“[We’re] in a place where we can actually put us in a place where the American people feel -- can actually -- we can take on inflation,” stated White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a train wreck interview on Monday’s CNN Don Lemon Tonight. Welcomed by Lemon Jean-Pierre struggled to defend President Biden in his work for the country, placing blame for the economy on other outside factors and even explicitly stating that the country needs to be “in a good historic economic place, which is where we are right now.”
Lemon, probing further questions about the economy, asked if President Biden was was “being realistic about just how much this is impacting Americans and their pocketbooks?”
Stating that Biden has inflation as his top priority for the economy, Jean-Pierre made it clear where these high prices are stemming from. Praising the American Rescue Plan passed by Biden and pushing unemployment statistics, she reminded Lemon, “We got to remember, we’re thinking about gas prices and food. This is coming from Putin’s war against Ukraine.”
It is all Putin’s fault, and Biden is helping the economy?
Surprisingly, Lemon actually called her out by noting we have rising inflation and gas prices “before the war.” “They also say that last year's stimulus package, which you mentioned, contributed to inflation,” he added.
Fumbling for words to convince Lemon about the President’s win for gun legislation, the Press Secretary stated the following: “So, the President has – has done everything that he --he can from – from -- from the White House to take -- to call - to call on Congress to act. So, this is one step forward, right? We haven't seen anything like this, a bipartisanship agreement on gun reform in decades, in a generation even.”
Convincing, right?
Lemon faced heat on both Tuesday and Wednesday morning for suggesting that the President may not be fit to lead, asking Jean-Pierre about his mental and physical stamina to even run again in 2024. A valid question, one that Jean-Pierre answered, “that is – I’ve – that is not a question we should be even asking. Just look at the work that he does. Look how he’s delivering for the American public.”
Touching on a recent New York Times article with the headline: “Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise,” Press Secretary Jean-Pierre quickly discredited the work stating that the article “is hearsay, it’s salacious.” But what about from the words of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I think if the president has a vision, and that's something certainly we're all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.
BASH: That's not a yes.
[Transition]
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I believe that the president has been doing a very good job so far. And you know, should he run again, I think that I -- you know, it's - it's -- we'll take a look at it.
Referencing that interview between AOC with CNN host Dana Bash to ease Lemon and the public watching, Jean-Pierre grasped at straws, noting, “the congresswoman did say the President is doing a good job, so that's good, right?”
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CNN Don Lemon Tonight
06/13/2022
10:40:40 p.m. Eastern
DON LEMON: A bad day for Wall Street with stocks plunging into bear market territory. The Dow sliding 876 points on concerns the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates by as much as three-quarters of a percentage point to address raging inflation, something the Fed hasn't done since 1994.
The rough day for stocks follows more bad news for the economy. The national average price for gas hitting an all-time high of $5 a gallon. And the latest inflation data show -- showing that energy and food prices soaring over the past year, energy up by more than 34 percent, food by more than 10 percent.
Despite all of this, the White House claiming that American consumers are, quote, "well-positioned to face these economic challenges," and reiterating that president Biden's plan -- plans to run for election in 2024.
So, joining me now to talk about all of this is the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Karine, thank you. That was a big buildup. Not really great news because when it comes to the economy. Good evening to you.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: It was a build-up, but thank you for having me.
LEMON: Good evening to you. The economy -- absolutely. The economy clearly in a rough spot. Is the President being realistic about just how much this is impacting Americans and their pocketbooks?
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, the President understands how much this is impacting Americans and their pocketbooks. This is a President that understands what happens around the kitchen table. He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, when prices go up just a little bit, it really hurts families. And he understands the anxiety that people are currently feeling.
Look, he has made this his top economic priority as we're talking about inflation, as we're talking about the economy. Like we have to remember where this country was more than a year ago when he walked into office. The economy was not in a great place. Schools were closed. Businesses were closed. We didn't have a comprehensive COVID -- COVID strategy.
