James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
2:34 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi. Good afternoon, everyone. Really sorry for the delay. I just got out of the Oval Office with the president, who wanted me to relay a few me- — a few new messages to you all on Hurricane Beryl. This is important to him, and he knows it’s important to the people of Texas, so he wanted to make sure that, be- — before I came out here, I had all of this information.
So, the president spoke with Houston Mayor Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo about the impacts of Hurricane Beryl, and they both asked for help from the federal government.
Because of — the governor of Texas is currently out of the country, the president then called the lieutenant governor of Texas to ensure that Texans are getting the resources they need and deserve following this devastating storm.
On the call, the president raised the need for a Major Disaster Declaration and immediately approved it while on the call when the lieutenant governor requested it.
With this Major Disaster Declaration in place, we will be able to provide lifesaving and life-sustaining activities.
The president and his team have been working around the clock for the past two days to ensure Texas has the resources and tools needed to respond to Beryl and keep Americans safe.
Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA have been on the ground, and senior White House officials have been in constant contact with their counterparts.
While the storm has passed, our greatest concern right now is power outages and extreme heat. So, we want to encourage residents to remain vigilant as temperatures rise, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
Fortunately, 800,000 have had power restored overnight, and we expect another 1 million to have their power restored today.
The federal government has also offered generators to help reduce the impact of the power outages.
The president continues to take decisive action to help the people of Texas recover, and he looks forward to working with the state to get more critical resources to the people that need them.
I also want to share one additional scheduling item with all of you, as well, at the top. In addition to many NATO meetings we announced yesterday, on Thursday afternoon, President Biden will meet with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to discuss our unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself from Russian aggression.
That meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Convention Center, which, as you all know, is where the NATO sessions are being held, and it will take place just before the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.
This will be the third meeting between both presidents in recent weeks, following their sit-down in France and also a sit-down at the G7 in Italy, and it will further demonstrate the strength of the partnership between our counties.
And, finally, just a personal note here, I want to say a few words about Sam Michel here, who served as acting deputy press secretary for the part of — a good part of this year.
We are sad that today is indeed his last day, but we are so grateful for his service. And he has been incr- — an incredible colleague. He is — we were lucky to have him on our team — on our press team. His sharpness, his ability to stay calm under pressure, and his strategic thinking has been a real asset to us all.
Sam, you will be greatly missed. Thank you so much for being on the team and stepinning — stepping in when we really needed you.
Okay. All right. Seung Min.
Q Thank you. I just want to get a clarification on the letter that was sent last night on —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure, absolutely.
Q — from Dr. O’Connor. And you can correct me if I’m wrong, but it didn’t seem to explicitly describe the nature of Dr. Cannard’s meeting with Dr. O’Connor. So, can you say whether that one meeting was related to care for the president himself?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I can say that it was not.
Q It was not. Okay, great.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
And can I just ask why that information that was released last night —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — just wasn’t said at the briefing yesterday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What — no, actually, a lot of what is in the letter was said at the briefing, to be very, very clear. I said — many of the things that were laid out in the letter was actually repeated right here behind this lectern, at this podium yesterday.
It was —
Q But the letter said that —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, hold on.
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I said “many of the things.”
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: “Many of things.” And we got claricafi- — claricafi- — clarification, obviously, from Dr. O’Connor, but it was in line with what I said.
When I said “only three” — right? — I said “only three” visits that this particular doctor had. I said “a neurologist.”
What I was not able to confirm is the name and the reason why — is because we do not share private information. That is something that we respect. And we wanted to make sure that we protect the — our consultants here that work with the White House Medical Unit — their security as well.
And so, that is the one thing that I was not able to confirm. Obviously, Dr. O’Connor’s letter confirms that. But we had to get permission from Dr. Cannard and also the president in order to put that information —
And it is not normal. And that also states that in Dr. O’Connor.
But many of the things that I said right here at this podium is in the letter.
Q And could I just also ask a little — this is the second time in less than a week where the briefing had prompted a need for later clarification on questions about the president’s health. And I’m just wondering if you could speak to wh- —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I disagree. I disagree, Seung Min. It’s not.
Yesterday, a lot of the things that I said right here in this briefing room — I know you were not in the briefing room — I actu- — it’s in the letter. It was in the letter.
It was being incor- — incorrectly assumed and insinuated that the president had seen Dr. Cannard more than three times. I said that it was only three times that the president had seen a neurologist. I didn’t confirm the name, but I did say it was only three times.
It was being incorrectly assumed and insinuated that the president was being treated for Parkinson’s. I said right here that the president was not being treated for Parkinson’s. I actually went a step further and said he wasn’t taking medication for Parkinson’s. I said that right here.
It was also being assumed and insinuated that Dr. Cannard was someone who only worked on Parkinson’s, when, in fact, he is a general neurologist. That was something that Dr. O’Connor was actually able to confirm, that he was a general neuro- — neurologist — not — in fact, a general neurologist.
And we also wanted to set the — we just wanted to set the record straight. And so, you know, it is important — we believe it was important to all of you — I actually even said here at the podium: If there was more information that we could provide, we would do that. We would do that. And we did.
But many of the things that I said right here is in the letter — is in the letter.
Go ahead.
Q Does the president feel like he’s beat back this effort to force him to step aside?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, you know, you heard the president yesterday when he called in to “Morning Joe,” did about 18 minutes of Q&A yesterday morning. He sport ver- — he spoke very — very, I think, forcefully, passionately about where he stands, about how he sees things moving forward.
And we also have said many times, we respect — we respect members of Congress, we respect their view. But I also want to say there’s a long — also a long list of — of congressional members who have been very clear and — in support of this president, whether it’s the CBC, who gave a full — full support — the Congressional Black Caucus, for folks who are watching and are not sure what CBC is. They were very much supportive.
