Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had a bit of trouble answering a simple question during a White House press briefing. When asked to name President Biden’s “top domestic priority,” Jean-Pierre did not have a clear response. Instead, she went on a verbal tangent, without actually stating any priority. She mentioned the economy and blamed the previous administration for struggling with COVID response. However, she failed to acknowledge the reality that there was an existing COVID response when the current administration took over.
White House Struggles to Define Biden's 'Top Domestic Priority' https://t.co/gMGnCHSnvs
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 1, 2023
It’s not surprising that Jean-Pierre didn’t have a clear answer because the Biden administration has been all over the place in terms of priorities. After initially denying the existence of inflation, the White House blamed Putin and anyone but Biden. The president then declared that inflation was his “top domestic priority” and that he was treating it “very seriously,” but that didn’t fix the issue. Biden also claimed that he would focus on “sweeping (and radical) abortion legislation” if his party remained in power, but that priority contradicted his stance on inflation.
DOOCY: "What is President Biden's top domestic priority?"
KJP: "His economic policy is something that's important…because of the COVID response that was not existing with the last administration." pic.twitter.com/frcCE5wPnx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 31, 2023
BIDEN: "I'm taking inflation very seriously and it's my top domestic priority." pic.twitter.com/8FcHuKCRTo
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 10, 2022
Karine Jean-Pierre refuses to name Biden's "top domestic priority." pic.twitter.com/f7nDA9TGnn
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 18, 2022
It seems that Jean-Pierre was hesitant to commit to one specific priority for Biden because the president’s poll numbers are dismal. Americans are not impressed with the way he is handling the economy, immigration, gun policy, or critical issues in general. Even though Biden has given extra attention and executive action to gun policy, it has failed to impress the American public. It’s no wonder Jean-Pierre was not prepared to give a clear answer about the president’s priorities.
It’s time for the Biden administration to take ownership of its decisions and set clear priorities to address the issues facing the country. Blaming the previous administration for problems that still persist under their leadership is not a solution. It’s time for the Biden administration to show some leadership and focus on solutions instead of playing the blame game and making empty promises to appease their base.
