Transgenderism was the center of attention for key moments in Tuesday’s White House press briefing as Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced the “disrespectful,” “not appropriate,” and “unacceptable” behavior of a transgender woman (a man pretending to be a woman) flashing their upper region at a White House pride event, while also trashing pro-life reporter Owen Jensen for an “irresponsible” question about girls being forced to compete against biological men.
The Jensen exchange came near the end of the briefing, starting with Jensen citing a tweet from Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) that “having biological males in women’s sports is unsafe, unfair, and wrong” and a letter from “72 elite female athletes” denouncing being forced to compete “against biological males is not only unfair, it is discriminatory and illegal.”
“So, in the light of this administration’s proposed changes to Title IX, does the White House worry about the physical safety of females directly competing against males in sports,” Jensen asked.
Jean-Pierre insisted this was “a complicated issue” with “a wide range of views,” but nothing was set in stone to have the Department of Education force schools into putting men who identify as women in women’s sports.
Jensen pushed back:
And what would the President say to the parents out there who have daughters — say, in high school, for example — who are worried that their daughter may have to compete against a male, or a person born male, and they — and there could be — or directly in physical athletic competition — and worry about their daughter’s safety?
Jean-Pierre was incensed, blasting him for “saying that transgender kids are dangerous.” Jensen repeatedly denied it, but Jean-Pierre didn’t care: “Well, you’re saying — you’re saying that their safety is — isn’t — is at risk?”
She added that Jensen was “laying out a broad — kind of broad example or explanation of what could potentially happen” and thus describing transgender people in a way that was “dangerous” to them.
“[T]hat’s something that I have to call out. And that is — that is — that is — that is irresponsible. I have just laid out how complicated this issue is. I have just laid out why it’s complicated,” she said.
Moments earlier, Jean-Pierre sang a different tune. Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich invoked the indecent exposure event and sought Jean-Pierre’s comment on whether the Biden White House would make “a greater effort in the future to communicate a code of conduct for White House guests” given a statement called the person’s behavior “inappropriate” and “disrespectful.”
Jean-Pierre reiterated that belief, calling the trans provocateur’s actions “unacceptable” and “unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate” Pride Month. She added those involved “certainly will not be invited to future events” and hadn’t happened before.
Heinrich also had a question about how they displayed of the pride flag at said event in a way that violated the U.S. flag code, but Jean-Pierre brushed that aside as a discussion meant to “distract us from” supporting LGBTQ people.
The Fox reporter’s last question touched on the alleged infamous recordings involving a Burisma executive and the Biden family:
Senator Chuck Grassley made some statements yesterday on the Senate floor, saying that this foreign national on the FBI 1023 form apparently has 15 recorded conversations with Hunter Biden and claims to have two with the President. Is there — is the White House aware of any recordings in which the President might be on tape speaking to a Burisma executive?
Jean-Pierre deflected by saying she’d echo Biden’s comments from last Friday, which were that it’s all “malarkey.”
To see the relevant transcript from the June 13 briefing, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via ABC News Live subfeed]
June 13, 2023
2:39 p.m. EasternJACQUI HEINRICH: On the exposure incident on the South Lawn, having received the statement that the White House believes that was inappropriate, disrespectful, is there going to be a greater effort in the future to communicate a code of conduct for White House guests?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Look, we’ve — as you mentioned, the statement that we put out, you heard from us earlier today, the behavior was simply unacceptable. We’ve been very clear about that. It was unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate their families. So, you know, we’re going to continue to be clear on that and that type of behavior is, as I said, unacceptable. It’s not appropriate. It’s disrespectful. And let’s not — it really does not reflect the event that we hosted to celebrate the LGBTQ+ families — again, hundreds of families who were here to celebrate their community and who were here in attendance. So, look, individuals in the video certainly will not be invited to future events and this is — has not occurred before, right? This is not — this was not a normal thing that has happened under this administration, but we’ve been very clear about how — how we saw this particular behavior.