They said, “We think that” — this is Representative Joyce Beatty, to — to be clear — “We think that the call went extremely well. The president was very responsive.”
Representative Troy Carter, who’s also a member of the CBC, he was “elated to hear directly from — from the president” and “that he is all in, and we are all in with him.”
You hear from — you got a Congressional Hispanic Caucus — they put a statement in full support of this president. And there — there are others.
And so, look, he is going to focus on continuing to work on behalf of the American people, continuing to build on an unprecedented record that he’s been able to get done with many of these congressional members that he’s proud to be — to have worked with. But that’s his focus right now. That’s his focus.
Q Is he still talking to more people, more lea- — more —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He’s going to —
Q — members of Congress?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — continue to engage. As you saw him in Pennsylvania when he was on — you know, when he was in the Commonwealth, h- — on the road, he — he had two of th- — two of the senators, two of the congressional members with him — the House members with him.
He’s going to be traveling later in the week. He’s going to be engaging.
I have mentioned a l- — I mentioned yesterday his robust schedule for the next two weeks. When he’s in state, he certainly will continue to engage. I don’t have a list of additional — additional calls to — to read out. But he did CBC last night — Congressional Black Caucus — and he’s going to continue and engage as he has been.
Go ahead, Mary.
Q To follow on that. The president has made clear he’s done talking about the debate; it is time to move on.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q But some of his allies have made clear they’re very much still in this wait-and-see mode.
I mean, Senator Patty Murray said he “must do more to demonstrate he can campaign strong enough to beat Trump.”
Senator Durbin saying he’s concerned whether this is just a one-off or a larger issue.
So, I guess, you know, how worried is the president that despite his best efforts, he’s not going to be able to close the book on these concerns?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And, Mary, I appreciate the question, but as you know, there are hundreds of members in Congress — hundreds. And I laid out a list of folks who have supported him. We’ve heard from Senator Coons. We heard from Senator Fetterman. There is support there as well for him.
And so, just want to make sure that we put that out there as well.
Q But he wants the party united behind him, right?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, look, Representative Gregory Meeks said — coming out of the congressional Democrats meetings — said that they’re united.
And you just saw the Dem Caucus leadership take questions from some of your colleagues over at the Capitol. So, that is important as well to note.
But, look, he had a bad night. We’ve talked about it. He understands people’s concerns. We have been out there — as we have been in previous months, but out there, obviously, in the past 10 days — more than 10 days now since — since the debate. And you see from his engagement with everyday people on the ground. You see him with congressional members having — who are showing their support, speaking on behalf of this president while we’re on the ground in — in that respective state or Commonwealth, being where we were in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
And so, we’re just going to continue that. But, look, what we can say — what I can say is: Look, we respects — we respect people’s opinion. These are — you just mentioned two senators that we were very proud working with over the past three and a half years to get historic — historic legislation done, and that’s what we want to focus on.
You’re right. We do want to turn the page. You heard me say this last week. We want to get to the other side of this. We want to continue doing the work, and that’s what the president is going to do.
Q And just to be clear, does he have plans to talk with leadership again soon?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have any calls. We don’t have calls to read out or — or to preview. He is going to continue to engage. I just don’t have anything right now to share at this moment. He talked to CBC — again, the Congressional Black Caucus — members yesterday. They had a very, very good call. And so, he’s going to continue to engage.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. The White House has obviously fielded a lot of questions in recent days about the president’s health, whether the White House has been forthcoming or not about that issue. And I just wondered: Have the last 12 days made you reconsider any specific statements that you might have made in recent months on — on that issue?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — look, I appreciate the question — I really do — and the opportunity.
I think there has been moments here when I have said — and I — especially in the gaggle, I think — and a- — and actually yesterday, if I — if I have, you know, said — misled in something that I’ve said or haven’t had the full information, I actually own up to that and I actually say, “I will do my best to get you the information.” Hence, the letter — hence, the letter for Dr. O’Connor. Right?
And so, I will — you know, I have always said I’ve always been committed to doing the best I can to give you the information that we have. That is a commitment from the team.
It has been an unprecedented time. I think you guys can admit that. (Laughs.) Right? It is an unprecedented time. And so, we are meeting the moment — a new moment that has never really existed before. And so, we want to make sure that we get you all the information that we have. And when we don’t have it, we do try our best to provide that information.
And so, that is something that I’m going to continue to do, and I’ve always said it is an honor and a privilege to be standing in front of you every day, exercising in the freedom of the press. This is — this is a briefing that is watched around the world, because we lead in democracy. Right? We lead in the freedom of the press and what that looks like.
Honor and privilege, and I will continue to do my best to do just that.
Q And — and we certainly understand —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — you know, you speak on behalf of the president and you defend him, his actions, his positions — his policy positions included.
Could I just ask you about one example just going back that comes to mind? September 20 —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: In the past — you’re talking about the last 12 days?
Q I’m — I’m talking about recent —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, you’re —
Q — recent months.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, well, you just said recently. It’s been — you know, we’ve been going back and forth, and so in the last, you know, 12 days or so, that was — that’s how — I believe that’s how you asked me the question.
Q Yeah, I — I was talking generally.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
Q But if I could just ask you about one example.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, if you’re going to ask me about something from months ago, it probably would be fair for me to — I probably won’t be able to answer that right away — whatever it is that you’re — you’re going to say to me.
Q You can come back to us if — if you need.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, yeah, I’m happy to do that.
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But — but it’s also to — to say, “Hey, from September of whenever year” — right? — that is — that is something that I probably should get a little space to kind of see exactly what you’re speaking about.
Q Okay, and —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right?
Q — that’s fine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — if that ends up being your an- —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — you know, I just want to —
Q — your response.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — make sure that we —
Q Sure.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — kind of give some context here.
