The ever-inept White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre joined MSNBC on Sunday morning for a softball sit-down with leftist Sunday Show host Jonathan Capehart where, despite his gentle questions, Jean-Pierre still struggled to use complete sentences and even made up a new name for Canada.
Capehart harmlessly started by saying he wanted to “talk about the thing that was shot out of the sky over Canada” and if she could both “tell us about it” and state whether they’re things “Americans should be worried about.”
The pitfalls started immediately for someone who’s been on TV for well over a decade:
So, let me just lay out for the American people. So, what happened was that out of an abundance of caution, a — a — and by the recommendation by the militaries for President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau, an unauthorized, unmanned object...was taken down in the — in the — air — airwaves — in the North — North America airspace and so, what happened was it had been monitored by NORAD...[W]hat the President decided to do, he authorized — he authorized the M — F-22, which is a fighter aircraft, to take it down.
She continued, stating “[i]t came down in the Can — Canadian territory, so we did it in conjunction with Canada and so, we wanted to — the President take — took this action. We wanted to make sure that we’re always — we’re — the promise is we’re always going to track, we’re always going to detect and we’re always going to defend our airspace”.
Capehart followed up about why the U.S. military fired the missile over Canada, which led to Jean-Pierre dubbing Canada as “Canadia”:
Because it’s part of NORAD. There is — the NORAD is part of like a — part of — it’s a — it’s a — what you call a coalition — a courtsmanship, pact, exactly, and so, that’s why we were able to do that. Again, we didn’t do it on our own. We did in — clearly in — in step with Canadia — Canada.
Capehart asked another softball about “what more are we learning” from the Chinese spy balloon from two weeks ago. Again, Jean-Pierre stumbled:
[I]t was — the Chinese surveillance balloon was taken down about a week ago last — this past Saturday from — because the President wanted to make sure that first, that we would do it where it was safe, and that the American civilians were safe. But also in a way that we would be able to collect — collect information to let us know what was — what was part — taking analysis so that we know what this object was. That — there was a significant amount of debris that was on the ocean floor that’s being take — dredged up, taking out of the ocean and now, there’s an analysis[.]
After Capehart seemed pained to have to ask Jean-Pierre about Biden’s classified documents scandal, he went to Biden’s State of the Union address and entitlements. Of course, he let Jean-Pierre lie about the party writ large wanting to ax Medicare and Social Security.
The topic of the debt ceiling provided more brain flatulence (click “expand”):
JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’ve been very clear. Just — so that — as it relates to the debt ceiling, we have said it is their cons — it is Congress’s cons — constitutional duty to lift the debt ceiling. That is something that they’ve done 78 times since 1960. They did it three times under the last guy, the last President, so — in a bipartisan way, so they should do that now. We cannot — we cannot — we cannot put the full faith and credit of — of our nation hostage.
CAPEHART: Mmhmm.
JEAN-PIERRE: We cannot hold that hostage. We’re talking about veterans. We’re talking about seniors. We’re talking about what taxpayers had owed or have paid into.
CAPEHART: Right.
JEAN-PIERRE: And it is their right to get. So he’s going to protect that. Now, on March 9th, we’re going to put forward our — our budget.
CAPEHART: Right.
JEAN-PIERRE: The President has said, look, he spoke to the speaker. He said, bring forth your — your budget in a real, transparent way, lay it down, be specific on what you want to do. We’re going to put ours on March 9th and we’ll talk more about it. We’ll see what they have to say.
CAPEHART: So, it — so it sounds like if they do it as part of their budget process, you know, the March 9th document is coming out that the President is willing to have, that kind of conversation that the Republicans —
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m — I’m not going to —
CAPEART: — are going to have —
JEAN-PIERRE: — certainly ahead of the budget.
CAPEHART: — in that conversation.
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get the budget.
CAPEHART: Okay.
Oi vey.
Capehart wrapped gun control and staffing changes. On gun control, he delivered this softie: “The President renewed his call for an assault weapons ban, with the fifth anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. How’s he’s going to do that?”
Jean-Pierre hit her stride, but not before some stumbles (click “expand”):
JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me just say, because what we’re — what — the fifth anniversary. We’re talking about 14 kids, three educators, who were murdered, gunned down, and that we can never forget. And we should always remember them and I know the President and the First Lady have the — have their family — are going to be thinking about them, praying for them and we should never forget the horrific day. And we’re continuing to see that in communities and church — at churches, at grocery stores where we’re con — seeing — continuing to see what is occurring with gun violence.
That is why the President has taken the action that he did. The first two years, more executive actions than any other President when it relates — as it relates to gun violence and also this just past summer, the first time in 30 years that we were able to sign a bipartisan bill, he signed a bipartisan bill that dealt with gun violence in a real way. As it relates to an assault weapon, the President is going to continue to call for it. He’s going to continue to tell Congress, we need to act cause we have to. That is the next up that we need to take in order to protect communities across the country.
