CNN's Jake Tapper Corners KJP on Biden's Age, Subjects Her to 5 Minutes of Brutal Questioning
CNN host Jake Tapper would not let White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre off the hook Tuesday when she tried to respond to Americans’ concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office with well-worn talking points.
Tapper cited an Associated Press/NORC poll finding that 77 percent of American voters think he is too old to be president. That includes 69 percent of Democrats who feel that way.
“What this president brings to this administration is wisdom and experience … as senator, as vice president, and now as president” was Jean-Pierre’s first response.
“The thing the president is able to do is deliver, really move forward historic pieces of legislation, change the lives of Americans for generations to come,” she added.
It’s changed, all right, with the inflation rate hitting a 40-year high last year and government spending, even after the pandemic, at record levels.
The multi-trillion dollar deficit spending under Biden is contributing to the historically high prices for basic necessities like food and gasoline, as the Federal Reserve prints the money to pay the bills, thus devaluing the dollar.
Jean-Pierre continued, saying that people have been bringing up Biden’s age (he’s now 80) since he announced his candidacy in 2019.
“He beats them every time. Because he has his finger on the pulse of what it is that the American people need. He talks about issues that really matter to the American people. And he is delivering,” she said.
Tapper wasn’t willing to let the age issue go with some happy talk from the press secretary.
“Okay, so you’re part of the 23 percent of adults who are not concerned about the president’s ability to be president because of his age and stamina. I got it,” he said to Jean-Pierre.
“That’s because what you got to do is watch him! Watch him!” she insisted.
“I will speak to his record and his record stands alone. It is something that Americans should be proud of, something we all are proud of on all of the historic amount of pieces of legislation,” Jean-Pierre said.
“But I’m talking about his age and stamina and his ability to do his job, and you’re talking about the record,” Tapper replied.
“I understand why you’d rather talk about the record,” he continued, “but I’m talking about what Americans see when they turn on the TV and they see Joe Biden has been in politics literally since before you were born. And that he’s aged, as we all do.”
Jean-Pierre answered that the president demonstrated his stamina by traveling to Kiev in February, a “war zone” she noted.
“I’m not saying he’s not able to walk,” Tapper said. Ouch!
“No, but you’re saying, talking about his strength, talking about how he’s looking right now –” Jean-Pierre responded.
“He’s 80,” Tapper said. “I think the average-aged American male only lives to be 77 or something.”
She fell back on a line that Biden had been using since 2019, encouraging people to watch him.
“They are watching him,” Tapper shot back. “That’s what I’m saying. Seventy-seven percent of them are concerned.”
It was nice to see a CNN host actually hold a Democratic White House press secretary’s feet to the fire. It seems to happen so rarely.
Tapper stayed on the subject for about 5 minutes. Jean-Pierre never conceded Biden’s age is an issue, but she was forced to dance around the subject so much that any fair-minded viewer could see what was going on.
Biden is already the oldest to ever serve as president, besting Ronald Reagan, who completed his second term at 77.
Reagan, in turn, topped Dwight Eisenhower, who previously held the record, finishing his second term at 70.
Biden would be 86 following two terms.
Presidents in their 50s and 60s (some 40s) are more the norm through two-plus centuries of American history.
Biden has spent 40 percent of his time away from the White House and looks well-ready for full-time retirement.
Democrats and leftist media personalities like Tapper can even see and admit it.
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