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q And you’ll remember this. This was an event where the president called out Congresswoman Jackie Walorski —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — looked for her in the room even though she had recently died.
You told multiple reporters at the time, and this —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — was asked in multiple —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: She was top —
Q — different ways.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: She was top of mind.
Q Right.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q And it was because she was top of mind —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — for the president. I mean, would you — on — on that example, would you offer a different explanation?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I would not, because, honestly, I spoke to the president right before coming out that day, and that is what the president told me. It’s not something that came from me. That is something that came from the president.
Q So — so, he was saying even as he —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: She —
Q — was looking for her in the moment, it wasn’t a misspeak.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: She was top — she was top of mind.
Q Okay. Could —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That is coming — as you just said in your question, I speak for the president. I — I speak on behalf of him. That was coming from him, and I was delivering, directly from the president, what he was thinking at the time.
Q Great.
A very different kind of example. And this is more recent.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, sure. Sure.
Q When the president was in Italy for the G7 and —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
Q — you’ll remember he skipped one of the leaders’ dinner, which was a major event for the summit. And I remember you were asked about it by reporters, and you said, “You know, we shouldn’t read too much into the fact that he is skipping one dinner.” I mean —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — what — would the explanation actually have been that he was tired and that he needed to skip something that was happening so —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I wouldn’t — and my — my —
Q — late in the evening?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And my answer stays the same. I wouldn’t read too much into it. It’s not the first time that he has. He has a really busy schedule, and there is a lot going on.
As you know, when the president is abroad, he has continued to do domestic stuff as well as — as well as meeting with global leaders. And so, I truly would not read too much into it, and I will leave it there.
Q Okay. I have a very final question on the —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Okay.
Q — the annual —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Okay. Sure. Sure.
Q — letter from Dr. O’Connor.
He said that the president “continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.” Just because it’s been a couple of months, do you know if that statement is still accurate?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s still accurate.
Q So, no exemptions, no accommodations?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No exemptions. No accommodations.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That’s accurate.
Thank you.
Go ahead.
Q Karine, there was a — an announcement from the Department of Justice today about a crackdown effort to interrupt a Russian state-sponsored bot operation, an AI-fueled operation to denigrate politicians in the United States and elsewhere.
Have — have you — do you have any concerns right now that this is the leading edge of any part of a Russian effort to interfere in the election? Has the president been briefed on this?
And have you seen any evidence that the Russians or other foreign powers have tried to seize on the debate performance to repeat some of the president’s most embarrassing moments?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, that’s a very good question. I would have to talk to our team about those particular questions that you just asked. There were multiple questions in your statement there. I would leave it to the Department of Justice as — what they announced. Obviously, that’s for them to speak to.
Look, AI has always been a concern. That’s why the president made some announcements recently — an executive — to take executive action on how we can deal with AI. We want to see more — more action — more fulsome action legislatively from Congress. That is something — it is a — it is a technol- — a cutting-edge technology that we need to get our hands on and make — get a better — you know, better understanding of what it could potentially do. And so, that is something that the pr- — the president is certainly — is looking — is looking to make sure that we deal with this in a full — a whole-of-government way.
On those particular questions, I would have to check in with our — of — with our team here. And, obviously, what’s — whatever is related to the Department of Justice in that — in that — in that statement, I would refer you to them.
Go ahead.
Q Yeah, thanks, Karine. You said just a minute ago that the president wants to turn the page on the —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — on the last couple of weeks and get to the other side of this, or the White House wants to.
You know, has President Biden seen enough support over the last 36 hours from fellow congre- — or from fellow Democrats in Congress to now start turning the page and look ahead? I mean, what’s his reaction been to — to what — to what he’s seen since Congress has gotten back?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, it’s very similar to how I answered your — the question to one of your colleagues. He’s very much focused on what’s — what’s ahead. Right? He’s very much focused — he has a fulsome, robust schedule the next two weeks that we laid out for all of you. He wants to focus on that, the messages that he wants to come out when he goes to Texas next week, when he goes to Vegas next week. He’s going to — to — going to be on the road on Friday as well.
And I also want to say, look, you know, he is proud of — of the Congressional Black Caucus, who said they have — he — he has their support. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus did the same. And other — and other members of Cong- — of Congress, obviously.
And so, look, he wants to move forward, as your colleagues said; definitely, unite the — unite — unite the party, continuing to unite the party.
We heard from Representative Meeks, who said that Democrats — the congressional Democrats came out of the meeting today united. I think that’s important to note.
But the president is going to move forward. He’s going to move forward, and he’s going to continue to go out there, engage — engage with the American public like you saw him do in Pennsylvania. And he’s going to stay focused on that.
Q But do you feel — does he feel like he’s weathered this storm, so to speak?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I think that he is more determined than ever to continue to get the — the job done; to continue to build an economy that — that works for all; to continue to make sure that we have a middle class — right? — that is — that is strong — right? — that we don’t have a trickle-down e- — economy. That we have an economy that’s built from the bottom up, middle out. That’s what he wants to continue to do.
I think this week, with the NATO Summit — the 75th year of NATO — let’s not forget NATO has helped to protect Americans and pro- — and also protect the world and what it’s been able to do for the past 75 years. You’re going to see the president engaging with 32 leaders of this Alliance. I think that’s really important. That’s — again, on behalf of the American people. So, he wants to do that.
He has a lot on his mind as — as it deals with making sure we deliver for the American people. That’s what he’s going to focus on.
Go ahead — go ahead, Peter. I know — I know we had our chat yesterday.
Q Yes. Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, go ahead.
Q Does President Biden commit to serving a full second term if reelected?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
Q Thank you. We know the president says that his health is fine, but it’s just his brain, and that he’s sharpest before 8:00 —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He was joking, by the way. I just want to make sure that that’s out there. And people — people —
Q What’s the joke?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Pe- — he was making a lighthearted joke as he was speaking off —
Q That he has a problem with his brain?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He was speak- — he was speaking off the cuff, and he was making a joke. You know the president. He likes to joke a lot.
