White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took a forceful tone with reporters on Tuesday after a contentious briefing on Monday, where she defended her own words but also made statements that led to more questions about President Joe Biden.
She pushed back at allegations she has not been forthcoming about Biden's health and that the White House has had to later clarify her statements, echoing the president's aggressive strategy to combat Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race.
'I disagree. I disagree,' she said when pressed on the issue.
But she also caused more uncertainty when she wouldn't confirm if President Biden would deal with a possible nuclear strike that takes place after 8 pm.
Fox News' Peter Doocy referred to President Biden's comments to governors he would schedule fewer events after 8 pm so he could get more sleep. Doocy asked: if there was a nuclear strike past that time, who would deal with it? The first lady?
'He has a team that lets him know, any, any news that is pertinent and important to the American people,' Jean-Pierre said. 'It is National Security Council that gets to tell him.'
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre played offense on Tuesday
Doocy was referring to comments from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made on Fox News on Monday night, when he noted, as speaker, 'many times when we had meetings in the Oval Office, Jill was there as well.'
'Many times, Jill would come in,' McCarthy said.
Jean-Pierre said the first lady does not make decisions.
'The President is the President of the United States who makes the decision,' she said.
The U.S. President has sole authority to authorize the use of U.S. nuclear weapon, according to American law.
Jean-Pierre also brushed aside a question about Hunter Biden joining the president at White House meetings. She noted the family together was at Camp David and, upon their return to the White House, Hunter merely walked straight into a meeting with the president.
'He's very close to his family. As you know, it was the week of Fourth of July, which is why his family members were here last week. They walked together and they walked together into the meeting,' she said.
The White House press secretary was trying to reset relations with the media after Monday's briefing, where she, at times, struggled to be heard amid a cacophony of questions about the 81-year-old president's health.
She confirmed he had been examined three times by a neurologist but refused to say why a specialist in Parkinson's disease visited the White House eight times in eight months, citing privacy and security concerns.
But that simply triggered a hubbub from the usually docile front row of reporters who peppered her with demands for a proper explanation.
On Tuesday she denied allegations the White House has been engaged in a coverup when it comes to the president's health.
'There is a comprehensive medical, full comprehensive medical report on the website whitehouse.gov. I would encourage them to take a look to take a look read read that report,' she said. 'It's transparent. It's out there, it's for them to read.'
She did note the president has verbal check-ins regularly with Dr. O'Connor.
'The President checks in while he's exercising with his doctor — a couple of times a week,' she said.
The White House is in week two of trying to recover from Biden's disastrous debate performance.
Jean-Pierre is facing questions about her own credibility after she wouldn't answer questions on whether Cannard, a movement disorder specialist at the Walter Reed Medical Center, was treating the president.
It raised so many questions that later Monday night Biden's personal doctor, Kevin O'Connor, broke protocol and released a letter explaining why Dr. Cannard visited the White House eight times in eight months.
Most of Cannard's visits to the White House were pursuant to his role as a specialist attached to the White House Medical Unit, treating patients for a wide array of neurological issues at the White House for a dozen years, O'Connor said.
He said Cannard 'has held regular Neurology Clinics at the White House Medical Clinic in support of the thousands of active-duty members assigned in support of White House operations.'
'Many military personnel experience neurological issues related to their service, and Dr. Canard regularly visits the WHMU as part of this General Neurology practice,' which may explain some of the visits,' he added.
Questions remain about President Joe Biden's health and first lady Jill Biden's role in protecting her husband
Dr. Kevin Cannard is a movement disorder specialist at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland
And, when asked on Tuesday if any of those eight Cannard visits were to treat the president, Jean-Pierre said: 'I can say that it was not.'
Jean-Pierre also told reporters that the statement from the president's doctor — that Biden is able to perform his job without any accommodations — is still correct, despite concerns from Democratic lawmakers, donors and NATO allies.
She also argued many of her points from Monday were outlined in Dr. O'Connor's letter.
'I said many of the things that were laid out in the letter was actually repeated right here behind this lectern at this podium yesterday,' she said.
'It was also being assumed and insinuated that Dr. Cannard was, someone who only worked on Parkinson's, when in fact, he's a general neurologist, that was something that Dr. O'Connor was actually able to confirm that,' she noted.
Jean-Pierre was asked by CNN's MJ Lee if she wanted to revisit any old statements she had made about President Biden's verbal flubs.
Lee specially asked about an incident last year when Biden asked about the presence of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski at a White House event. Walorski had been killed in a car crash a month earlier.
'Would you on that example, would you offer a different explanation?,' Lee asked.
Jean-Pierre said she stuck by her original answer that Walorski was at 'the top' of Biden's mind, noting 'that was coming from him. And I was delivering directly the President what he was thinking at the time.'
And she noted that when she hasn't 'had the full information. I actually own up to that.'
'I've always been committed to doing the best I can to give you the information that we have. That is a commitment from the team. It has been an unprecedented time. I think you guys could admit that, right? It is an unprecedented time,' she said.
'And so, we are meeting the moment — a new moment that has never really existed before. And so, we want to make sure that we get you all the information that we have and when we don't have it, we do try our best to provide information. And so, that is something that I'm going to continue to do.'
Biden is battling criticism from some Democrats that he lacks the mental acuity to stand as their nominee against Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The disclosure comes amid mounting scrutiny over the president's mental state following his car crash debate against rival Donald Trump.
Biden, 81, has sought to quash rumors he is unfit to lead and still asserts he will run in the November election, but has refused to state whether he is undergoing regular, official cognitive tests.
Jean-Pierre started Tuesday's briefing about 90 minutes after it was originally scheduled. She said it was because she was in the Oval Office talking to President Biden about Hurricane Beryl.