And what he ended up doing was meet that moment, pass the American Rescue Plan. Only Democrats passed that plan. He signed it. It was his plan. And now we're seeing an economy that's bouncing back. Eight million jobs, 8.7 million jobs created. Unemployment is low. So that is why we believe we're in a good position to take on inflation.
But, yes, we understand that folks are feeling this. And we got to remember, we got to remember, we're thinking about gas prices and food. This is coming from Putin's war against Ukraine. The moment that Putin amassed forces on the border of Ukraine, we saw from then until now, we have seen a $2 increase per gallon on gas.
LEMON: OK.
JEAN-PIERRE: And so, this is a big part of it too, because we have to understand, Don, where this comes from as well.
LEMON: OK. I understand that.
JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
LEMON: But, listen, before Putin -- you know, the war started, I remember -- I remember when the first bombs dropped. I was on the air with Matthew Chance reporting live. And although --
(CROSSTALK)
JEAN-PIERRE: I remember. I saw you.
LEMON: -- the economists do cite the war in Ukraine and supply chain issues. We did have that before the war, supply chain issues. They also say that last year's stimulus package, which you mentioned, contributed to inflation, Karine. Does the Biden administration bear some responsibility for this?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, first of all, the American Rescue Plan met the moment, and it has put us in a place where we can actually put us in a place where the American people feel -- can actually -- we can take on inflation.
What I mean by that is we've seen growth, right, with as I mentioned more than eight million jobs. And now we're transitioning into a steady, stable growth. The President actually wrote an op-ed to discuss that himself, lay out his plan on how we're going to bring down inflation. And so that's really important. In order to take this on, we've got to be in a good historic economic place, which is where we are right now.
LEMON: I want to bring in -- I want to talk about this bipartisan agreement on gun control, Karine. It includes an enhanced review process for buyers under 21 and resources for states to enact red flag laws. But it's also missing a lot of what the administration wanted, including an assault weapon ban and raising the age to purchase assault weapons to 21. Does President Biden still see this as a win?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, here's the thing. You know, President Biden understands and he knows like this doesn't have everything that he even called for. But when he went down to Uvalde recently to meet with the parents, to meet with the community, to meet with the vic -- the families of the victims and some of the victims as well, they said, please do something.
So, the President has – has done everything that he --he can from – from -- from the White House to take -- to call - to call on Congress to act. So, this is one step forward, right? We haven't seen anything like this, a bipartisanship agreement on gun reform in decades, in a generation even.
And so, the fact that we have seen those two sides come together, they negotiated, they're legislating right now, that is a step forward. And that's what negotiation looks like.
The President's going to continue to fight and to call on the other items that he has put forward as what he believes the banning of assault weapons, you know, national red flag laws, and all of these things that he believes that will make our country safer.
LEMON: But --
JEAN-PIERRE: And here's the thing, Don. What this is about is about saving lives. So, he wants Congress to write the text, get that passed, and get it to his desk as soon as possible.
[Cuts to live]
LEMON: We've got a lot more to talk about, including 2024. That's next.
[Commercial break]
…
LEMON: President Biden and Democrats facing a lot of challenges in the run-up to this year's mid-term elections. And it is raising questions about how the party and the White House should look ahead to the 2024 presidential election.
More with my interview from the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
[Cuts back to video]
We're just coming up on the midterms but as you know, presidents only get to serve so long before they have to start campaigning again and running again.
And president Biden, I don't know if -- I'm sure you've read, there was a New York Times article talking about the whispers are growing louder inside the Democratic Party facing doubt that some -- that in the Democratic Party about his plans to run a second term. I want you to listen. This is what Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN when asked if she would support Biden in 2024. Here it is.
[Cuts to clip]
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I think if the president has a vison, and that's something certainly we're all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.
BASH: That's not a yes.
[Transition]
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I believe that the president has been doing a very good job so far. And you know, should he run again, I think that I -- you know, it's - it's -- we'll take a look at it.