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He’s the same guy who says, “I know I look 40.” Right? So, he likes to make jokes.
Q That’s a joke?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is a joke. He —
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think people laugh when he says it.
Q Well, he also said he’s —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, it’s a joke.
Q — he’s sharpest before 8:00 p.m.
So, say that the Pentagon at some point picks up an incoming nuke; it’s 11:00 p.m. Who do you call? The First Lady?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He has a team that lets him know of any — of any news that is pertinent and important to the American people. He has someone — or — that is decided, obviously, with his National Security Council on who gets to tell him that news.
Q So, Kevin McCarthy just said that when he was the speaker, “Many times when we had meetings in the Oval Office, Jill was there as well.” When the First Lady is in these meetings, is she making decisions, or is she just —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.
Q — advising the president?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. The president in the president of the United States. He makes decisions.
Q Okay. Another family member. President Biden has told me before he and his son don’t have any business dealings together. So, what is Hunter Biden doing in White House meetings?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Are you talking about the meeting where they came together from Camp David and the two of them walked to the president’s meeting and he was there?
Q There is a report that aides were struck by his presence during their discussions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I can’t — I’m — I’m certainly not going to get into private conversations that o- — that occur. What I can say is — and I talked to this — I spoke to this before — is that when they came back from Camp David — the president spent a couple of days at Camp David with his family. He is very close to his family, as you know. It was the week of Fourth of July, which is why his family members were here last week. They walked together and — they walked together into the meeting.
Q Can you say if Hunter Biden has access to classified information?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.
Q And are you guys just not, since February, testing President Biden for Parkinson’s or for dementia because if he gets a bad result, it’s all over that day?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, as I’ve said many times before, the president has had a fulsome, comprehensive — what we said — what we shared with you was comprehensive, but he’s had a full physical. We’ve sh- — we’ve shown the results of those physicals this past three years. We showed it just four months ago.
And it is in line with what we have done similar to President Obama, similar to George W. Bush. We are committed to continue to be transparent. We are committed to continue to show the results of those — of those physicals.
And, look, it’s the president’s medical team that makes the decision. We are not — with all due respect, you’re not a doctor. I’m not a doctor. It is the president’s medical unit that makes the decision on what the president needs.
Q Not a doctor —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.
Q — just play one on TV.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That’s — that’s scary.
Q But I know that — that is scary. (Laughter.)
But I know that, especially as adults get into their 80s, health conditions can pop up more than just once a year when he’s getting his physical. I think if my wife saw me on TV misspeaking or saying the wrong thing or —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — seeing a change in my appearance, she would probably say, “Let’s go to a doctor just to make sure that you are okay. You have a family. You have an important job.”
Why doesn’t anybody in the president’s family urge him just to go to get checked out to say the coast is clear?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, just to step back just a little bit, because I think you weren’t in the briefing room last week. I — I don’t want to go backwards, but just to share a little bit about that night.
The president said it was a bad night. He talked about it. He had a — a cold, right? He talked about his schedule — right? — being abroad. And so, we’ve spoke about what that night was like for him. And we understand what the American people saw, what you all saw. We’ve spoken to that.
And I also would say — and I think you know this, Peter. You’ve — you’ve covered a couple administration at this point — a couple administrations at this point — that the president — every president has a White House Medical Unit that is with him 24/7 — that is available to him 24/7.
That is unlike any other American, right? That is not the norm. That is uncommon. Just down on the other side of the colonnade is where the medical unit is. And I did share in the — that the president checks in while he’s exercising with his doctor on — a couple times a week.
And so, he has that. He has something that most — majority of Americans — all Americans, I would probably argue, don’t have, which is a full medical unit that is with him at all times.
And he gets a full — full, full physical — annual physical that we share with all of you. And that is very different — very different than an everyday American who — sometimes they’re lucky if they can go get a physical. They have to get into a car. They have to take public transportation. The president has, again, a medical unit that’s with him here at the White House and travels with him.
Q So, I guess the question is just — this is not — you’re saying this is not a situation where you would rather just not know if there is an issue —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I will tell you —
Q — with the president —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — is —
Q — because if he does —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look —
Q — get a bad result, it is all over.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: First of all —
Q He has to leave office right away.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: First of all —
Q He can’t run for reelection.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: First of all, it’s a hypothetical — right? — that — you’re giving me a hypothetical. But I will also say — just to clear this up — hi- — the White House Medical Unit, his — his doctor, they don’t believe that he needs anything more than what we have been able to provide: a full — full, detailed, very comprehensive physical that he had four months ago.
That is their decision to make. It’s not yours. It’s not mine. It’s the White Hou- Me- — White House Medical Unit.
Go ahead.
Q Hi, Karine. You mentioned that the Democratic Party was united. Perhaps leadership, but a lot of —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — rank-and-file Democrats have a lot of concerns. And one of them, Steve Cohen, said today: Not only are they not on the same page, but they’re “not even in the same book.” How does the White House — is the White House concerned about that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, look, we — I’ve said before — right? — we respect congressional — congressional members. They have their opinions. We respect their opinions. Many of them that — we’ve g- — we had t- — opportunities to deliver really, really good results on behalf of the American people.
But there is — the whole Congressional Black Caucus — they support the president. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus support the president. Those are pretty impressive numbers.
Senator Coons, Senator Fetterman support the president. There’s also another list here that shows support for this president.
You’re going to have some congressional members who feel differently. It is — that is — that is up to them, right?
The president wants to continue. He’s going to have those conversations. He’s going to engage with congressional members. He’s going to continue to do that, as he has. That’s not going to stop.
