NOTE: After news of the interview and how it went took off, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates claimed when speaking to the Daily Beast that KJP hung up because of time constraints and that the dial tone was edited in by the radio station. Mr. Garrison, speaking to the Daily Caller, denied those allegations. Because the truth of the matter is unknown, we have kept the article and its title unchanged.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared for an interview with Charlotte’s WBT News Director Mark Garrison on Monday, March 25. That interview went less than well for the press secretary, as KJP hung up on Garrison when she was asked about Biden’s mental fitness for the intense job of being president and about the inflation that is leading to painful price increases for Americans in their daily lives.
The awkward interview first went off the rails when Garrison broached Biden’s mental fitness, asking the press secretary if President Joe Biden has “dementia.” KJP didn’t give a real answer to the important question, instead clutching her pearls and snapping at Garrison that the question was “offensive” and so not worth of a response.
Garrison, asking her about the president’s brain, said, “When I told a number of people that I was talking to you today, it was interesting, though, they all said, ‘would you please just ask her, does the president have dementia?’ So before I move on from that, does he?” KJP, angrily responding, fired back, “That Mark, Mark, I can’t even believe you’re asking me this question. That is a credibly offensive question to ask.”
Garrison didn’t let it go. He gently pressed, saying, “But, you know people ask it.” KJP got even angrier in response, accusing Garrison of taking them down a “rabbit hole” by asking if Biden is fit to serve. She said, “Wait. Oh let me — no, no, no, no, no. You — Mark, you, you, you, you, you’re taking us down this rabbit hole. Let me, let me, let me be very clear about this.”
She continued, “For the past several years, the president’s physician has laid out very, in a comprehensive way, the president’s health. This is a president — if you watch him every day, if you really pay attention to his record and what he has done, you will see exactly how focused he’s been on the American people, how historic his actions have been. And so I’m not even going to truly, truly, really, you know, take, take the premise of your question. I think it is incredibly insulting. And, and so we can, you know, we can move on to the next question.”
Garrison then asked about inflation and the high prices of groceries, a question to which KJP responded by saying that Biden “gets it,” telling him, “Look, the president understands. He grew up in a middle-class family, working class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He gets it. He understands how difficult it is for Americans who are sitting around their kitchen table every month trying to figure out what they’re going to pay for. You have to remember, when the president walked into this administration, there were multiple crises happening. There was COVID, there was, the economy was in a tailspin because of the last administration, because of what the President Trump left us with.”
She then continued to claim that Biden is doing a great job before abruptly hanging up, saying, “Now you’re asking me about gas prices. The president took action on gas prices. Let’s not forget Russia’s invasion on Ukraine skyrocketed prices of gas. And because the president took action, we see we are in a different place than we were a year ago in gas prices. Eggs, milk, seafood products, all the important groceries, those costs have gone down because of what this president has been able to do. And, and with that, thank you so much, Mark. Have an amazing, amazing day.” Garrison, shocked that she hung up so abruptly, said, “Wow! Wow!”
Listen to their conversation here:
KJP’s claim about Biden’s mental health is similar to the response she gave when asked if he should take a cognitive test. Responding to that question at a press conference, she claimed Biden passes one “Every day” by being president, saying, “As it relates to — you were asking me about a cognitive test — as it relates to that, look, you know, the President doesn’t need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment. That is not my assessment. That is the assessment of the President’s doctor. That is also the assessment of the neurologist who has also made that assessment as well. And, you know — and you’ve heard us say this, and I’ll reiterate this: The President’s doctor has said, if you look at what this President — the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief — he passes a cognitive test every day — every day, as he moves from one topic to another topic, trying — understanding the granular level of these topics.”
She added, “You saw him talk about a fighting crime today. Tomorrow, he’s going to go to the border. Next week, he’s going to give a State of the Union Address. And so, we have to keep that in mind. This is a very rigorous job. And the President has been able to do — do this job every day for the past three years. And let’s not forget, he is also leading a historic presidency, which is also important to note in everything that we’ve been able to do — he’s been able to get done over the past three years.”
Featured image credit: By The White House – P20210730ES-0261, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109883877
"*" indicates required fields