Following the controversy that occurred over President Joe Biden’s most recent mistake on Wednesday of looking for a deceased congresswoman, the White House has decided not to have a news conference on Friday.
At the White House press briefing on Thursday, tensions erupted as many journalists badgered Karine Jean-Pierre about the president’s reference to the late Republican Indiana representative Jackie Walorski at the conference on nutrition and health. The president looked around the crowd for Walorski after Jean-Pierre repeatedly told the press that she was “on top of mind” for him.
After numerous reporters screamed out requests for the president and Jean-Pierre to apologize for the incident, the White House scheduling abruptly pulled a briefing off the schedule. The president is scheduled to leave the White House for a briefing on Hurricane Ian and return at 1:15 p.m.
At 3 p.m., he will depart the White House to attend the U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit and return to the State Dining Room to host a dinner with the leaders of the Pacific Island nations at 5:20, according to the itinerary.
Footage showed the president praising lawmakers and government representatives for their work on these topics while speaking at the WH Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Walorski, who passed away in a vehicle accident in August, was one of those he questioned. “And I want to thank all of you here, especially nonpartisan elected people like Representative McGovern, Senator Booker, Senator Braun, Representative — Jackie, you here?,” he can be heard saying. “How is Jackie doing? I didn’t anticipate she would be present.”
James Rosen of Newsmax said that while he frequently has artist John Lennon on his mind, he does not actively seek him out. When the president signed a measure for Lennon, Jean-Pierre suggested they could talk about it then. This prompted several reporters to express worries about the president’s mental state.
A female reporter could be heard stating, “It’s these moments of bewilderment, Karine, these moments of confusion are happening regularly. Americans are keeping an eye on this and are concerned. How do you respond to that? This is a valid question, and we need some responses.”
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