Obviously, the campaign is doing their work. We’re doing — continuing our engagement with congressional members, as we do pretty much all the time on whatever issue we want to work with them on.So, that’s not going to change.
You heard from AOC, the co- — the congresswoman from New York. She said, “The matter is closed… and I support him.” Right?
You heard from Maxwell Fro- — Frost, who was on CNN today, gave — was very supportive on CNN. So, you do have other out there just today — just today or yesterday giving support to the president.
I can’t — you know, you’re mentioning one person, but there are others as well.
Q Well, Karine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — I’ll — on a separate topic, slightly.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q Cedric Richmond, this morning — he said that the — that the debate stage was words and the debate stage was performance, “I would say look at actions and accomplishments.” The president’s allies have made some version of that argument to not pay attention to what he said on stage but what his accomplishments are. But when you’re — when you’re the president of the United States, don’t words matter?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, when you’re the president of the United States, I think any ki- — any leader — right? — especially including a former president, their words do matter. You’re 100 percent correct.
The president has owned up to that night. He said it was a bad night. He said this. He’s said this many times. He has even said he “screwed up.” So, those are the president’s words. That’s all I can give you at this time.
We do believe that we should not just look at the 90 minutes. The president has had — has done more than any other modern-day president’s administration. Historic — historic things have gotten done.
When I was watching the Democratic Caucus, they talked about 35 dollars insulin — right? — capping that. When you think about seniors who were paying hundreds and hundreds in dollars. We were able to get that done because of — of a very important piece of legislation that we m- — we moved through, right? And only Democrats made that happen. That’s also because of the leadership of this president.
And that’s just one. That’s the bipartisan infrastructure legislation. There’s the CHIPS and Science Act. There’s the — the PACT Act for our veterans.
I mean, there are things that he’s been able to do that elected officials, presidents before him have been trying to do and could not getting done — get done: beating — beating Big Pharma.
So, there is a long list of impressive things that this president has been able to get done — getting us out of the pandemic — that we do believe is important to note here as well as an accomplishment of this presidency.
Q Another question that I don’t think has been asked — correct me if it has.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q The White House and also the campaign has said that he had a cold that night. He then went to a watch party afterwards, which you have brought up. I was a that watch party. If he did have a cold, why then push him to another event where he spent some 45 minutes along the rope line?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, and not just a — and I would add to that: It wasn’t just a watch party. We landed at 2:00 a.m. in the morning in North Carolina. He greeted hundreds of North Carolinians in North Carolina. He woke up the next day in North Carolina, gave a speech in front of — in front of thousands of North Carolinians —
Q But my point is: Wasn’t he contagious? (Laughs.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, I — I’m just — I’m just trying to lay — you’re giv- — you gave me an opportunity, and I’m just using that opportunity, obviously, to lay out what the president did in those two and a half days.
Look, you know, one of the reasons that we shared that he had a cold is because during the debate, in real time, everybody heard his — his hoarse voice, and folks asked. And we were able to c- — we were able to confirm right away that he had a cold and that — and that he was also — tested negative for — for COVID. So, we were able to share that in real time, so just also want to share that.
Look, he pushed forward. Right? Many of us have colds, and we still push forward. He’s the president of the United States. He understand how important it is to continue to get up every morning regardless of how you feel — right? — to get things done. That’s how this president is. I’m su- — I’m sure that’s how many presidents before him were as well, when it comes to really not letting a cold get you down. And — and I think that’s also why he pushed forward in the debate also on that night.
So, look, he pushed forward, tried to get things done, wanted to make sure that he had opportunity — people who watched him do a debate, who were waiting for him; people at 2 o’clock in the morning in North Carolina who were waiting for him — he wanted to make sure that he engaged with Americans.
Q And finally, Karine, this morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, as he has before, that Democrats have been covering up the president’s mental acuity for years. How do you respond to that? And has the White House misled Americans?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, I’ll say this. Americans out there, folks who are watching who are not normally in the day to day of what’s happening in this world, there’s a comprehensive medical — full comprehensive medical report on the website, WhiteHouse.gov. I would encourage them to take a look — to take a look. Read — read that report.
And they can also read for themselves what his — his, you know, specialist — a group of specialists — of — coming out of the medical unit decided on, what they examined, what they saw, what they reported on. I think that matters as well. It is a group of them that come together when it comes to doing their physical. It is extensive physical.
And so, there is something there for them. It’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s for them to read. It’s for the American — not just for you — for the American people to take a look. And I think that’s important to note as well, and that’s what I would share with them.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And I’ll come to you, Ed, in a second.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. The president said yesterday in his letter, in his interview that he talked to a wide range of voters. He overwhelmingly heard from people that they wanted him to stay in the race.
Our polling shows that 76 percent of Democrats think he is too old to run this year. How is he coming to this conclusion? Are you sure that a handful of events is giving him a representative view of swing state voters?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look — I mean, look, that has been — you all have asked me about polling and his age for, I feel like, a year now. It’s come up many, many times. And, you know, I’m not going to speak to polls. It’s not something I’m going to do from here. I’m just going to let the experts, the pundits, and all of you —
Q But he’s saying he conducted his own poll —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no. We —
Q — effectively.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I was — I was about to answer your question. Just give me — give me a second.
Look, for the past three and a half years, the president has been out there talking to voters. And if you think about — and I think what he was referring to, when we to — when he went to Atlanta right after the watch party, he saw — he — he literally did a rope line. Some of your colleagues were there. Some of your colleagues spoke to some of the folks who were there and heard from them directly. He heard from folks at the rope line.
I mean, these are everyday — engaging with everyday people. That’s what he did. Landed at 2:00 a.m. in — in the morning in North Carolina — hundreds of people there. He did a rope line, engaged with everyday people. The next day, thousands of folks — thousands of people were at the North Carolina event, and you heard chants, “Let’s go, Joe!” “We love you, Joe!”
