It was another wild press conference when Fox News Channel White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre over why the Biden Administration frequently refers to pro-Trump Americans as “extremists” but seems loathe to do so with the anti-Israel, sometimes pro-Hamas protesters.
Doocy kicked things off in a straightforward way, asking directly if the Biden Administration thinks that those who are protesting against Israel are “extremists”: “Thank you, Karine. Does President Biden think the anti-Israel protesters in this country are extremists?”
Responding, KJP dodged the issue at hand and attacked Trump supporters, saying, “What I can say is what — we’ve been very clear about this: When it comes to antisemitism, there is no place. We have to make sure that we speak against it very loud and be — and be very clear about that. Remember, what the President decided — when the President decided to run for president is what he saw in Charlottesville in 2017, when we — he saw neo-Nazis marching down the streets of Charlottesville with vile, antisemitic — just hatred. And he was very clear then, and he’s very clear now. He’s taken actions against this over the past two years. And he’s continued to be clear: There is no place — no place for this type of vile and despite — despite — this kind of rhetoric.”
Doocy didn’t let the question go. He re-asked it, pressing her, “But we hear you guys, though, talk about “extremists” all the time. It is usually about “MAGA extremists.” So, what about these protesters who are making Jewish students —” That’s when she cut him off, saying, “I have been very, very clear —” And Doocy jumped back in, finishing his sentence, “— feel unsafe on college campuses? Are they extremists?”
KJP defended the Biden Administration’s response without answering the question, saying, “I have been very, very clear: We are calling out any form of hate — any form of hate. It is not acceptable. It should not be acceptable here. And we are going to continue to call that out. And let — and let me be very clear: This is a president that has continued to have that fight in his office, in this administration. You know, when he repealed Trump’s Muslim ban, on his very — in first — first day in office, that is something that this president did. He also established an inter-policy committee to counter Islamophobia, antis- — antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination. We’ve taken this very, very, very seriously, from the President all the way on down.”
So Doocy put the question more plainly, asking, “Does President Biden look at these anti-Israel protests on college campuses and think, “It’s nice to see that the country’s youth are so involved”? Or does he think, “The next generation is doomed”?”
KJP responded with a meaningless statement, saying, “Here’s the thing, there’s no place for hate in America.” Then, when Doocy asked “But I’m curious what he thinks,” she snapped, “No, no, no, no. I’m — I’m telling you: There’s no place for hate in America. And we condemn any antisemit- — -semitic threat or incident in the strongest terms. And you heard me say at the top: We — I gave a message to students who are feeling — who are feeling under threat right now, right? You know, we’re tracking these threats very closely. We are there for them. No student should have to be able to go to class, live on campus in fear. And, you know, these incidents — these reported antisemitic incidents at schools and on campuses, that should not be. We have to condemn them. We have to condemn them.”
Watch their back and forth here:
Watch Peter Doocy make Karine Jean-Pierre SQUIRM with one very simple question:
"You guys talk about extremists—it is usually about MAGA extremists—so what about these protestors who are making Jewish students feel unsafe on college campuses? Are they extremists?"
Notice that… pic.twitter.com/XRUrXCXGIu
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 30, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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