Monday’s White House press briefing started on a pathetic note with the first flurry of questions consisted of the press corps sticking up for and asking questions on behalf of the Ukrainians, not the American people. Eventually, there were real questions asked, thanks in part to Fox’s Peter Doocy and wife Hillary Vaughn of the Fox Business Network.
Vaughn came first: “New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the border is too open right now. Does the President think that the border is too open?”
Jean-Pierre launched into a hilarious answer that began with the token point that Biden “put forward a comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with immigration reform” when he took office, but Republicans won’t acquiesce.
She then added that Biden’s tackled the border through “enforcement,” “detergence,” and “diplomacy.” On the second point, she comically bragged that “we’ve made clear that attempting to cross the border unlawfully will result in prompt removal, a five-year ban on — on reentry, and potential criminal prosecution.”
On “diplomacy,” that answer was bunk considering how flat-footed she was when CBS’s Ed O’Keefe brought it up a few weeks ago.
Vaughn followed up: “So, when the President looks at what’s happening at the border, he sees a border that is effectively closed?”
To her credit, Jean-Pierre wouldn’t fall all the way down into the trap by saying yes, even though she did argue Biden’s “doing everything that he can to deal with the border” whereas Republicans are purposefully “trying to politicize it and make it worse”.
A few minutes later, Doocy drew some laughs at the White House when he alluded to Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulling a fire alarm on Saturday that delayed a House vote to keep the government open: “Would President Biden ever try to get out of a meeting by pulling a fire alarm?”
Jean-Pierre jokingly replied: “Are you talking about something specifically?”
Doocy then became more direct: “A Democratic member of Congress pulled a fire alarm around a series of votes. No fire. Is that appropriate?”
Jean-Pierre said she hadn’t “spoken to the President about this and” thus wouldn’t “comment.”
Doocy’s other questions focused on a possible strike of health care workers and riots last week with looters ransacking stores in Philadelphia (click “expand”):
DOOCY: Since President Biden is so pro-union, is he okay with 75,000 healthcare workers possibly walking off the job this week?
JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is that — I’ve said this many times already this morning: The President believes all workers — all workers, including healthcare workers and those that make their work possible — they deserve a fair pay and they deserve fair — a fair benefit....I’ll have to say, like, the Treasury Department laid out recently a major report that unions and collective bargaining are good for the overall economy and help raise wages at — for everybody, whether they are a union member or not and I think that matters.
DOOCY: Would he consider joining them on the picket line if they strike?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I don’t have anything else to share on — on the President’s schedule. What I can say is...when we see this type of collective bargaining...it actually helps our economy overall...for all — not just union members, also non-union members.
DOOCY: And a couple days ago, looters were terrorizing businesses in Philadelphia. What is the White House doing about that?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, obviously, any coordinated theft and vandalism that occurred...is destructive and simply unacceptable....The acts of these individuals harmed local businesses....and the communities that depend on them, but I also want to be clear, because the police — the police commissioner in Philadelphia did say...that looting was the act of opportunists taking advantage of unrelated protests...[W]e have been very consistent here — when it comes to any sort of vandalism...we are going to simply condemn that and it is unacceptable.
And, in the final question of the briefing, White House Correspondents Association President and NBC correspondent Kelly O’Donnell had the wherewithal to bring up Hunter Biden’s Tuesday court appearance and ask whether it would “have any impact on the President’s schedule tomorrow or how he will be getting information about that.”
Of course, Jean-Pierre refused to say: “I will say it’s — to continue to say it’s a personal matter. I’m just not going to get into it from here.”
Well, as of this blog’s publication, here’s a screenshot from the great folks at Factba.se, which posts the President’s schedule. It sure looks like Biden cleared his day for it:
To see the relevant transcript from the October 2 briefing, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via ABC News Live subfeed]
October 2, 2023
1:09 p.m. EasternHILLARY VAUGHN: Two questions on the border, if I can. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the border is too open right now. Does the President think that the border is too open?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: So, here’s what I will say: The President, on his own, without the help of Republicans in Congress — let’s not forget, he put forward a comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with immigration reform. Remember, this — this immigration system has been broken for decades and it’s been three years. That’s been almost three years since he put forth that piece of legislation and three things — there are three things that he has moved forward in when it comes to his plan and looking at — looking at the border. There’s enforcement and so, we’ve deployed additional troops and federal agents to the border and removed or returned more than 250,000 individuals since May 12th alone. That’s what we’ve been able to do without the help of Republicans and deterrence — we’ve had the largest expansion certainly of a pathways to — pathways to — pathways in decades and we’ve made clear that attempting to cross the border unlawfully will result in prompt removal, a five-year ban on — on reentry, and potential criminal prosecution. And let’s not forget the diplomacy that we have done with the region, including Mexico, to deal with this issue because it’s not — this is a — this is a regional issue that we’re seeing with — as it relates — as it relates to — as it relates to unlawful migration.
