White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday shut down a Fox News reporter after she questioned President Joe Biden’s rationale for his poor debate performance last week.
“How is it that the president was still tired, 12 days after returning from Europe; had a cold, but then went to the Waffle House, and then the following day staged such a huge comeback that he gave those North Carolina remarks?” Jacqui Heinrich asked Jean-Pierre during the White House press briefing. “Like, help us understand.”
“Have you had a cold before?” the press secretary replied.
“Of course I've had a cold before,” Heinrich responded.
“C'mon, Jacqui, let's be very —” Jean-Pierre said.
“It was 12 days after he returned, though, and he blamed jet lag yesterday,” Heinrich interjected.
“There's a cold. There's a jet lag. You combine that. He continues to work for the American people, day in and day out around the clock. Things happen,” Jean-Pierre responded. “And the cold thing is something that you all pointed out during his debate. We didn't even point that out. You all pointed out when you heard his voice being hoarse, because he knew he had to push through.”
“The reason I ask is because all these Democrats who are saying they want to see him, it speaks to that,” Heinrich replied.
“We didn't share that information ahead of time. You all asked what was going on, and then we shared that information. We didn't use that before the debate. You all asked, ‘Hey, is he under the weather?’ And we confirmed that he was under the weather,” Jean-Pierre replied. “He pushed through. That's what this president does. He is going to continue to fight for the American people.”
