Karine Jean-Pierre taken aback by question on Biden’s mental state, Internet says ‘no point asking’

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: During an interview on Tuesday, March 26, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked by North Carolina radio host Mark Garrison if President Joe Biden is suffering from dementia.

Jean-Pierre appeared rattled by the question and deemed it "incredibly insulting" before ending the call shortly thereafter by wishing Garrison an "amazing, amazing day".

According to the New York Post, the interview took place when the 81-year-old incumbent President traveled to North Carolina to host a healthcare-focused event with Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

What transpired in radio interview?

The WBT Charlotte host asked the White House press secretary, “When I told a number of people that I was talking to you today, it was interesting, though, they all said: ‘Would you please just ask her: Does the president have dementia?’ And so before I move on from that, does he?”

“Mark, I can’t even believe you’re asking me this question,” Jean-Pierre replied. “That is an incredibly offensive question to ask.”

"But you know people ask it," Garrison interrupted.

“Wait, no, let me — no, no, no, no, no! Mark, you’re taking us down this rabbit hole,” she remarked.

“Let me be very clear about this: For the past several years, the president’s physician has laid out… in a comprehensive way the president’s health. This is a president, if you watch him every day, if you really pay attention to his record and what he has done, you will see exactly how focused he has been on the American people, how historic his actions has been,” Jean-Pierre continued.

“And so I’m not even going to — truly, truly, really — you know, take the premise of your question. I think it is incredibly insulting. And so we can, you know, we can move on to the next question,” she added.

Garrison posed at least one unrelated question before Jean-Pierre concluded the interview.

“Gas prices and grocery prices, then,” Garrison asked. “Big topics here in North Carolina. How does Mr Biden win votes when people don’t have as much disposable income?”

“Look, the president understands. He grew up in a middle-class family, working-class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And he gets it,” Jean-Pierre remarked before defending Biden's track record.

“He understands how difficult it is for Americans who are sitting around their kitchen table every month trying to figure out what they’re going to pay for,” she added.

“You have to remember when the president walked into this administration, there were multiple crises happening: there was Covid, there was the economy that was in a tailspin because of the last administration, because of what President Trump left us with.”

“Now you’re asking me about gas prices. The president took action on gas prices. Let’s not forget Russia’s invasion on Ukraine skyrocketed prices of gas and because the president took action, we see we are in a different place than we were in gas prices. Eggs milk, seafood products — all the important groceries, those costs have gone down because of what this president has been able to do,” Jean-Pierre argued.

“And with that, thank you so much, Mark. Have an amazing, amazing day,” the White House press secretary said in conclusion.

President Joe Biden's demeanor at a public event in Raleigh, where he playfully acknowledged his advanced age by joking he was "only 40 years old, times two, plus one," contrasted with the belligerent denial of the Commander-in-Chief's mental decline.

It is not certain if any questions were omitted from the recording before the interview came to an abrupt end. The White House staff frequently arrange brief interviews with local TV or radio hosts during the President’s campaign trips, and it is unclear if the reason for the press secretary’s unexpected departure was due to obvious frustration or exceeding the allotted time.

Internet blasts Karine Jean-Pierre for dismissing people’s concerns about Biden

People on X slammed the White House press secretary as she was evidently annoyed by the questions posed to her by North Carolina radio host Mark Garrison over President Joe Biden’s mental decline.

One X user said: "It was a valid question."

Another user wrote: "Most transparent White House."

Another user argued: "Insulting is the White House hiding it."

One user claimed: "Most people have the same question."

Another X user remarked: "I think it's a rhetorical question since the answer is so obvious!"

Another user wrote: "But she didn’t answer the question..again!"

Finally, this user tweeted: "It’s definitely insulting because he obviously does. No point in asking."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.