White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a startling admission during a press conference late last week after President Joe Biden once again got something wrong in a statement.
Jean-Pierre was responding to a question from a reporter about a statement made by the president regarding the passing of former New Mexico governor and Clinton Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.
“The initial statement from the president about the passing of Governor Bill Richardson included condolences for his wife of 50 years, Barbara, and their daughter, Heather. That line about Heather, the daughter, has been removed because they didn’t have a daughter named Heather — or a daughter. So can you walk us through how these press releases are fact-checked; who signs off on them in the end; and then, in this case, how this error was made?” a reporter asked KJP.
“So, look, we apologize for the error,” Jean-Pierre began. “Certainly, that is not something that, you know, we want to do, right? We want to make sure that we get this information out clearly and in a straightforward way to the American people. So, that was not done intentionally. And certainly, when we realized that error, it was removed from the website.”
But what she said next was startling.
“We do have fact-checkers here. We do have multiple people who take a look at — at the press releases, especially from the president. This was just a miss, unfortunately. And we apologize for that miss,” she admitted.
The exchange was posted online by the research wing of the Republican National Committee.
According to recent surveys, most voters believe Biden is too mentally unfit to continue serving, let alone for another term.
Ahead of what thus far appears to be a rematch of their 2020 contest, a new Harvard Harris Poll found that Trump continues to dominate the field of Republican candidates while Biden suffers from a growing perception that he is no longer mentally fit to serve as commander-in-chief.
The poll, taken recently, found that just 32 percent of respondents believe that Biden is mentally fit to serve as President, while 68 percent expressed doubts about his mental acuity.
The results of the poll indicate that the findings could potentially have an impact on the 2024 Presidential Election. Despite Biden’s overall approval rating standing around 40 percent, the question of his mental fitness might play a decisive role for undecided voters. Poll analysts said that Democrats must proactively address these concerns if they wish to secure a second term for Biden.
Meanwhile, according to a separate NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, a majority of Americans, by a 62 percent-to-36 percent margin, think Biden does not have the mental capacity to continue serving as president beyond his first term.
NPR added:
Biden at 80 is the oldest president in U.S. history. He’s been the subject of relentless accusations from the right about his acuity, but his age has also been a worry of Democrats, concerned about whether Biden gives them the best chance to win in 2024, especially if it’s Trump as the GOP nominee again.
Almost 4 in 10 Democrats said his mental fitness was a real concern as did 7 in 10 independents and, as expected, more than 8 in 10 Republicans. Several key Democratic and swing groups saw Biden’s mental fitness as a real concern, including those 45 or younger (69%), GenZ/Millennials (67%), men (66%), those without college degrees (66%), non-whites (64%) and those who live in the suburbs (63%), for example.
“It’s a serious vulnerability that will have Democrats biting their nails as the campaign heats up and holding their breath with each speech, news conference, and debate,” the report added.
Biden will be 82 on Inauguration Day in January 2025 if he wins reelection; Trump would be 78 if he becomes the party’s nominee and goes on to defeat Biden in a rematch.