White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre seemed to snap at Newsmax White House correspondent James Rosen as he shouted out a question about President Joe Biden’s cognitive health.
Multiple reporters pestered the press secretary about the president’s mental health following his debate performance Thursday night alongside former President Donald Trump. Jean-Pierre said the president simply had a “bad night” and asserted he suffered from a cold.
“And we are acknowledging what people are seeing. But we do believe this was a, in this instance, it was a bad night,” the press secretary said in response to a different reporter.
“Is he disabled? Is the president disabled?” Rosen asked.
KJP snaps at Newsmax’s James Rosen as he shouts out a question about Biden’s cognitive health pic.twitter.com/84gackTbme
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 2, 2024
“No, and let me finish with your colleague, please,” she said. “I know, but shouting out, come on. You know better. You know better. Come on.” (RELATED: Joy Reid Says Democrats Are ‘Approaching Panic’ By Biden’s ‘Extremely Weak’ Debate Performance)
The other reporter then asked why the president did not reach out to Democratic members of Congress following the debate. The press secretary said while the president respects the leaders on Capitol Hill, he had been on a schedule engaging with these leaders through “high level members of his team.”
The president spoke with a raspy voice while appearing tired and out of focus on the debate stage, where he struggled at times to finish a complete sentence. His performance drew both Democratic operatives and left-leaning voters to panic.
A series of polls in March found the majority of voters cast doubt on the president’s capability to serve a second term due to his age and mental capacity.
During a September 2022 event, the president searched for Republican Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski, who had died in a car crash one month prior.
