Things were tense in the White House press pit on November 27, as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre was asked if the current polling problems for Team Biden mean that he’s going to start firing staffers and shifting around people to make himself more popular with the American people.
Particularly, the White House press secretary was asked about the current state of things inside the Biden White House and whether the president plans on removing high-level officials in the run up to the 2024 election, a question to which KJP responded with a terse, one-word answer.
The reporter introduced the question first instead of just getting into it and asking about the situation, saying, “And I suspect if we polled the room, many of us were probably asked some version of the following question.”
KJP said, “Ok,” and the reporter finally got on with the question, asking, “Given the President’s sagging poll numbers and the fact that he is currently placing behind any Republican opponent, has there been any talk in this White House about a change in strategy or staffing going forward in reflection of those numbers that continue to show him underwater?”
KJP didn’t beat around the bush with her answer. Giving her one-word response with a sharp tone, she said, “No.” It remains to be seen how true that is, or if certain staffers will “decide” to leave before 2024 as the Biden Administration tries to save face by changing tone and tactics.
The reporter then pressed KJP on the matter, asking, “And there was also a call out in recent weeks to staff, to senior officials that if you want to go by the end of the year, go; otherwise, you’re here for the duration of the rest of the term. Is there — has — should we be anticipating any departures of either Cabinet officials or other senior officials?”
KJP, in response, moved back from her initial “no,” saying that she thinks the Biden Administration will continue on its current path but that she can’t speak to Biden’s personal decisions. She said, “Look, I can’t speak to people’s personal decisions. I just don’t — we don’t have anything to announce at this time. And, you know, we’re going to continue to do the work that the President set out to do.”
She continued, “And we just talked about supply chains. We just talked about the economy. We’ve been talking about the President’s leadership globally, especially in the Middle East. That’s what we’re here to do and focus on. That’s what I’m here to do and focus on. I just can’t speak to people’s decisions.”
Watch the back and forth here:
Though KJP seemed positive about what Team Biden is up to, polling is starting to show that the American people are less enthusiastic. Particularly, polling shows that former President Donald Trump now holds a 52% to 48% lead over Biden.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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