I mean, that’s something that you feel, right? That’s something that you feel out there, and that’s what he feels out there.
The next day, he went to New York, and he was able to — spoke to — to speak to some supporters there and then went to New Jersey. So, it is a continuation.
On Sunday, 600 people at the church. The whole — if you watch that — that service, you hear- — you heard from that congregation. If you watched him in Harrisburg, you saw people — you saw him engaging with people.
I mean, that — there is nothing that takes away — all respect to the polling out there, but nothing takes away, I don’t think, from engaging with everyday Americans. I think that matters too. And that’s just — I’m just laying out the last 10 or 12 days, right? That’s just the last 10 or 12 days.
Q One more. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported on a senior White House official who apparently worked with the president in his vice presidency, in the 2020 campaign — said he shouldn’t seek reelection. They thought he was not up to it; he was showing signs of his age. Does — does the White House know who this person is or made an effort to find out? Are you comfortable having someone who apparently is traveling with him and working with him in this way who thinks this?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, that is — that is the first time I’ve ever heard that was in that reporting. You know, we — this is not — this is not the last administration, where we try to find who is, you know, speaking or leaking. That’s not something that we do here.
Everybody has their opinion, but that is the first time I’ve ever heard anything like that. I’ve never heard any speak — anyone speak in that way from here.
Go ahead, Ed.
Q To follow up on something you were saying to Gabe about congressional outreach, has the president spoken to — does he plan to speak with any of those that have publicly called for him to go?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I don’t have a list of people that the president is going to call. He’s going to engage with congressional members. That’s something that he’s going to do. I can say, you know, I — I’m sure folks here in his Office of Leg Affairs has had regular communication with everyone. I just don’t have a list of who he’s going to speak to.
But the president is always willing to speak to people who agree with him and don’t agree with him. You know that about him, if you’ve covered him. He’s very much that type of — of president. I just don’t want to get ahead of — of his decision on who he’s going to call and how that’s going to look.
Q One thing I don’t think we’ve gotten public clarification about yet.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q In the interview Friday night, he was asked, “Did you watch the debate?” And he said, “I don’t think I did, no.”
Did he watch the full debate or —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know —
Q — what of it has he watched?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, that’s a good question. I should — I did- — never followed up with him, and I meant to. I — I have not asked him that question. I was there in the room when he was being asked that question. I just never followed up. You know, that is something that, you know, we can follow up with him on. I have not.
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m sure he’s seen clips. I’m sure he’s seen clips. I just haven’t — I just haven’t had — asked him that full question.
Q It’s hard — it’s hard to avoid them, so I can — yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)
Q Okay. One other thing that’s come up just —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, it’s getting round — round-the-clock coverage — right? —
Q That’s one way —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — from all of you. (Laughs.)
Q One other thing that’s come up in the last little bit. The Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines — I don’t know if you’ve seen this — issued a statement a little while ago —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — saying, in part, “In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza using a playbook we’ve seen other actors use over the years. We’ve observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protestors.”
She goes on later to urge Americans “to remain vigilant as they engage online with accounts and actors they don’t personally know.”
But that’s a pretty big charge to make —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So —
Q — that Iran may be trying to influence these protests in the streets of the United States.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, yes, I know what you’re speaking of, what the DNI warned about. Obviously, for any specifics, I would have to refer you back to Director Haines and her statement.
But broadly speaking here, just bear with me for a second, Iran is seeking to opportunistically take advantage of protests. So, I want to echo the DNI’s remarks today. Americans across the — the political spectrum, acting in good faith, have sought to express their own independent views on the conflict in Gaza. The freedom to express diverse views, when done peacefully, is essential to our democracy.
At the same time, the U.S. government has a duty to warn Americans about foreign malign influences and activities. This is — this is important to help Americans guard against efforts by foreign powers to take advantage of or co-opt their legitimate protest activities. We will continue to provide these warning as they arise.
And, today, I just want to convey and — and — a firm message from here to Iran and any other foreign actor that seek to conduct these types of influence activities: Meddling in our politics and seeking to stroke [stoke] division is unacceptable, and we will continue to expose attempts to undermind [undermine] our democracy and our society, just as we are today.
That is something that we will continue to do. The U.S. government will continue to vigorously support and defend Americans in their exercise of their First Amendment rights to protest and express political views peacefully.
At the same time, we will continue to warn against, expose foreign efforts to meddle in our inter- — internal affairs and attempt to amplify conflict.
The former is an essential part of a robust, functioning democracy. The latter is a threat, and it will not — it will not — will not be tolerated.
Q And the president has been read into all this?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He’s been briefed.
Q There’s no problem with it being shared publicly?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He’s been briefed. He’s been read — read in. He is aware. And it — we believe, as I just stated here, it is our duty — it is our duty here, as the U.S. government, to share that.
Q In the back.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q I have a question about the NATO Summit.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q There has been a lot of discussion about Ukraine but also the southern flank of NATO, countries like Italy and Spain. They want the summit to approve a new strategy to improve relations with countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and work together on challenges like migration or instability.
So, does the U.S. support this? And is the president trying to — or planning to meet with any leaders of the southern front?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I think we announced some of the bilateral — we announced the one with the UK prime minister; I just announced with President Zelenskyy. We will do our best. You know, the president is hosting the 75th NATO Summit, so he is going to be pretty busy engaging with global leaders and, obviously, hosting the event.
So, if we have anything more to share, I know my colleagues at the National Security Council will do our best to share that with you.
I’m not going to — we’re going to have some deliverables. We’re going to have some — you know, some statements to make, declarations. I’m not going to get ahead of any of that, so I’m just going to let this — let this summit begin and let the president actually lead — lead these next couple of days.
