President Joe Biden made another major gaffe this week, speaking at a White House conference, asking where a deceased representative was, asking “is she here” and “where is she” in referring to Rep. Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski, who was killed in a car crash in August and would indeed not attend the conference.
A reporter later asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Biden’s mental state due to his not remembering that Walorski had died, even though he had issued a statement after her death.
Jean-Pierre’s reaction was typically deflecting and weak, as she said the reporter was being “incredibly rude” to ask about Biden’s mental state. She made excuses for Biden’s comments in attempts to cover for what most observers see as a complete lack of mental clarity for Biden.
“And, again, he’s going to see her family in just two days, and she was on top of mind. I mean, that is, that is not an unusual scenario there,” Jean-Pierre told the reporter. Her reply put the press briefing into a bit of chaos as reporters pushed the issue.
“Karine, I have John Lennon top of mind just about everyday but I’m not looking around for him anywhere,” James Rosen from Nexsmax told her.
The sparring continued, with Jean-Pierre making a statement that too was rude in its nature. “When you sign a bill for John Lennon as President then we can have this conversation,” she said.
Reporters spoke over one another, pushing the issue of Biden’s mental health, wanting answers for the citizens of this country about its leader’s ability to function.
“These moments of confusion are happening – Americans are watching this and are concerned,” one asked. “What do you say to that? This is a legitimate question, we need to have some answers.” Again, Jean-Pierre deflected and called the reporters seeking answers “rude” and said, “It is not your turn to speak and you’re being rude to your colleagues.”
Deflecting and gaslighting on topics of importance seem to be the modus-operandi for the press secretary, who gets flustered oftentimes when pressed for real answers from the media representatives present at her briefings. The excuses made by Jean-Pierre were embarrassing and incompetent and erode Biden's credibility, according to Matt Gorman. The former National Republican and Congressional Committee communications director spoke in an interview on the FOX News show “The Faulkner Focus.”
The defensiveness and dishonesty shown by Jean-Pierre in her excuses included no apology for Biden’s comments. “Say you made a mistake, it was a bad mistake, but say you made a mistake, you meant no offense, but it’s the defensiveness and the dishonesty that make this so much worse,” said Gorman.
“My heart goes out to the Congresswoman’s family,” said Jose Aristimuno, former DNC Deputy press secretary. “Look, we’re human, Biden’s human. You’re human, I’m human. We make mistakes. I think it was an honest mistake. I think the White House would have been better served if they had just said, ‘You know what, that was a mistake on the President, let’s move on. Next question.”
It appears an apology is not part of the script that Jean-Pierre has written in her notebook which is her constant source for reference during press briefings.
