Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged questions about whether President Biden would debate former President Trump if he secures the GOP nomination.
Trump had called Biden out on his social media platform to debate “anytime, anywhere.”
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” Trump wrote. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD),” he wrote, adding: “I look forward to receiving a response. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
“Just for clarity, it’s possible that there will be no Joe Biden-Donald Trump debates this fall?” Peter Doocy asked.
When asked directly if a Biden-Trump debate could happen, Jean-Pierre deflected and pointed to Biden taking on Republicans during his last State of the Union address.
“Is that what you’re excited about?” Jean-Pierre asked. “Is that what you wanna see?”
“Because you keep asking me. You’ve asked me about three, four, five different times in different ways and –” she said before Doocy interrupted.
Her response did not directly address the debate question.
“How would President Biden do in a debate? I’m not asking a question about a specific debate. I’m just asking, how he would do in a debate?” Doocy asked.
Biden “[took] on Republicans during giving a major speech. He took them on as they were heckling him,” Jean-Pierre said.
“He took them on and said he was gonna fight for programs — essentially said he was fighting for programs that the American people needed,” she said. “Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid — he stood there and fought for the American people.”
“I mean, that was pretty impressive. Some of y’all reported on that,” she said.
The exchange comes amid renewed questions about Biden’s mental acuity following revelations in special counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.
Hur explained he did not pursue criminal charges partly because Biden could present himself as a “forgetful old man” incapable of criminal intent to a jury.
Hur also said the investigation uncovered evidence Biden willfully retained classified materials as a private citizen, and that Biden suffers from “diminished faculties in advancing age.”
“Mr. Biden will likely present himself to the jury, as he did during his interview with our office, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” Hur wrote.
“It would be difficult to convince a jury they should convict him – by then a former president who will be at least well into his eighties – of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness,” he wrote.
“Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency, when he was a private citizen,” the report added.
A Republican Senate candidate expressed concern over Biden’s seemingly declining mental health and ability to serve another four years, which most Americans do not believe according to polls.
If you're wondering whether Biden will debate Trump in the fall — amid questions about Biden's mental capacity — the answer is apparently 'no.' pic.twitter.com/5v6jY1TrgM
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) March 7, 2024
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