Q But does the president support this strategy? It has been out there for months.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I — what I’m saying to you, I’m not just — I’m not going to get ahead of the summit. We’re going to have many conversations, many, many meetings here. I just want to be super mindful.
You also asked me about any other bilateral engagements. We have — we’ve already announced two. And — and so, just don’t want to get ahead of anything else.
I — you know, things happen when the president is there. He gets pulled to the side. We do pull-asides. We try to share them in real time as quickly as possible. I just don’t have anything to share outside of that.
Go ahead.
Q Sticking with NATO, are there any details you can share on President Biden’s meeting with President Delen- — Zelenskyy? Just any, you know, details on potentially what they might discuss, if Biden had said he would announce new air defense for Ukraine. Will that come up at all?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We will definitely — there will be more air defense that we will be announcing. Don’t want to get ahead of the president.
Look, you saw — as I announced as the top, you saw the president do a bilat with President Zelenskyy in France and also at the G7. It is always — obviously, part of those conversations is to continue to show our unwavering support for the Ukraine.
The president has led in this effort globally. Right? If you think about NATO and how st- — the strength of NATO and how it has — it has grown plus two and how we have been able to have a stronger alliance than we’ve ever had before. That’s because of this president. And backing, obviously, behind Ukraine — that’s because of this president.
So, our support continues to be unwavering. And we will have more to read out from that — from that bilat.
Q And as it’s the 75th anniversary, you know, by — it’s here in D.C., obviously. But what does the success look like for Biden, given everything that is going on in, kind of, the debate aftermath? Kind of, what — what is he measuring?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I — I will say this, and I’ve said this many times before as it relates to foreign leaders — and, look, I will say that the foreign leaders have had an opportunity to see what the president has been able to do in the last three and a half years. They’ve seen that, certainly, up close and personal the last three years, and they know that they are dealing with a president who has been effective and has just — has been able to get things done.
I just talked about NATO and the president’s leadership and how we’ve been able to strengthen NATO, ma- — make sure that we invigorated the NATO Alliance, and that has — that we’ve been able to — to see in the last three and a half years.
So, the president was — continue to strengthen those — that partnership and strengthen those alliances. Obviously, it’s not going to just be NATO — NATO Allies here. We’re going to see others. For example, Japan will be here on Thursday and other — other heads of states. I believe there’s going to be 38 heads of states that will be here.
And so, we want to str- — continue to strengthen those relationship, and that’s what the president wants to see. It is an important year, the 75th anniversary, and I think all of the work that the president has been able to do will be on full display.
Q And just one last question. If the president’s health were to decline rapidly next week just kind of out of the blue, have you had any conversations with — with him? Or has he made any comments —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.
Q — on if he would —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely not.
Q — step aside?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s a hypothetical. No.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. Staying on the NATO Summit. While the summit, of course, is being held in Washington, China is criticizing NATO as the relic of the Cold War. It’s causing a higher security risk to the world and the region. What is the White House response to this?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine poses a threat to transatlantic security. That’s what it does. And it shows how critical the NATO Alliance is and how important it is to continue to make sure that it is strong, and that’s what the president has been able to do.
I am not surprised — we are not surprised that China doesn’t understand that through — that, though, considering how they are actively enabling — right? — they are themselves enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine, so it doesn’t surprise me — or surprise us that that statement was made.
But, look, NATO is an — is an important alliance. It’s been around for 75 years, protecting, here, U.S. Americans — American citizens but also the world. And so, we are going to continue to strengthen that alliance.
Q And my second question. Indian Prime Minister Modi is visiting Russia. We’ve all seen the footage that he’s hugging, being friendly with Putin. Also seeking to deepen bilateral relationship. We see that — saw the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy already express his disappointment. Is the U- — the United States concerning that India, as a U.S. ally, might be actually aiding Russia either intentionally or unintentionally.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I believe my NSC colleagues have spoken to this. And I’ll just add that — and just reiterate that India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in full and frank dialogue, including their relationship with Russia. And we’ve talked about this before.
So, we think it’s critical that all countries, including India, support efforts to re- — to realize an enduring and just peace when it comes to Ukraine. It is important for all our allies to realize this.
And so, we also believe India’s long-standing relationship with Russia gives it the ability to urge the — the president — President Putin to end his brutal war — an unprovoked war in Ukraine.
It is for President Putin to end. They star- — President Putin started the war, and President Putin can end the war.
Go ahead.
AIDE: Karine, time for one or two more.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
Q Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q A couple questions on unrelated subjects. First, there’s been some reporting by my colleagues in the British press that His Majesty King Charles would like to visit his grandchildren in California and could do so in conjunction with a state visit. Has there been any discussion or will there will be any discussion between President Biden and Prime Minister Starmer about such a visit?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have anything to share. That is something, obviously, that the State Department and NSC would certainly engage on if that were to be the case. As you know, the — the new prime minister will be here for the NATO Alliance. I just mentioned that there will be a bi- — bilat between President Biden and the new prime minster, so the president looks forward to that.
An upcoming visit that involves the king — King Charles. I don’t have anything to share at this time.
Q Okay. Next question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q The president yesterday on “Morning Joe” said he wanted to make sure that the — the average voter out there still wants Joe Biden to be running for president. And you’ve rattled off a long list of — of campaign engagements that he’s had over the last 10 or so days since the debate.
Those engagements — whenever the president travels, whether it’s part of the campaign or official travel, there are advance teams. People who get near him are screened either by the Secret Service or the campaign or both.
So, how are these groups of people he’s meeting with, supporters of his — that they are supporters, they — they get to these official events — these official campaign events. They are — they are known to be supporters of the campaign. They self-select by coming to his events. How is a — how are groups of people that come to his events, make the time out of their day to do that, and are — are vetted by the campaign and are allowed into these events representative of the average voter?
And then, I have one more for you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I’m going to be really careful because you’re asking me a political question. You would have to talk to the campaign on how the process works.
