Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon, Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre tried to explain why President Joe Biden referenced having a conversation with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in 2021. Biden made the remark during a fundraiser in New York City Wednesday night. Kohl died in 2017. It is 2024.
Another slip at Biden’s fundraisers tonight- via pool
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) February 8, 2024
“… at the 2nd and 3rd events today POTUS seemed to say that Helmut Kohl (who died in 2017) was there with him at his first foreign trip as President talking about Jan 6th…Angela Merkel was the German chancellor in 2021.”
Jean Pierre attempted to explain away the situation by pivoting to January 6 and claiming everyone "misspeaks."
KJP struggles to explain why the president has repeatedly referred to conversations he's had with dead world leaders in the span of just a few days:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 8, 2024
"Look, many people, elected officials, many people, ya know, uh...they tend...uh, they can misspeak sometimes." pic.twitter.com/2wTEPqibcp
REPORTER: "What do you say to Americans who have that concern [about Biden's age/mental acuity] and they see three times in just a couple days the president getting the name of a leader wrong and referencing someone who is deceased?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 8, 2024
KJP: "I wanna be really careful cause you did… pic.twitter.com/R5lXqytGey
Earlier in the week Biden said he had a recent conversation with former French President Francois Mitterrand. Mitterrand died in 1996. When questioned about the mix up, Jean Pierre shut down questions, saying they would take her "down a rabbit hole," and moved on.
PETER DOOCY: "How is president Biden ever going to convince the three-quarters of voters who are worried about his physical and mental health that he's okay even though in Las Vegas he told a story about recently talking to a French president who died in 1996?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 6, 2024
KJP: "I'm not… pic.twitter.com/A98B07TNLy