White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doesn’t often call on James Rosen to ask questions at her briefings. But when Newsmax’s chief White House correspondent gets an opportunity, he makes the most of it.
“If you can do it well, you can make news,” Rosen explains on “The Daily Signal Podcast.”
The veteran reporter, who got his start in local news before becoming a national correspondent, has covered his share of press conferences in the nation’s capital—from the State Department to Congress and now the White House.
Just days before Thanksgiving, at the Nov. 20 press briefing, Rosen was pleasantly surprised that Jean-Pierre called his name.
“I might regret it, but go ahead,” she said with a laugh.
He retorted, “I assure you, you will not.”
Rosen proceeded to ask about President Joe Biden’s “dismal job approval ratings.” Jean-Pierre’s answer surprised members of the White House press corps, Rosen recalls, because she admitted that “we’re not going to change the minds of Americans.”
The revelation wasn’t something he expected to hear from the White House press secretary.
“It was almost an acknowledgement of defeat. Here is the face of the vaunted White House communications apparatus,” Rosen says, “basically saying, ‘We don’t have the ability to persuade anymore.’”
During our interview, Rosen shares what it’s like to cover Biden and the biggest stories dominating the headlines. We also discuss the House’s plans for an impeachment inquiry of Biden, and how the move would affect the White House in the weeks and months to come.
Rosen also offers his take on Biden’s age and mental acuity—and shares his thoughts on why the president won’t subject himself to tough questions like his predecessors did.
All that and more is available on today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast.” Listen to the recording or watch the video below.