Q I’m not asking you about the process.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, wait. No, hol- — give me a second. Give me a second.
On how — on how that process works on who is in — who is — who is at the — these campaign events. So, I just want to make that clear, because I have to say that from here and — and make that clear.
I would — I would remind you that 14 million people — this is something that I can talk about — voted for the president in the primary. That’s 87 percent of the vote. That matters. Those numbers matter.
And so, that is kind of a reality, a datapoint that matters as well. And so, I’ll just leave it there.
But I think it does matter — I hear the question that you’re asking. He’s still engaging with everyday people. He’s still hearing directly from them. They’re still sharing information, sharing how they feel, sharing how they see the future of the — his presidency. And I think that matters as well.
As far as who is in the room, how that’s — that — how that comes together, who is in front of him, you would have to speak to the campaign about that.
Q Okay. And one last thing. You’ve described his — his engagements with Dr. O’Connor on a regular basis as — as “check-ins.” That’s what you’ve described him having after the debate — a “check-in” versus an “exam.” Can you elaborate on what the difference is between a check-in and an exam? At these check-ins, does — does Dr. O’Connor or another staff member take the president’s vitals or — or anything like that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’ve talked about this on Friday. They’re verbal check-ins with the president. They check in. As the president is exercising, that’s usually how this happens. And they are not a medical exam. I’ve said this already. I’ve cleared that up. They’re not phy- — it’s not a physical.
It is a verbal check-in that the president does multiple times with — with his doctor. It’s normally as he’s working out.
Q Does anyone from the Medical Unit take the president’s vitals on a regular basis?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — what I can tell you: He gets regular check-ins — he does regular check-ins, a couple of times a week, with — with Dr. O’Connor. And that is for his doctor to decide on. That is not something that I can speak to from here.
Go ahead, Karen.
Q Thank you. The president has come out very aggressively in the past 24 hours, from that letter to Democrats, the call-in to MSNBC, the phone call with donors, the CBC last night. Was that his decision —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
Q — personally to step up that outreach (inaudible)?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It has been. He is — he is — he’s ready. He’s — he’s on fire. He’s ready to go. And he wants to get out there and continue to show that he has more work to do. Right? He has more — more important issues for the American people to get done.
And so, he wants to get out there. He always has, though. I mean, the last two, two and a half years, three years, three and a half years, he looks forward to getting out there, speaking directly to the American people.
And he — and I know we say this, and I know sometimes you guys don’t believe us, but he does want to engage with you all. He does want to talk more to the press. And so, now we’re — we’re certainly going to continue to create opportunities to do that.
He’s done interviews 47 times in this year alone. And we’re going to continue to create opportunities to do this. We’re going to get out there so he can engage with the American people more directly. So, we’re going to continue to do that.
Q But in terms of — you know, especially in the last 24 hours —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — that type of outreach to ease concerns among Democrats about his campaign continuing, was there something specific that he heard or read that prompted this — what seemed more like a flurry over the last 24 hours — that —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.
Q — didn’t happen last week.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah —
Q We really saw him doing more —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I get it.
Q — since yesterday.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I get the question. Look, I — I wouldn’t say there’s anything specific. This is something that he wanted to do. And if you — if you think about it, you know, he was — he’s been on the road a lot since — since the — since the debate. He was on the road on Friday; he was on the road on Sunday. And then right out of the debate — right? — he did about two — he did two and a half days of going into about four states.
So, he’s just been on the road, busy engaging with — with — with Americans.
But — and he did the ABC interview, as you know, obviously. And so, he wants to do more. He wants to do more. There is nothing specific, but he understands — he understands what — what you all saw. Right? He understands he had a bad debate. He understands that Amer- — what Americans saw.
So, he wants to go out there and continue to prove to all of you that, you know, he continue to — can continue to do the work —
Q And does he feel —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — and the job.
Q — that outreach is working to ease those concerns after the bad debate?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I think he’s — you know, this is kind of the question that I got from other colleagues. He’s hearing directly from the American people. And I think that matters. You know, I think — I think him being out there and them — Americans seeing him directly, being able to touch him and ask him questions and see him face to face, I think that matters.
And so, look, we’re going to continue to move forward and do — and do what we have to do.
All right. I think I can take one more. Go ahead, Aurelia.
Q Thank you so much. So, we’ve seen the president, like, being on the ground more, but we’ve also noticed a slightly new tone from him. He said he was frustrated with the elites of his party. He dismissed polls. He criticized media coverage, saying that journalists get election results wrong. So, is this the kind of tone we should expect to hear from him going forward? And does he believe this is the kind of tone that the average voters, as he says, expect from him?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I would say this. I think what we’ve seen the last 10 to 12 days is certainly fundamental to wh- — the Joe Biden story. He is someone that is certainly counted out many, many times in his career. People tend to — tend to knock him down, and you heard him say he gets back up.
This is the story. This is the story of him standing up for himself, standing up for millions of Americans and — and, certainly, millions of Americans who back his leadership and, like him, care — they care about working people. They care about getting things done.
And I — you know, it really, truly is who he is at his core to fight — to fight not just for himself but what he believes in.
And he has seen this over and over again: People count him out. People say he’s not going to win. People say, you know, all of the — (laughs) — all of the — the negative things that they want to put at his feet, and he proves them wrong over and over again.
You think about 2020 — folks said the same thing. “He’s not going to win. He’s not going to make it.” And he won.
In 2022, we had a midterm election. And going into that midterm election, it was supposed to be a “red wave.” There wasn’t a red wave.
It happened in 2023.
Now we’re in 2024, and he’s going to continue to fight. That is his commitment. That is quintessential Joe Biden’s story. That is fundamentally who he is — is continuing to fight.
All right. Thanks, everybody.
Q Thank you, Karine.
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