Jean-Pierre’s struggles with the English language were made possible thanks to advertisers such as Audi and Subway. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from February 12, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart
February 12, 2023
10:02 a.m. EasternJONATHAN CAPEHART: Joining me now, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Karine, welcome back to The Sunday Show.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I still have a little popcorn. [LAUGHTER]
CAPEHART: You can take a little bit of my popcorn from the intro. But in all serious —
JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you for having me.
CAPEHART: Let’s talk about the thing —
JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
CAPEHART: — that was shot out of the sky over Canada. What can you tell us about it? Is this something Americans should be worried about?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: U.S. Jet Shoots Down Aeiral Object in Canadian Airspace]
JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me just lay out for the American people. So, what happened was that out of an abundance of caution, a — a — and by the recommendation by the militaries for President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau, an unauthorized, unmanned object, as you were mentioning, was taken down in the — in the — air — airwaves — in the North — North America airspace and so, what happened was it had been monitored by NORAD over the past 24 or more hours, and then what the President decided to do, he authorized — he authorized the M — F-22, which is a fighter aircraft, to take it down. It came down in the Can — Canadian territory. So, we did it in conjunction with Canada and so, we wanted to — the President take — took this action. We wanted to make sure that we’re always — we’re — the promise is we’re always going to track, we’re always going to detect and we’re always going to defend our airspace, and that’s what the American people should expect.
CAPEHART: Curious question though. Why is — why is the American military shooting something out of the sky over Canada?
JEAN-PIERRE: Because it’s part of NORAD. There is — the NORAD —
CAPEHART: Okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: — is part of like a — part of — it’s a — it’s a — what you call a coalition —
CAPEHART: A pact of nations, okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: — a courtsmanship, pact, exactly, and so, that’s why we were able to do that. Again, we didn’t do it on our own.
CAPERHART: Right.
JEAN-PIERRE: We did in — clearly in — in step with Canadia — Canada.
CAPEHART: About the Chinese spy balloon, it’s reported that multiple antennas have been found in the debris that may have been capable of collecting, geolocating communications. What more are we learning about that?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, the Department of Defense clearly is running this — this process and they are going to be updating us as — as time goes by. As you just mentioned, it was — the Chinese surveillance balloon was taken down about a week ago last — this past Saturday from — because the President wanted to make sure that first, that we would do it where it was safe, and that the American civilians were safe. But also in a way that we would be able to collect — collect information to let us know what was — what was part — taking analysis so that we know what this object was. That — there was a significant amount of debris that was on the ocean floor that’s being take — dredged up, taking out of the ocean and now, there’s an analysis and we’ll learn more about the capabilities, but I certainly don’t want to get ahead of the military. I don’t want to get ahead of the intelligence community and they are going to be updating us as time goes by.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: FBI Finds Addition Classified Document at Pence Home]
CAPEHART: Okay. Switching gears — an FBI search of former Vice President Mike Pence’s home this week which found one more classified document, which has me wondering — has the FBI had conducted or will it conduct additional searches of Biden’s homes or offices?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you know, you had my colleague here from —
CAPEHART: Yes, he was here a couple of weeks ago.
JEAN-PIERRE: — weeks ago from the White House counsel’s office. This is something that lives there, and they certainly are dealing with this issue day-by-day, but one of the most important things that we can continue to say, which really matters to the President, is that when it comes to the Department of Justice, they are an independent. We are very different than the last administration. We want to make sure that their independence has brought back to the Department of Justice, so we just don’t comment on any — any investigation that are currently happening. It doesn’t matter if it’s this one, or any other investigation.
CAPEHART: Oh.
JEAN-PIERRE: We’ve been very, very consistent about that, so, I’m just going to leave it there, not comment about —
CAPEHART: Okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: — and let the Department of Justice do their job.
CAPEHART: Okay, fine, but I’m going to still ask this next question.
JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, go ahead. Go ahead.
CAPEHART: What’s the — what’s the White House’s reaction to ABC News’ reporting that last month, Trump’s legal counsel recently found yet another classified document at his Mar-a-Lago residence, and that this one may have been duplicated onto an aide’s computer? Come on.
JEAN-PIERRE: Department of Justice, I’m going to give it to them, let them do their independent investigation.
CAPEHART: All right.
JEAN-PIERRE: And they can comments to it and we are just not going to comment from here because we believe in their independence.
CAPEHART: Okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: We will not politically interfere, Jonathan.
CAPEHART: Not even give a reaction? Because I’m like —
JEAN-PIERRE: Not even give a reaction.
CAPEHART: Because I’m like, come on, man. They raided your house in August and they still find his stuff — this is amazing — on a computer?
JEAN-PIERRE: This is something the President has said since the campaign. So, we’re going to be very consistent here.
CAPEHART: I got you.
JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden Calls Out Republicans for Plans to Sunset Social Security and Medicare]
CAPEHART: All right. Let’s talk about the State of the Union. Was the President surprise that Republicans walked into his trap on Social Security?
JEAN-PIERRE: [LAUGHTER]
CAPEHART: Come on.
