When a reporter tried to ask White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about President Biden’s latest verbal gaffe, the president’s spokeswoman decided to dodge and defer, then move on.
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy broached the subject of Biden’s mental health by inquiring about a gaffe in which Biden mentioned a conversation he said he had in 2021 with French President François Mitterrand. But Mitterrand passed away in 1996.
Mr. Doocy framed his question around the concerns of voters regarding Biden’s mental and physical state.
“How is President Biden ever gonna convince the three-quarters of voters, who are worried about his physical and mental health, that he is okay, even though in Las Vegas he recently told a story about talking to a French president who died in 1996?” he asked at the White House press briefing on Tuesday.
“I’m not even gonna go down that rabbit hole with you, sir,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said, trying to move on quickly by pointing to a different reporter.
“Why? What is the rabbit hole?” the reporter asked. “He said he talked to Mitterrand, I mean.”
“You saw the president in Vegas, in California. You’ve seen the president in South Carolina, you saw him in Michigan. I’ll just leave it there,” the press secretary said.
Mr. Doocy wasn’t done, turning to his fellow reporters and asking, “How is that a rabbit hole?”
The reporter was asking about a topic that is on Americans’ minds, as shown by a recent NBC News survey that found apprehension about Biden’s mental acuity. The poll indicates a preference for former President Donald Trump over Biden regarding perceived competency and effectiveness.
Later, Biden had another mental misfire. The president appeared to forget the name of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas when asked a question about hostage negotiations.
“There is some movement, and I don’t want to, I don’t want to, well, let me be, choose my words. There is some movement. There’s been a response from the, the, uh, there’s been a response from the opposition, but it, um,” Mr. Biden, 81, said.
At that point, a friendly reporter jumps in and prompts the president: “Hamas?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. From Hamas,” Biden said.
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