White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre walked out of a briefing Thursday after a strained interaction with Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich surrounding the Biden administration’s messaging in recent days.
Jean-Pierre accused Heinrich of “twisting everything” during the tense back-and-forth.
The incident began with Heinrich, Fox’s senior White House correspondent, asking Jean-Pierre about an apparent change in rhetoric.
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“This administration messaged to millions of Americans that they’re going to wake up day after the election if Trump won and have their rights stripped away, that democracy would crumble. And the president said today, ‘We’re going to be OK‚’” Heinrich said, referencing Biden’s first public speech since the election result.
She added: “So how do you square it?”
After claiming she had “been answering this question multiple times,” Jean-Pierre said, “The American people made the decision. There was an election two nights ago. There was! And it was a free and fair election and we respect the election process. We do. And Americans spoke. And so the job of the president is to make sure we respect that. The job of the president is to make sure that we have a peaceful transfer of power. That is what the American people deserve. And that’s what we’re going to—it’s really, it’s not complicated. It’s truly, truly as simple as that.”
Jean-Pierre referenced Biden‘s call to Trump and invitation to the White House, “because that is customary. That is what you do if you respect what the American people decided... the president wants to lead by example, it’s not complicated.”
That led Heinrich to probe Jean-Pierre further, asking her if “lead by example” is the “message is to people who are fearful based on what the messaging was about [Trump]?”
Jean-Pierre immediately reacted, accusing Heinrich of “twisting everything around and that‘s really unfair.” She continued, “It‘s unfair because I’ve been standing here trying to be very respectful to what happened the last two nights, two nights ago. Being respectful. I‘ve been standing here saying that we respect the decision that the American people made. I‘ve been standing here and saying that the president’s going to put the American people first. I‘ve been standing here talking about how the president’s going to make sure that they get what they deserve, which is a peaceful transfer of power.”
As she began to wrap up, she carried on. “I do not appreciate having my words twisted. That is—I am being very clear, very, very, very clear about what the president wants to do and the vice president. We want to make sure that we deliver for the American people. They deserve, they deserve a peaceful transfer of power. And that’s what you’re going to see.”
Jean-Pierre thanked everybody and subsequently walked out.
