White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed Tuesday that President Biden is still “very much” in command of the White House, while dodging whether he felt “betrayed’’ by Dems wanting him out.
Jean-Pierre, 49, who once served as chief of staff for Veep Kamala Harris’ failed 2020 presidential campaign, lavished praise on Biden while refraining from elaborating on his decision Sunday to drop out of his re-election bid.
“Obviously, he stepped down from running and being the nominee, but he’s very much still the president. He still has the job, and we have a lot more to get done on behalf of the American people,” Jean-Pierre told ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday.
“He wants to zero in and focus on that,” she said.
Biden, 81, is slated to give an address to the public Wednesday about his decision to drop out and his plans for what comes next.
In his stunning announcement Sunday, Biden did not say why he was dropping out. But his exit came during a remarkably open mutiny of Democrats that had been gaining steam since his disastrous June 27 debate against GOP foe Donald Trump.
“If you read it thoroughly, there’s no spin to it,” Jean-Pierre said of Biden’s drop-out letter. “He truly believed it was the right thing to do in this moment.
“While all of us it was hard for many of us, we are incredibly proud of this president. We trust his leadership, we trust his judgment,” she said.
Jean-Pierre sidestepped a question about whether Biden felt “betrayed” by the Democrats who called on him to withdraw. She also swatted aside concerns that the White House was concealing Biden’s real condition or that the president should resign from office before the election.
“I think that’s ridiculous,” she said of the GOP grumblings. “The president decided to not run for re-election. That’s it. That’s all he decided on.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin likened Biden’s decision to that of George Washington, who decided to pass the baton after two terms in office. She commended Biden’s move as “very patriotic.”
Jean-Pierre was effusive with praise for her boss, commending him as “a good man — someone who decided not to put himself first like we’ve seen before, but to put the American people first.”
She also took note of his 54 years in public service and touted the Biden administration as one of the most accomplished presidencies in recent history.
“By the time we’ve gone through the finish line at the end of January, he would have done more than most presidents have done in eight years — he would have done more in four years,” she crowed.
Harris, 59, who earned Biden’s endorsement to replace him at the top of the Dem ticket during his Sunday announcement, clinched the necessary delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president Monday evening.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison has indicated the party still plans to conduct a virtual roll call to officially crown its nominee by Aug. 7.
That’s just shy of two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from Aug. 19-22. The DNC’s rules committee is slated to meet Wednesday to chart out the path forward.
Biden was scheduled Tuesday to return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Del., where he has spent most of his time recovering from COVID.
The White House confirmed he contracted the respiratory virus Wednesday ahead of an appearance at a Latino voter event in Las Vegas. That appearance was canceled.
