White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre on Monday dismissed concerns about the age and physical stamina of President Biden, who is prone to blunders, amid sharply declining poll figures, saying she “can’t even handle him. “
In an interview with CNN, the speaker seemed shocked when host Don Lemon asked if the 79-year-old commander-in-chief could handle another grueling presidential campaign.
“This is not a question we even have to ask,” Jean-Pierre said. “Oh my God, he’s the president of the United States, you know, he can’t even stand him.”
She continued: “We just got back from New Mexico, we just got back from California – just look at the work he’s doing and see what he’s like, how he’s presenting himself to the American public.”
Jean-Pierre’s comments come as Democrats looking forward to 2024 increasingly view Biden as a liability that could potentially be lost to a Republican.
Some fear that his age, weakened political situation, perceived instability on the world stage and lack of ability to impress voters could ruin his chances of re-election.
Some fear that President Biden’s age and weakened political situation could reduce his chances of re-election. Nicholas Cam / AFP via Getty Images
David Axelrod, chief strategist of former President Barack Obama’s two winning campaigns, told The New York Times on Sunday: “The presidency is a monstrous tax-paying job and the harsh reality is that the president will be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of the second term and that would be a major problem. “
He told the newspaper that even some of Biden’s diplomatic victories, such as NATO’s unification against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were overshadowed by his weakness.
“And part of the reason he doesn’t.” [get credit] is performative. He looks his age and is not as agile in front of the camera as he was before, and this feeds a story of competence that is not rooted in reality, “Axelrod argued.
On Monday night, Jean-Pierre called the Times report “rumored” and “misleading”.
Spokeswoman Carin Jean-Pierre defended concerns about President Biden’s resilience, saying that even she “can’t even keep up with him.” Win McNamee / Getty Images
“We don’t care about that – we wonder how we will achieve for the American people.” How are we going to make their lives better? ”She told Lemmon.
“This is what the president is talking about. This is his focus. And this is the place we will continue to focus on, “added Jean-Pierre, who reiterated that Biden was planning to make another offer to the White House.
“There’s something called the Hatch Act that I need to watch out for,” she said, referring to a federal law that bans the election campaign by law enforcement officials.
President Biden’s approval rating fell to 33%. Nicholas Cam / AFP via Getty Images
“What I can say is that the president has said many times that he plans to run in 2024 and I will have to leave him there,” said Jean-Pierre. “All I can say is that the president intends to do what the president plans to do.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s job approval rating has dropped to a disgraceful 33%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week.
In addition, more than six in 10 (64%) Americans are discouraged by Biden’s economic management.
But Jean-Pierre defended the administration’s response to soaring inflation, blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for rising energy and food costs, and promoted the US bailout.
“This is a president who understands what’s going on around the kitchen table – he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania – when prices go up just a little bit, it really hurts families,” she told Lemon.
“That’s why we believe we’re in a good position to take on inflation, but yes, we understand that people feel that, and we have to remember that when we think about gas and food prices, it comes from Putin’s war against Ukraine,” she said. .
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