Karine Jean-Pierre claims she couldn't 'recall' any video of Joe Biden freezing or looking confused
WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparked surprise during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee, saying she could not recall seeing any video of former President Joe Biden appearing confused or freezing in public.
A newly released video and transcript of the closed-door session, held on September 12, show Jean-Pierre repeatedly denying that such footage existed despite widespread media coverage of Biden’s awkward public moments during his presidency.
The comments came as the committee questioned Jean-Pierre about her past accusation that media outlets, including The New York Post, were promoting “cheap fakes” when reporting on viral clips showing Biden wandering away or freezing at public events.
BREAKING - Karine Jean-Pierre just admitted to the House Oversight Committee that many of her talking points, including the “cheap fake” narrative she used to dismiss videos of Biden being incapacitated, were “prepared” for her by members of the media. pic.twitter.com/xlPs90Ngjz
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) October 31, 2025
Karine Jean-Pierre denies seeing Joe Biden confused in any video
“Were all clips circulated on social media or otherwise showing President Biden being confused or freezing at times, were those all fakes?” asked Jake Greenberg, the panel’s chief counsel.
“I can’t speak to every - everything that was on social media,” Jean-Pierre replied.
Greenberg pressed further. “But there were instances where videos were circulated of President Biden appearing confused or freezing for a moment that were real, correct?”
“Not that I recall,” Jean-Pierre responded, according to the transcript.
Joe Biden appeared to completely freeze at White House Juneteenth celebrations, and then slightly confused when he unfrozehttps://t.co/eSawtbLzIm pic.twitter.com/ue6M8VriuS
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) June 11, 2024
Jean-Pierre insisted that clips of Biden appearing lost or disengaged “were not actually what was happening.” When asked directly if she had ever seen Biden appear confused in person, she said flatly, “No.”
Jean-Pierre says Joe Biden had ‘cold’ during 2024 debate with Donald Trump
Lawmakers also grilled the former press secretary about Biden’s performance during his widely criticized June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, which even some Democrats described as a turning point in public concern about the president’s health.
“He seemingly, to me, looked like he had a cold,” Jean-Pierre said when asked about the debate.
Greenberg followed up: “So, when he said, ‘We finally beat Medicare,’ that’s indicative of a cold to you?”
“I think he was sick,” she replied. “He said it was a bad night. He said it was a bad performance.”
Jean-Pierre declined to speculate on Biden’s thought process during the event but maintained that he was simply “under the weather.”
House report alleges Joe Biden’s inner circle ‘stage-managed’ presidency
The House Oversight Committee released its report earlier this week, concluding that Biden’s “inner circle” took deliberate steps to “meticulously stage-manage” his public appearances and lighten his workload as his health allegedly declined. The report claims senior aides blocked lawmakers from meeting with the president and filtered what information reached him.
According to the findings, “dozens of executive actions cannot all be deemed his own,” suggesting that Biden’s advisers “went to great lengths to prop up” the 46th president.
The investigation into Biden’s fitness for office remains ongoing, with the committee expected to issue additional subpoenas for former senior aides in the coming weeks.
