White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took issue with a question about the relationship between President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after President-elect Donald Trump’s historic win.
Asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy whether their recent private lunch was “awkward” in any way, Jean-Pierre failed to understand what the reporter was getting at.
"I don't even understand. Why would it, why would it be awkward?" Jean-Pierre wondered.
"The president got squeezed out for her, and then she kept him at arm's length, and then she lost,” Doocy explained. “And now she's back.”
The press secretary insisted the two are on good terms and regularly meet and speak to one another.
“Why would you call it awkward?" she followed up.
"So there's no weirdness about the way that things have unfolded since the last—," Doocy replied.
She then asked if he saw them together during a Veterans Day event.
"This is, look, I'm not even going to take the premise of the question," she added. "What I will say is the president and the vice president had lunch today. They've had lunch many times. They communicate with each other regularly. They had an opportunity to discuss the last 70 days or so of this administration—how important it is to get things done for the American people. And that's their focus. That is genuinely their focus."
Karine Jean-Pierre did NOT like being asked if today's lunch between Biden and Kamala was "awkward" pic.twitter.com/WYPMVs2Pad
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 12, 2024
KJP gets visibly angry when Peter Doocy asks if lunch today between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was awkward considering Joe stepped aside only to have Kamala get obliterated in the election.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 12, 2024
Kamala and Jill were clearly awkward on Veterans Day.
The body language says it all. pic.twitter.com/7xDWRomOYq
The exchange took place ahead of Biden and Trump’s Wednesday meeting at the White House. When asked whether Harris was given an invitation, Jean-Pierre wouldn't say.
"This is the norm, that the incoming president and the current president sit down in the Oval Office and have a discussion," she said.