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White House Briefing Amid Doubts Over Biden Campaign; WH: Biden Was Not On Any Cold Medication On Debate Night. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 02, 2024 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And when he walked in, they cheered him on. And he did a photo line with them for some time. Some of your colleagues had an opportunity to speak to these supporters, he did that. And that was something that he was able to do right after. And then we stopped at a waffle house, as some of you all know, and spoke to a full, a packed restaurant. He spent some time there.

Then the next day, he went to North Carolina, spoke in front of hundreds of supporters there who said, we support you, Joe. We love you, Joe. And so he was able to do that.

In those two and a half days or so after the debate, he went to four states and engaged with supporters, engaged with American people, everyday people, heard directly from them. And let's not forget, when we landed in North Carolina, I think it was like 2 AM in the morning, he engaged with supporters there as well.

So the President has been out there. He's been listening to supporters. It's something that he loves to do, not just supporters but American people out there, everyday people, who appreciate what he does, who wants to hear more from him, as you just stated and got that opportunity to do just that. I think it matters that he's going to do an interview on Friday. I think it matters that he's going to go to Wisconsin and do that, right, engage with everyday people. We're going to continue to do that.

Nothing has changed in that regard. We're going to continue to be out there. He's going to be in Pennsylvania as well this weekend, as I just stated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And one more. We're reporting that Hunter Biden has been in some meetings with senior advisors. Why is the President's son involved?

JEAN-PIERRE: So a couple of things I do - I saw that reporting as I was coming out, so a couple of things there. Look, the President, as you know, is very close to his family. This is a holiday week, Fourth of July. He spent time with his family, as you all know, and reported at Camp David. Hunter came back with him and walked with him into that meeting, that prep - that speech prep. And, you know, and he ended up spending time with his dad and his family that night. That is basically what happened. It is a week where there's going to be more family members who are going to come to the White House. I'm sure you'll see some of them on Fourth of July. Many more are expected to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) with family being at the White House, the question, though, would be is he participating in meetings with senior advisors?

JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is that he came back with his dad from Camp David. He walked him into the speech prep, and he was in the room. That I can tell you he was in the room. Anything else coming out of that reporting I can't speak to, but I can say that, you know, he's close to his family, which is not unusual. They were together at Camp David. They came back together. You're going to see a lot more family this week. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Karine, I want to go back to that question that Pelosi raised earlier today.

JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pelosi asked it is - Pelosi said it's a legitimate question to ask if this is an episode or is - this is a condition.

JEAN-PIERRE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which one is it?

JEAN-PIERRE: Well, what I can tell you is that he had a cold and a bad night. I would not see this as an episode. I would see this as what it was and what we believe it to be, which is it was a bad night. And he did, on top of that, he had a cold. And that is the reality of the situation. That is the reality of what happened that night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've certainly seen the reporting out there that this is not just a standalone instance, that other people are saying that this has happened before. One, do you see these as legitimate questions? And also, are you being straight with the American people on this?

JEAN-PIERRE: I think it - I see it as a - I'm - I see it as a legitimate question, I do. And I have said it is a fair question to ask. The President sees it as a legitimate question. And I think also the President saying, I am not a young man. I'm not as a smooth talker as I used to be. I don't walk as easily as I used to be - I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. I mean, the President is admitting and saying - and this is not the first time, right? He's talked about his age. He's joked about his age many times before.

And so you heard that directly - and we are acknowledging what people are saying. But we do believe this was a - in this instance, it was a bad night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he disabled? Is the President disabled? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One more (INAUDIBLE) ...

JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, and let me finish with your colleague, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ...

JEAN-PIERRE: I know, but shouting out, come on. You know better. You know better. Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just one final question. Immediately after the debate, we started to hear the concern from Democrats on Capitol Hill, calling it just flat out a disaster. Why didn't the President immediately personally reached out to leaders on Capitol Hill, like Leader Jeffries and Leader Schumer?

JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I can say this, right after the debate, we were on a two and a half day swing, four states. The President was out there hearing directly from the American people, engaging directly from the American people.

[15:05:02]

Obviously, he respects the Democratic leadership. It is leadership there that has helped him deliver for the American people an unprecedented record on behalf of Americans across the country. So we appreciate them for - obviously. But he was out there. He was out there directly with supporters, engaging with them, whether it was a tarmac, whether it was at a rally, whether it was at a watch party or a fundraiser. And I think that's important to note, too. And he was hearing from them.

But at the same time, those leaders, Democratic leadership, was hearing from members of his team, high-level senior members of his team. It's not like we were silent. It's not like we were quiet. It's not like we were not engaging with them. We were.

And now that the President is back at the White House, he's going to have some time to talk to this Democratic leadership, Democratic leadership on the phone. I mentioned Democratic governors. He's going to do it with leaders on the Hill as well and that's important. And then he's going to go back out into the states, obviously, and talk to Americans there. So he's going to do both.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's his message going to be to the Democratic governors and Hill leaders when he talks to them?

