During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre maintained that President Joe Biden’s bad performance at the debate was due to a bad cold in addition to jetlag after several international trips earlier in June. She also defended Biden’s mental fitness, saying he was “sharp as ever.”
The question came from Philip Wegmann of Real Clear Politics, who asked if Jean-Pierre had seen any “slowdowns” in the president, which has been a major question since the matchup between Biden and former President Donald Trump:
Wegmann: You have more interaction with the president than most folks. You know him better than most anyone else. Can you say… Do you believe that the president is as sharp today as he was when he took this job? Have you seen any slow-downs?Jean-Pierre: What I can say is this is a president who is strong and resolute in delivering for the American people. That’s what I see. I see a president, when I’m in sitting in front of him, you know, going through the day or talking about what he’s doing next, he is someone that engages with us. He wants to know, he pushes us, he prods us, wanting to figure out the bigger picture of whatever we’re trying to explain to him or even granule details.Wegmann: So he’s as sharp as ever?Jean-
Pierre: He is as sharp as ever, as I have known him to be in my engagement and my experience with him. And I know when I walk into the Oval Office or we’re seeing him on Air Force One, I have to be on top of my game. I do. I mean, and that’s just kind of my engagement with him and how it’s been for the past couple of years.
Watch the video above via MSNBC.