VAUGHN: So, when the President looks at what’s happening at the border, he sees a border that is effectively closed?
JEAN-PIERRE: What I’m saying is that the President, without the help — without the help of Republicans, is doing everything that he can to deal with the border. That’s what he’s been able to do, while Republicans tried to push forth a CR to limit — to take away the federal — the federal agents that we see at the border. That’s what he’s trying to do. They’re trying to politicize it and make it worse — make it worse. That’s what Republicans are trying to do and ma — turn it into a political stunt. The President is actually dealing with the issue that’s in front of him by getting record funding, 25,000 federal agents at the border. That is something that this President has been able to do.
(....)
1:14 p.m. Eastern
PETER DOOCY: Would President Biden ever try to get out of a meeting by pulling a fire alarm?
[JOURNALISTS LAUGH]
JEAN-PIERRE: Are you talking about something specifically?
[JOURNALISTS LAUGH]
DOOCY: A Democratic member of Congress pulled a fire alarm around a series of votes. No fire. Is that appropriate?
JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is I have not talked — spoken to the President about this and so, just not going — just not going to comment. I will leave it up to — I know there’s a House process moving forward right now. I’ll leave it to the House.
DOOCY: Okay. Since President Biden is so pro-union, is he okay with 75,000 healthcare workers possibly walking off the job this week?
JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is that — I’ve said this many times already this morning: The President believes all workers — all workers, including healthcare workers and those that make their work possible — they deserve a fair pay and they deserve fair — a fair benefit. That’s what the President believes. He believes that collective bargaining works. That is — we’ve seen that play out in the past even couple of months when you think about the Teamsters. You think about the Teamsters and — and UPS. When you think about the West Coast ports, right? We see that play out and so, it is important that — that we — you know, we see that continue and I’ll have — and I’ll have to say, like, the Treasury Department laid out recently a major report that unions and collective bargaining are good for the overall economy and help raise wages at — for everybody, whether they are a union member or not and I think that matters.
DOOCY: Would he consider joining them on the picket line if they strike?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I don’t have anything else to share on — on the President’s schedule. What I can say is that this — when — when we see this type of collective bargaining, when we see this type of — you know, the report that I just laid out, when — when unions and — unions do collective bargaining, it actually helps our economy overall and it raises wages and I think that’s important for all — not just union members, also non-union members.
DOOCY: And a couple days ago, looters were terrorizing businesses in Philadelphia. What is the White House doing about that?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, obviously, any coordinated theft and vandalism that occurred in Philadel — in Philadelphia is — is destructive and simply unacceptable. That’s what we say and we’ve always said that. Any type of vandalism, any type of violence, we certainly denounce that from here. The acts of these individuals harmed local businesses, as we — you saw — as we saw — and the communities that depend on them, but I also want to be clear, because the police — the police commissioner in Philadelphia did say — and he said this on the record — that looting was the act of opportunists taking advantage of unrelated protests. But, obviously — obviously, and we have been very consistent here — when it comes to any sort of vandalism, certainly looting, or any type of violence, we are going to — we are going to simply condemn that and it is unacceptable.
(....)
1:19 p.m. Eastern
KELLY O’DONNELL: On another matter, the President’s son will be going to a court appearance tomorrow. We know previously that was believed to have been something that would resolve the case. A lot has transpired in between. Will this have any impact on the President’s schedule tomorrow or how he will be getting information about that? I recognize it’s a personal matter, but will that court appearance have any impact on the President’s schedule?
JEAN-PIERRE: I will say it’s — to continue to say it’s a personal matter. I’m just not going to get into it from here.