[End clip]
LEMON: Okay. So, as I understand you, you assured or you reiterated that the President does plan to run in 2024, right, to run again.
JEAN-PIERRE: So, first of all, the congresswoman did say the President is doing a good job, so that's good, right?
LEMON: Yes.
JEAN-PIERRE: So, I just want to really highlight that because many people agree with that. Look --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But he is going to run in 2024?
JEAN-PIERRE: there's a -- there's a -- well, let me just say there is a, you know there is two -- there is something called the Hatch Act that I have to be very mindful of. What I can say is the President has repeatedly said that he plans -- he plans to run in 2024 and I'm going to have to leave it there.
LEMON: OK. OK. But then -- but are you concerned -- is the administration worried that there are Democrats who are not openly endorsing the president come 2024, even though you can't say for sure if --
(CROSSTALK)
JEAN-PIERRE: I really can't get -- I can't into that. All I can say is what the President intends to do, what the president plans to do. And look, at the end of the day, Don, our focus is to deliver for the American people. That's the work that we've been doing with the economy, that's the work that we've been doing with COVID when he walked in.
Again, let's not forget when he walked in as looking at COVID, there was no -- there was no comprehensive plan to get people vaccinated. Now more than 200 million people are getting vaccinated.
The one thing I do want to say is, as we are working on plans to lower inflation, deal with gas prices, you know, you have the other side. You have Republicans and what they're doing is they're putting out a plan, Rick Scott, Senator Rick Scott put out a plan on how he wants to raise taxes on people making less than $100,000 and so –
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Listen, Karine, I understand that.
JEAN-PIERRE: -- sunset Medicare, Medicare and Social Security, things that are so important --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I understand those are important policy issues.
JEAN-PIERRE: -- to communities across the country.
LEMON: Those are, you're right, those are important policy issues and that, and those should be discussed and they're discussed in every presidential election and they're discussed all the time.
But the concern is --
JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
LEMON: -- the President during interviews where he doesn't seem to answer questions directly or at times succinctly, there is his approval ratings, according to the latest Gallup poll, 40 percent of Americans approve of Biden's job as President.
JEAN-PIERRE: Don --
LEMON: So, how do you -- how does he and you, because you are the spokesperson for the White House, plan to assure voters that he is still the best candidate to beat Trump? Is he -- is he at his best right now?
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I think the thing that Americans love about President Biden is he's a straight shooter. He is a straight shooter and he says it the way he sees it, and he calls it out. And that is the thing that makes him genuine and authentic and real and people really, really connect with this President.
I see it myself when we go into -- we're going to Philly, Pennsylvania. I'll see it then. We just came back from New Mexico, we were in L.A., in L.A., California. I travel with him all across the country and I see how people feel about this President and how much they appreciate what he has done. And I think that matters.
As far as the polls, our focus again is delivering for the American people. We're making inflation our number one economic policy. There's other issues that the President has to deal with and that is what he's going to focus on and that's how he's going to continue --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And there's no concern within the administration about the President's polling?
JEAN-PIERRE: That's not what we're talking about here. We're focused -- we are genuinely focused on how we can get the work done on behalf of the American people.
LEMON: Does the President has the stamina physically and mentally do you think to continue on even after 2024?
JEAN-PIERRE: Don, you're asking me this question. My gosh, he's the President of the United States. You know, he -- I can't even keep up with him. We just got back from New Mexico, we just got back from California. That is -- I've -- that is not a question that we should be even asking. Just look at the work that he does. Look how he's delivering for the American public.
Look, that was -- that article that we're talking about is hearsay, it's salacious. That's not what we care about. We care about how are we going to deliver for the American people? How are we going to make their lives better? That's what the President talks about. That is his focus and that's what we're going to continue to focus on.
LEMON: Karine Jean-Pierre, thank you. I really appreciate you coming on. Please come back.
JEAN-PIERRE: All right, Don. Thanks for having me.
LEMON: Thank you.
JEAN-PIERRE: I'm happy to come back any time.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Bye-bye.