JEAN-PIERRE: I will say this. The President certainly put them on the defense, right? He put the Republicans on the defense when it came to Social Security and Medicare. Look, this is something that they have been saying for months, that they want to sunset it, right? They put a plan, Rick Scott put a plan saying every five years we want to sunset Medicare and Social Security. They voted to increase social — the age of Social Security. They’ve been pretty consistent over the past couple of years, and certainly the past couple of months and the President has said, I’m going to continue to fight for it. We are going to protect Social Security and Medicare and one of the best lines that I think he has said — that some of you covered this when he was in Tampa, Florida, and he said, if you dream of taking away Social Security and Medicare, I will be your nightmare and that’s what you’re seeing from this President. You saw that in the State of the Union. A fight — he laid down what — what he’s going to do for the American people, what he sees moving forward, and all the progress that we’ve made in the last two years, as we talk about the economy, as we talk about growing the economy from the bottom up, and the middle out.
CAPEHART: And it was that speech in Tampa where I think there were pamphlets left on the chair of every person there —
JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, yes, maybe, potentially, yeah.
CAPEHART: — of Rick Scott — Rick Scott’s plan, who is out there still. Hold my beer, I said what I said. Is the President willing — is the President willing to discuss entitlement reform, separate as part of the regular budget process, separate from debt ceiling negotiations?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’ve been very clear. Just — so that — as it relates to the debt ceiling, we have said it is their cons — it is Congress’s cons — constitutional duty to lift the debt ceiling. That is something that they’ve done 78 times since 1960. They did it three times under the last guy, the last President, so — in a bipartisan way, so they should do that now. We cannot — we cannot — we cannot put the full faith and credit of — of our nation hostage.
CAPEHART: Mmhmm.
JEAN-PIERRE: We cannot hold that hostage. We’re talking about veterans. We’re talking about seniors. We’re talking about what taxpayers had owed or have paid into.
CAPEHART: Right.
JEAN-PIERRE: And it is their right to get. So he’s going to protect that. Now, on March 9th, we’re going to put forward our — our budget.
CAPEHART: Right.
JEAN-PIERRE: The President has said, look, he spoke to the speaker. He said, bring forth your — your budget in a real, transparent way, lay it down, be specific on what you want to do. We’re going to put ours on March 9th and we’ll talk more about it. We’ll see what they have to say.
CAPEHART: So, it — so it sounds like if they do it as part of their budget process, you know, the March 9th document is coming out that the President is willing to have, that kind of conversation that the Republicans —
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m — I’m not going to —
CAPEART: — are going to have —
JEAN-PIERRE: — certainly ahead of the budget.
CAPEHART: — in that conversation.
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get the budget.
CAPEHART: Okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: The President has been very clear. He’s going to protect Medicare. He’s going to protect Social Security. He even said during his State of the Union that he is going to, over the ten years, put forward the budget that’s going to lower — lower the debt by two trillion dollars. Remember, this is a President, in the first two years, that lowered the debt by $1.7 billion. So, we are — we are building — rebuilding the economy, while also being fiscally responsible. That’s what you’re going to see from this President.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden Urges Congress to Pass Assault Weapons Ban]
CAPEHART: All right. We got less than a minute but I want to get you on two — on two more questions. The President renewed his call for an assault weapons ban, with the fifth anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. How’s he’s going to do that?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me just say, because what we’re — what — the fifth anniversary. We’re talking about 14 kids, three educators, who were murdered, gunned down, and that we can never forget. And we should always remember them and I know the President and the First Lady have the — have their family — are going to be thinking about them, praying for them and we should never forget the horrific day. And we’re continuing to see that in communities and church — at churches, at grocery stores where we’re con — seeing — continuing to see what is occurring with gun violence. That is why the President has taken the action that he did. The first two years, more executive actions than any other President when it relates — as it relates to gun violence and also this just past summer, the first time in 30 years that we were able to sign a bipartisan bill, he signed a bipartisan bill that dealt with gun violence in a real way. As it relates to an assault weapon, the President is going to continue to call for it. He’s going to continue to tell Congress, we need to act cause we have to. That is the next up that we need to take in order to protect communities across the country.
CAPEHART: And real fast — Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director, is leaving. Ron Klain, chief of staff, is leaving. Rumor out there that Marty Walsh, secretary of labor, is also leaving. When can we expect that announcement?
JEAN-PIERRE: All I can say is Marty Walsh is still currently the —
CAPEHART: The — the —
JEAN-PIERRE: — secretary of labor. So, I’ll leave it there.
CAPEHART: See —
JEAN-PIERRE: No announcement to make.
CAPEHART: OK. State of the Union is over. When are we going to hear the — the big speech, the Biden-Harris 2024 announcement? Real quick.
JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you know, I am — I’m unlimited in what I can say. I can’t talk about politics. I am covered by the Hatch Act.
CAPEHART: The Hatch Act.
JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is repeat what the President has said many times, is that he intends to run. I’ll leave it there.
CAPEHART: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, thank you for playing overtime.
JEAN-PIERRE: Oh my goodness. Always — always with you. Jonathan. Thanks for the popcorn.
CAPEHART: Thank you very much for coming back on The Sunday Show. You’re welcome.
