
Even CNN isn’t buying Karine Jean Pierre’s answers. Watch:
CNN: The motivation behind that press conference was clear because KJP said it: we want to turn the page. She said it 3 times.
The page is not turning because there was a lack of answers to the critical question being asked: What happened? pic.twitter.com/odPTT5fuy0 [8]
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 2, 2024 [9]