White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tore into a series of recent videos showing President Biden being guided off stage or standing motionless at jubilant events as 'cheap fakes' as she defended the president's vigor.
'That's exactly what they are. They are cheap fakes video,' she said, following a series of reports about Biden 'freezing' for several moments at public events.
She specifically took on the contention that Biden froze at a White House Juneteenth event, where people around him including Vice President Kamala Harris were grooving to music.
'The president stood there listening to the music and he didn't dance. Excuse me, I did not know not dancing was a mental – was a health issue,' she said.
'That is a weird thing to actually flag when if you if you look at the people who around him – if you look at the expanded video of the people who around him, they were not, they weren't – there were some folks who were not dancing either.'
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tore into videos she called 'cheap fakes' that showed officials including Barack Obama guiding President Biden off stage
'Just because you're standing up listening to music and not dancing. That is not a health issue. That is just not a health issue,' she intoned.
Her comments to a reporter came shortly after DailyMail.com asked Jean-Pierre about recent videos of former President Barack Obama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni guiding him after events, and whether they had been asked to do so.
'Let's not forget: President Obama, President Biden have a relationship. They are friends. They're like family. And I think that's what you saw,' she said, in reference to video after a $30 million fundraiser where Biden stood stationary for several seconds while the audience applauded at the end of the event before Obama grabbed him by the arm and led him off stage.
She also dismissed video of Italy's Meloni, who also grabbed Biden by the arm during an event at the G7 where the leaders viewed a parachute demonstration. Biden left the group briefly to greet a parachute jumper, only to be led back by Meloni for a photo-op.
'That was definitely a cheap fake,' she said.
It was a scuffle Jean-Pierre appeared ready to have having earlier blasted the videos as 'cheap fakes' when first asked about them at the top of her briefing Monday, her first within days.
'Excuse me, I did not know not dancing was a mental – was a health issue,' White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, defending the president's dance-free moments at a Juneteenth celebration at the White HOuse
Right this way: Jean-Pierre was responding to questions about officials including Italy's Giorgia Meloni who guided the president at events
Former President Barack Obama guided Biden off stage following a big bucks fundraiser in Los Angeles
On Saturday, video of former President Barack Obama reaching for Biden's hand and seemingly guiding the 81-year-old Commander-in-Chief off the stage at a Los Angeles fundraiser went viral.
Last week, Biden stood motionless and stared blankly for nearly a full minute at a Juneteenth celebration at the White House, as people around him sang and danced to the music.
'I think that it tells you everything that we need to know about how how desperate, how desperate Republicans are here,' she said.
'Instead of Republicans, you know, focusing on the President's performance in office and what he's been able to accomplish his actual record. They do these cheap face. They're cheap fakes.'
It comes as the president prepares to decamp to his Delaware beach house and Camp David for what are expected to be extended debate sessions where he will prep for a televised clash with Donald Trump on CNN.
The Biden camp wants to use the debate as a chance to turn around their sagging poll numbers. Some seasoned Democrats and observers, including FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, have questioned whether Democrats should somehow remove Biden from the ticket.
Jean-Pierre also referenced a statement from the office of former President Obama, suggesting his post-presidential office had addressed the matter.
'Obama's office put out a statement. So I would refer you to that statement about what was being accused in those by others. And he said this did not happen in the sense of what people were saying, saying they were seeing, right? Or what was being falsely reported that they were seeing.
The White House confirmed she was referencing a four-word post by Obama spokesman Eric Shultz who wrote simply, 'this did not happen.'
'You saw the President put his hand behind the on the back of President Biden and and they walked off the stage. After after taking questions. Or at an event taking questions from Jimmy Kimmel. That is that is what you saw,' Jean-Pierre said.
