“Can you just email this,” Karine?
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spent nearly half of a seven-minute group Friday on Air Force One reading non-emergency statements and dismissing reporters’ pleas to focus instead on President Biden’s warning that humanity could soon be wiped out in a Nuclear “Armageddon” because Russian President Vladimir Putin is missing an “exit ramp” from the war in Ukraine.
The press group en route to a Volvo factory in Hagerstown, Maryland, was the only scheduled forum of the day to ask questions of Biden or his main spokesperson about his shocking remark a night earlier that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could end with a nuclear attack. war.
Jean-Pierre, who ultimately said there was no new intelligence to support Biden’s concern, entered the press area of the presidential plane as it neared its destination – arriving more later than expected, thus ensuring that the herd would be short.
“Hey guys, so it’s going to be an incredibly short herd,” said Jean-Pierre.
“Is it okay if we just start with questions?” immediately asked a journalist urgently.
“No, I actually have things at the top that I need to share,” Jean-Pierre replied, before launching into a trial statement providing standard economic talking points.
After finishing the lengthy recap of Biden’s pink framing on economic news despite Inflation at its highest in 41 years and soaring interest ratesJean-Pierre then read aloud the White House press advisories for the coming week, declining a reporter’s request to email them instead.
Jean-Pierre’s voluminous opening statement on the economy contained little new or urgent content, adding to the frustration of reporters who noted that the press secretary has recently spent much of her reporting time to read printed matter directly rather than to engage in head-on investigations. She says:
“So today’s employment figures reflect that [sic] we have been saying it for many months, we are in a transition towards stable and regular growth. Today’s unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 50 years at 3.5%.
This type of job growth is compatible with low unemployment and a healthy economy. More people are working than at any time in American history – black and Hispanic unemployment is at the lowest rate in history and black unemployment remains low. These are millions of families with dignity, with the dignity and peace of mind that a paycheck provides.
The president’s strategy of building the economy from the bottom up to the middle is good for the American people, bringing jobs overseas, and may the Cut Inflation Act accelerate that progress to create new manufacturing jobs across the country and reduce the biggest costs families face.
And so it’s only fitting that today, on National Manufacturing Day, President Biden has the opportunity to highlight the resurgence of American manufacturing during a visit to the Volvo plant in Hagerstown, Washington. Maryland. The President – The President will talk about how he and Congressional Republicans have two very different economic views for the country.
The Cut Inflation Act cuts prescription drug prices, energy bills, and out-of-pocket health care costs — ending the ability of giant corporations to pay nothing in taxes. Congressional Republicans would – want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which will make inflation worse, increase costs – increase costs for families and give rich and wealthy special interests a hold [sic], a tax gift. They would also eliminate the new clean energy manufacturing jobs created due to the Cut Inflation Act.
I also want to jot down a note, as CNN reported this morning, Republicans in Congress keep quoting “vote no but take the dough.”
Last year, they attacked President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law citing “socialism.” Now they are asking for funding, the law provides crucial priorities for job-creating infrastructure in their districts. We have seen this phenomenon before with President Biden’s US bailout.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act is rebuilding our roads and bridges, providing cheaper, cleaner energy, and creating well-paying jobs across the country. It’s sad but not surprising that many House and Senate Republicans are now trying to claim credit and benefit from parts of the president’s agenda they fought to block.
President Biden ran for president to rebuild the middle class. There is more to do than we are proud to make meaningful progress for families.
When she finished reading the statement, Jean Pierre continued, “I will also finally announce something that people have wanted. It’s back by popular demand, which is the preview for the week ahead. So let me share with you the week ahead.
“Can you just email that to us?” a journalist opposed it.
“I think there is a lot to do and we are about to land,” added the journalist.
The White House typically emails advice to reporters on Sundays.
Jean-Pierre said she “needed[ed]to read the weekly agenda aloud because a reporter asked him last week to do so – despite the fact that this briefing question was a specific request for early advice on Biden’s trips to visit. hurricane damage in Puerto Rico and Florida.
“I have to because I was asked and I – and I keep my promise here. I was asked last week and I keep my promise,” Jean-Pierre insisted as he continued reading:
“On Wednesday, the president will travel west, starting with Colorado.
On Thursday and Friday, he will have events in California and Oregon. The President will discuss the progress we have made from passing a landmark bipartisan Infrastructure Act to passing Infrastructure – the Cut Inflation Act. He will contrast his plan to protect and strengthen the Medicare family [sic] and Social Security and the Plan for Congressional Republicans, which puts Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.
“OK, with that, go ahead,” she finally said, leaving just over three minutes before the plane landed.
A reporter quickly asked, “Is the president planning to use the word Armageddon?” Why did he choose this particular reference to Revelation 16:16?”
Jean-Pierre replied: “OK, so Russia’s discourse on the use of nuclear weapons is irresponsible. And there’s no way to use them without unintended consequences. It can’t happen. We will not be intimidated by Putin’s rhetoric. We have seen no reason to adjust our own nuclear posture, and we have no indication that they are ready to use them. But Putin can defuse this at any time, and there is no reason to make it worse.
Another reporter asked, “Why were these comments first made in front of a group of donors rather than a press conference or some type of public forum?
“The president’s comments have been very consistent,” Jean-Pierre said. “He reinforced what we were saying about how seriously we take these nuclear weapons threats, as we did when the Russians made these threats throughout the conflict. So the kind of irresponsible rhetoric that we have seen is no way for the head of a nuclear weapon state to speak and that is what the president has made very clear.
Another reporter asked, “Do you have any new information that caused the president to raise the level of concern?
“No, no,” said Jean-Pierre. “The president was speaking about concerns about Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons, just as he did in the United Nations General Assembly.”
The reporter continued, “So there’s no imminent threat?”
“No,” said Jean-Pierre. “I have said before that we have seen no reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture, nor do we have any indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons imminently.”
Biden did not mention a possible nuclear apocalypse during his Friday speech in Hagerstown. The Commander-in-Chief is to spend a long weekend out of sight at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.