Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy confronted press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday, pressing her to disclose who allegedly concealed President Joe Biden’s cognitive health issues from the public.
Jean-Pierre accused Doocy of perpetuating the narrative that the White House hid Biden’s mental decline before his poor performance at the June 27 debate, which ultimately led to his decision to withdraw from the presidential race. She vehemently denied any cover-up by staffers, insisting that Biden independently made the “selfless” decision to step down.
“It would seem that people in this White House knew that President Biden was slipping and it was hidden from the American people,” Doocy began. “So who ordered White House officials to cover up a declining president?”
“I know that is a narrative that you love,” Jean-Pierre responded, followed by an interjection from Doocy. “Okay, you’re asking me two multiple questions here. Wait, wait. First of all, there’s been no cover-up. I want to be very clear about that. I know that’s the narrative that you all want.”
Doocy then pressed Jean-Pierre to “admit” that Biden’s debate performance was “not just a bad night.” The press secretary reiterated there was no cover-up and added that the president made a “selfless” and “admirable” decision by dropping out of the race.
“And what I will say is that it is not easy making a decision that the president made on Sunday. It is just not,” Jean-Pierre continued. “It is not. And as you’ve all reported, it is historic. It is unusual, this is not the norm. And making a decision like that for someone who’s been in public service for 54 years, U.S. senator for 36, vice president to President Obama for 8 and now a first-time president himself. These are not easy decisions to make, they’re just not. So the fact that he was able to make that decision in a selfless way, that’s admirable.”
Thirty-six Democrats urged Biden to exit the race after the debate, including California Rep. Adam Schiff, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, and New York Rep. Pat Ryan.
Before the debate, legacy media outlets and Democrats had downplayed signs of Biden’s declining mental health, accusing Republicans—and in some cases even Russia—of pushing a narrative regarding his cognitive abilities. During a July 23 briefing, Jean-Pierre labeled many video clips of Biden appearing confused or stumbling over his words as “cheap fakes” orchestrated by Republicans.
Jean-Pierre further dismissed concerns about Biden’s ability to complete his term as “ridiculous” during a Tuesday appearance on The View.
Doocy also asked whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and mentioned her lack of communication with former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz while addressing root causes at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“What should that tell us about her leadership style?” Doocy inquired.
“She was supposed to be doing root causes dealing with diplomacy. Diplomacy. That’s what her job was supposed to be. Diplomatic. That’s the job,” Jean-Pierre replied.