Chaos erupted among the White House press corps on Wednesday after press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly evaded questions about President Joe Biden’s latest alarming gaffe.
Reporters from at least seven media outlets — CNN, The Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, CBS News Radio, EWTN, Newsmax and ABC News — expressed frustration in response to Jean-Pierre’s dismissive replies to their questions.
The inquiries related to Biden’s actions earlier Wednesday, when he searched the audience for a dead congresswoman while speaking at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in Washington.
“Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” the 79-year-old career politician asked while looking around the room.
Biden was referring to Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana, a proponent of the conference who died in a car crash on Aug. 3.
“Jackie are you here? Where’s Jackie?”
Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in a car accident in August pic.twitter.com/cHc3b7zPmE
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) September 28, 2022
Understandably, the cringeworthy incident fueled mounting concern about Biden’s mental health.
“What happened in the hunger event today?” Cecilia Vega of ABC News asked Jean-Pierre during the briefing. “The president appeared to look around the room for an audience member, a member of Congress who passed away last month.
“He seemed to indicate she might be in the room. What happened there?”
The press secretary responded that Walorski was “top of mind” for Biden because he had “planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday.”
Vega followed up by reminding her of Biden’s words: “He said, ‘Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.’”
“No, I totally understand. I just — I just explained she was on top of mind. … He knows that he is going to see her family, and she was at top of mind,” Jean-Pierre said.
Unsatisfied with that answer, reporters pressed Jean-Pierre to explain further. Curtis Houck, the managing editor of NewsBusters, chronicled the pandemonium that unfolded in the briefing room on Twitter.
At one point, EWTN correspondent Owen Jensen asked Jean-Pierre: “Why don’t you just apologize? Sounds like you’re making excuses.”
CHAOS in the Briefing Room as KJP tries to escape Walorski Q’s w/help from lapdop USA Today reporter…Other reporter: “These moments of confusion are happening w/increasing frequency.”
EWTN’s Owen Jensen: “Why don’t you just apologize? Sounds like you’re making excuses.” pic.twitter.com/EUizBLTnwW
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
Jensen was reacting to the numerous times Jean-Pierre rudely rebuffed questions about why a confused Biden was scanning the room for a dead person.
The press secretary cavalierly dismissed the queries by repeating the talking point about Walorski being “on top of mind” when Biden mentioned her.
Throughout the news conference, Jean-Pierre refused to answer direct questions about Biden’s state of mind when he committed his latest humiliating blunder.
CNN’s @Phil_Mattingly: “I’m trying to get my head around the response. [Walorski] was top of mind for [Biden] & her family was…here & that’s what he was thinking about? Why was he looking for her?”
KJP: “I think people can understand…when someone is at top of mind.” pic.twitter.com/Hy0MKWTamx
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
CBS News Radio’s Steven Portnoy repeatedly asked Jean-Pierre to explain how Biden could have made such a shocking mistake.
“Did the president — was the president confused?” Portnoy asked. “Was something written in the teleprompter that he didn’t recognize? Can you just help us understand?”
.@CBSNewsRadio‘s @StevenPortnoy: “Can you explain where the mistake was made? Did the President–was [he] confused? Was there something…in the teleprompter…he didn’t recognize? Can you just help us understand?”
KJP: “I mean, you’re jumping to a lot of conclusions” pic.twitter.com/rrvZyFKUJ0
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
You know it’s bad when the Democratic Party’s corporate media lapdogs won’t cover for Biden.
At one point, The Washington Post’s Matt Viser demanded to know why Biden thought Walorski was alive and in the room where he gave his speech.
WashPost’s @MViser: “I think we all…get why [Walorski’s] top of mind. You’ve made that case pretty effectively…[W]hy…does [Biden]t think…she’s living & in the room?”
KJP: “I don’t find that confusing. I think many…can speak to [that]…That is not an unusual scenario” pic.twitter.com/TsRlSlhsJQ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
Newsmax correspondent James Rosen won the Internet when he quipped, “I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I’m not looking around for him anywhere.”
Newsmax’s @JamesRosenTV: “I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day but I’m not looking around for him anywhere.”
KJP: “When you sign a bill for John Lennon–Lennon as president, then we can have this conversion.” pic.twitter.com/VXNJAvfDqT
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
At that point, the news conference descended into chaos, with reporters shouting over one another.
“These moments of confusion are happening with increasing frequency.”
“Why not just apologize?”
“Americans are watching this and are having concerns. What do you say to that?”
“We were asking about the mental acuity of the president.”
“We’re just trying to get an answer, Karine. ‘Top of mind’ is not an answer.”
Jean-Pierre called one reporter “incredibly rude” and moved on to another topic.
She was asked about Biden’s “Where’s Jackie?” moment one more time shortly thereafter, and said, “Look, I know this is a question that many of you have had. I’ve answered it multiple times already in this room. And my answer is certainly not going to change.
“All of you may have views on — on how I’m answering it, but I am answering the question to the way that he saw it and the way that we see it.”
As the dumpster fire that is Biden’s failed presidency rages on, it becomes more obvious every day that he is unfit to lead and his underlings, especially Jean-Pierre, are not ready for prime time.
The clock is ticking on this clown show, and it can’t end soon enough.