HEINRICH: There’s — there’s been some criticism also of the White House, the flag placement, the Pride flag violating the U.S. flag code. Did anybody notice that or fail to notice that, or was it an intentional statement? Can you just explain what happened with that?
JEAN-PIERRE: So the administration was proud, again, to display the Pride flag. It was a historic event at the White House. It centered around the love — around love and family and I think that’s important and so, you know, we’re not going to let anyone distract us from that — what was the meaning of the day, what was the meaning of having families here, and to celebrate a community. I’m certainly not going to get into protocols from here, or I’ll leave that to others. And so, you know, we’re proud of this historic event that we were able to put together here on the South Lawn for families and so, I’ll leave it there.
HEINRICH: And one more on the —
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can we go to the back?
HEINRICH: — on a different subject. Senator Chuck Grassley made some statements yesterday on the Senate floor, saying that this foreign national on the FBI 1023 form apparently has 15 recorded conversations with Hunter Biden and claims to have two with the President. Is there — is the White House aware of any recordings in which the President might be on tape speaking to a Burisma executive?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, the President spoke to this. I think he was shouted a question about this at the Thursday press conference and I’m just going to quote him and say, “It’s malarkey.”
(....)
2:45 p.m. Eastern
OWEN JENSEN: Just hours ago, Senator Tuberville tweeted, “[H]aving biological males in women’s sports is unsafe, unfair, and wrong.” And earlier this year, several — 72 elite female athletes signed an open letter saying, “Forcing female athletes… to compete against biological males is not only unfair, it is discriminatory and illegal.” So, in the light of this administration’s proposed changes to Title IX, does the White House worry about the physical safety of females directly competing against males in sports?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, this is a complicated issue. It is. And there are a wide range of views, as you just laid out. The Department of Education proposed a rule that gives schools the flexibility to establish their own athletic policies, while establishing gra — guardrails to prevent discrimination against transgender kids and so, I also want to make clear that this is a proposed rule, and members of the public have the ability to provide comment as part of the rulemaking process and so, any — you know, any additional questions that you may have of this proposed rule, certainly, I would refer you to the Department of Education. But we do understand this is a complicated issue.
JENSEN: And what would the President say to the parents out there who have daughters — say, in high school, for example — who are worried that their daughter may have to compete against a male, or a person born male, and they — and there could be — or directly in physical athletic competition — and worry about their daughter’s safety?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I — what you’re alluding to is basically saying that transgender kids are dangerous. It sounds like that’s what you’re saying.
JENSEN: I — I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I don’t know how that’s —
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, you’re saying — you’re saying that their safety is — isn’t — is at risk?
JENSEN: This is strictly a safety question. This is strictly a safety question.
JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, but you’re — you’re — you’re laying out a broad — kind of broad example or explanation of what could potentially happen.
JENSEN: But —
JEAN-PIERRE: A broad — a broad example explaining — that is dangerous. That is a dangerous thing to say —
JENSEN: I’m not —
JEAN-PIERRE: — that, essentially, transgender kids — we’re talking about — are dangerous and so, that’s something that I have to call out.
JENSEN: Okay, but I — if I may dis- —
JEAN-PIERRE: And that is — that is —
JENSEN: Okay.
JEAN-PIERRE: — that is — that is irresponsible. I have just laid out how complicated this issue is. I have just laid out why it’s complicated and so, anything that you have — any additional questions, I refer to the Department of Education.
JENSEN: Yeah, but — yes, but I may —
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m going to move on. I know there are other people —
JENSEN: Just to be clear, this is —
JEAN-PIERRE [TO TAMARA KEITH]: Go ahead, Tam. Go ahead, Tam.
JENSEN: — about safety. I wasn’t insinuating anything.
JEAN-PIERRE: No, I mean —
JENSEN: Okay. All right.
JEAN-PIERRE: — you could read you question in a transcript once you get it.
