In a surprising turn of events, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was caught off guard on Tuesday by Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason, who pressed her on comedian Jon Stewart’s recent criticism of President Joe Biden. Stewart, who resumed hosting The Daily Show, targeted both Biden and former President Donald Trump over their age, initially highlighting a report by special counsel Robert Hur that raised concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.
Mason inquired, “Is the president a fan of The Daily Show?” Jean-Pierre, taken aback, responded, “Oh! I was not expecting that. I would have to ask him.” Mason continued, asking if President Biden had watched Jon Stewart’s recent commentary, to which Jean-Pierre responded with humor, saying, “Sounds like you did, Jeff. Was it good?”
The exchange led to a discussion about Stewart’s critical remarks about both President Biden and former President Trump. Mason then posed a more serious question, asking whether the White House believed it made the right decision to have President Biden address the press after the release of the special counsel’s report. He also inquired about the White House’s response to critics, questioning if it was as quick and robust as desired.
Jean-Pierre defended the decision, emphasizing the importance of President Biden directly addressing the American people and taking questions from the press. She acknowledged that the White House sought to respond forcefully to the special counsel report, emphasizing that legal experts on both sides had deemed the report’s characterization as “flatly wrong and inappropriate.” Jean-Pierre reiterated that the president would continue to defend himself, asserting that the report concluded there was “no there there” and that the case was closed.
The special counsel’s report, conducted by Robert Hur, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden despite concerns about his handling of classified information. Hur noted the difficulty of convincing a jury to convict an elderly former president of a serious felony requiring a mental state of willfulness.
Biden responded to the report by addressing the press, attempting to defend his mental acuity. However, during the impromptu briefing, he appeared to forget key details, including the origin of a rosary and mistakenly referring to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the “president of Mexico.”
