After initially objecting to Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith’s request for President Joe Biden’s “response to David Axelrod” regarding the “risk” of running for reelection at his age, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave a long-winded response about how Biden’s stamina is “just fine.”
With multiple variations of his assessment of President Biden’s age and the possibility of withdrawing from the presidential contest due to such worries, Axelrod has managed to stay in the news cycle.
During the White House press briefing on, Meredith inquired about the most recent one.
Following some back and forth regarding whether to answer at all, Jean-Pierre provided a thorough and in-depth response, culminating in KJP declaring that she would pit Biden against anyone else “any day of the week”:
MEREDITH: You mentioned the President is excited to cele- — celebrating his birthday. But I’m curious — David Axelrod told the New York Times, quote, “Biden thinks he can cheat nature here, and it’s really risky.” A, what’s the President’s response to David Axelrod? Does he respect his opinion? Does he think he’s right?
But also, I mean, is there a real alarm happening behind the scenes that the President is simply too old to stick around for another four years?
JEAN-PIERRE: No, there’s no alarm happening behind the scenes. Not —
MEREDITH: For Democrats?
JEAN-PIERRE: There — I — I can only speak —
MEREDITH: Sure.
JEAN-PIERRE: — behind the scenes here. There is no alarm happening behind the scenes. And I’m certainly not going to comment on everybody who has something to say.
What I —
MEREDITH: But he’s not nobody.
JEAN-PIERRE: What —
MARK MEREDITH: I mean, David Axelrod is a —
JEAN-PIERRE: I didn’t —
MEREDITH: — is a — is —
JEAN-PIERRE: I didn’t say that. I didn’t —
MEREDITH: Yeah.
JEAN-PIERRE: Nowhere in my response to you that I said that. I said I’m just not going to comment on everyone that has a — that has a comment to say. They’re going to speak for themselves. I’m going to speak for the President.
And here will I — what I will say is: Look — and — and also, it’s just not my job. It’s not my job to think — to think through or to — to tell people what to think. Right? Whether it’s an Am- — the American — American people out there or — or a — a, you know, political analyst or — or as your question is about David Axelrod. It’s just not my — my place to speak to that.
What I can speak to is how we see this, how what our perspective is. Our perspective is that it’s not about age. It’s about the President’s experience. That’s what we believe. And it’s — you know, as they say, the proof is in the pudding, right? The President has used his experience to pass more bipartisan legislation in recent time than any other president. That’s just a fact. That is something that we have seen this president do, and that’s because of his experience.
He’s been able to manage multiple — multiple foreign policy challenges. That’s — he’s been able to do that. That’s because of his experience. He’s been able to create jobs, raise wages, and lower inflation. Right? And that is also — that is — the proof is in the pudding. Right? We see that in the data. We see that where we are today — than where we are — than where we were when the President walked into the administration.
So, what we say is: We have to judge him by what he’s done, not by his numbers. And — and one more thing I will add: This is the first president ever that’s been able to go to an active warzone without our military, you know, controlling what’s happening on the ground. And so, look, I would put the President’s stamina, the President’s wisdom, ability to get this done on behalf of — of the American people against anyone — anyone on any day of the week.
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