• President Biden’s disastrous performance at last week’s debate has unleashed pent up concern about his candidacy among Democrats
• Biden’s top campaign aids worked damage control with major donors throughout the weekend
• The New York Times editorial board and other major influencers have called on Biden to drop out of the race

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday fended off questions from reporters on President Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week.

Jean-Pierre conceded that the president “did not have a great night” and had been dealing with a cold and a “hoarse voice.”

She then pivoted to defending Biden’s record while in office.

“He knows right from wrong. He knows how to tell the truth. And again, he knows how to deliver for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said, repeating some of Biden’s talking points from a rally he held in Raleigh, North Carolina the day after the debate.

Reporters pushed back on her answer, noting Biden had more than just a cold.

“He was trailing off, he didn’t answer some questions,” one reporter noted, asking if there were any plans to release Biden’s medical records to give Americans a better sense of the president’s “mental acuity.”

Another reporter asked whether the president got a neurological scan after the debate. Jean-Pierre defended the president, saying he had released medical records as recently as February.

 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a daily White House news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 2, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

 

Reporters hammered White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Tuesday to answer for President Biden’s widely panned debate performance last week that re-ignited concerns over his mental fitness.

“All of us saw what happened on Thursday, where [Biden] simply could not form coherent answers to many … of the questions,” one reporter asked, warning that his next question was a delicate one and the president “may not like to hear it” if he’s watching.

“But I think the American people need to get a yes or a no answer on this: Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer’s, or any form of dementia or degenerative illness that causes these sorts of lapses?” the reporter asked. “And it’s a yes or no question.”

“I have an answer for you, are you ready for it,” Jean-Pierre responded, looking visibly annoyed. “It’s a no. And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question”

The “other guy” presumably meant Biden’s opponent, former President Trump.