JEAN-PIERRE: So I'm not going to get into a private conversation. We wanted to share these meetings. I know it was getting out there. It was floating out there. And I know it was - and we just wanted to confirm that we were indeed having these conversations. But we normally, as you know, our posture is not to dive into private conversations. He'll have these conversations. I think they'll be important. They'll hear from him. He'll hear from them. I also want to note that there is a regular engagement, with - whether it's intergovernmental affairs or the office of alleged affairs, regular engagement from my colleagues here with governors, with mayors and also, obviously, with congressional leaders.

That is something that is a regular engagement. Obviously, the President himself will engage with them this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karine, does he still have a cold? He seemed to be clearing his throat a bit ...

JEAN-PIERRE: He still has a cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... (INAUDIBLE) ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes. I asked him, he still has a cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, thank you.

JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Go ahead.

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Karine. You've said a couple of times now that the White House has provided thorough medical records for the President. The White House released a six-page summary back in February. I don't think that was full accounting necessarily. And Dr. O'Connor, in that memo, described the President as, quote, "a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency." I think that is clearly not what the majority of Americans are seeing.

And we have a new poll from CBS News that says 72 percent of registered voters say the President does not have the mental and cognitive health to serve as president. So, are you saying that the majority of Americans are misguided and that they just need to trust Dr. O'Connor and take him at his word?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things, and I want to say the President is feeling better. And you saw him last night. You saw him today. But he does, indeed, still have a cold. Look, you know, I want to be very sensitive here. And I think it is important to be sensitive here. We understand how the American people are feeling. We get it. We do.

And we - I do not want to take away from that. I'm not going to speak - I know that there was - you all did a poll. CNN did a poll. I'm not going to speak to every poll. I'm just not going to do that. And also, I'm, you know, constraints in doing that as we're heading into an election in November, as you know.

What I will say is majority of Americans also support the work that the President has, doing in a sense of his agenda and what he stands for, what he's been fighting for, whether it's reproductive rights, whether it's an economy that works for all. And that is something that the President is going to continue to do.

And this is why we have said, and I have said this multiple times from here, is that's why the President acknowledges. We get it. We get what Americans are feeling. That's why he's acknowledging he's not a young man. That's why he's acknowledging he's a little slower than he used to be in walking and not as smooth as speaking. We get that. But we also want to make sure that we point to the successes that he's had, his record and we want to continue to build on his unprecedented record. And I'm not going to discount what the American people see or feel. What I can say is what we know from our side of things, we can speak to his record, and we can speak to what the President has been able to acknowledge and I think that's important, too. And that's basically acknowledging what Americans are seeing and feeling.

LEE: If you get it, why not release more about his medical, his physical and mental health? Why not?

JEAN-PIERRE: We - what we have released has been very comprehensive. It has been. It has been transparent. And if you compare it, right, it has. We have put that out there. And, you know, and we'll continue to do so, put that information out there.

[15:10:00]

You know - and, MJ, I want to be very clear, I get the question that you're asking me, but this is also a President who has had a historic administration, he has, in delivering on legislation, key policies. That is because with age comes wisdom and comes experience. And I think that matters as well.

LEE: Did Dr. O'Connor watch the debate?

JEAN-PIERRE: I believe Dr. O'Connor traveled with us to the debate, so ...

LEE: So did he have any concerns after seeing the President's speech?

JEAN-PIERRE: No, not at all. Not at all.

LEE: I have one more question (INAUDIBLE), Karine.

JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

LEE: The campaign's theory of the case from the President saying the race has been - that the President has a better shot of defeating Donald Trump than any other Democrat. We have a new CNN poll that shows the Vice President actually has a slightly stronger showing against Donald Trump than the President, so how does the President explain not passing the baton to his own 59-year-old Vice President given that kind of data?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as you know, I'm constrained to speaking directly to your poll and I get it, and I hear the question, I got to be mindful. That is something for the campaign, as you started saying, that the - what the campaign has laid out their argument of the case. That is something for them to take up and that is something for them to answer.

What I can speak to is the President's record. What I can speak to, what he's been able to accomplish and the things that he's been able to do and get done is actually in line with the majority of Americans. And I think that's important, too, to note. And, again, I will say with age comes wisdom and experience, and that's certainly something that the President brings. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Karine. We've seen some real anger expressed by donors and Democratic officials sort of how you guys have handled the President, shielding him away from impromptu settings and denying, excuse me, until last week that there had really been any age-related slippage. So I'm wondering if you guys have had a moment to reflect on that strategy, any regret over it and do you have - you know, what you would say to folks who think it's arrogant for there not to be either changes towards that strategy or with some of the personnel that are around the President.

JEAN-PIERRE: And you're talking about the strategy specifically about who's around the President, is that what you're ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I think - it's two parts.

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One is a kind of small, concentrated group of aides that have been with the President for a very long time, and the other is sort of systematic decisions to shield the President from the impromptu moments that we would see - that we've seen in previous administrations, whether it's press conferences or interviews or, you know, just being out in public more frequently.

JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, a couple things there, too. This year the President has done more than 40 interviews, and unscripted, right? Those interviews are unscripted. He has done more than 500 gaggles, right? Of course, unscripted, talking directly to many of you. Let me just finish. And so he enjoys doing that. He enjoys engaging with all of you, and we're going to continue making sure that happens.

I will say this, this is a - obviously, this is a president that was a senator for 36 years. He was a Vice President, as you all know. I'm just repeating things that you all know, for eight years. And so he has long-time advisors that have been here with him for a long time. I don't think that's unusual.

He also has people who have - who are new to the administration that also advise him. Look, I've been in meetings with the President where it's been a diverse group of people, and he sees us and he knows the reason why we're sitting in front of him is that we have something to share and he wants to hear from all of us. I've heard him say, hey, what is it that - what do you think? What do you think?

And so my experience has been that that world is indeed open and that he does get to hear from a diverse group of people. That has been my experience. And - but it is not unusual for someone who has been around for that long of time to have a group of people that he's - that's been around him for some - for a minute, right? And I think that makes sense. There's nothing about that that is nonsensical, that actually makes sense. And we're going to continue to get him out in front of all of you to take your questions at a steady drumbeat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You mentioned NATO, and I have ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... two questions, one is just a logistical one, which is you mentioned the press conference.

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that going to be kind of the real big boy press conference for these two or ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Did you say big boy press conference?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, like one of these two and twos that might be a little more limited.

JEAN-PIERRE: So I believe, and I know you guys are holding me to it, it is a - I believe it's a solo press conference. We'll certainly have more to share with all of you as we get closer to next week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And more thematically.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We support the big boy press conference.

JEAN-PIERRE: (INAUDIBLE) big boy Justin over here is asking some big boy questions. Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you - you know, the President's not the only leader that's entering that NATO conference.

[15:15:04]

A little bit on the back foot, Emmanuel Macron has had some electoral losses. The U.K. is obviously going through a big election right now. With all these leaders kind of coming in to D.C. a little bit diminished, is it - how are you guys - how is that changing how you're looking at the summit and what is possible to accomplish with it?

JEAN-PIERRE: Look, it's a good question. Look, I think one thing as I talk about the President's record and what he's been able to do, right, he's been able to strengthen our worldview, the way that people see us across the globe, other leaders, our partners and allies, because of that experience. Again, with experience brings - yes, with age brings experience and wisdom. And I think because of that, the President has been able to build a coalition. If you think about Ukraine and the aggression from Russia and what Russia has done to Ukraine as they continue, as Ukraine take - continues to fight that aggression, to fight for their freedom and democracy, the President was able to bring 50-plus countries to support Ukraine, to support their fight.

And so, look, I will say that the President is looking forward certainly to hosting the leaders of our 31 NATO allies. As you know, two additional countries have done - have joined NATO and that's because, again, of the President's leadership. And next week in Washington, D.C., as you know, the historic summit is to mark the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding.

So for 75 years, NATO has kept us and the world safer. And under the President's leadership, this President's leadership, our alliance is stronger, it's larger, it's more united than ever. And so I think what you're going to see is that displayed next week right here in Washington, D.C. And I think I would - I think you all would agree that the President played a very, very, very big role in where NATO is today. Go ahead, Jackie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Karine. The administration strongly criticized the media for clips showing the President appearing to be confused, freezing at times. And you called it cheap fakes, misinformation, disinformation. In one case, even implied that it was the product of artificial intelligence, calling it deepfakes. Do you have any regret over using that language?

JEAN-PIERRE: Not at all. Not at all. And let me be clear, it was a certain part of the media. And, I mean, you can speak to this better than I can, a certain part of the media which was doing this. And, look, independent mainstream fact-checkers in the press and misinformation experts have been calling out cheap fakes. And at the end of the day, they're fakes. That's what they were, targeting the President.

They had said, the reporters and these misinformation experts, said that this president was being targeted. And what we did was echo them. That's what we did. And, look, we'll certainly continue to call that out. And the cheap fakes didn't come from me. I didn't coin that. That didn't come from this White House or this podium. That came from the media. They called it cheap fakes. And they said, this president, President Biden, was being targeted on misinformation. It was purposefully being done to this President. And what we did is we echoed that. So I don't regret it at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the administration also ...

JEAN-PIERRE: It was just the facts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... used that sort of approach to counter the Wall Street Journal report, for instance, that interviewed 45 people over several months who criticize, you know, the President's handling of himself in meetings. And broadly ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Which approach? I'm not following the question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talking about the President's age being a factor and a concern.

JEAN-PIERRE: How was cheap fakes - I don't understand where cheap fakes was related ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The approach from the White House to criticize the reporting, to basically cast the reporting, is not true.

JEAN-PIERRE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And broadly, this has been - the reason I ask is like ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... the administration's response to our questions often seems to be, don't believe your lying eyes, the border is secure, Afghanistan withdrawal is a success, inflation is transitory, so is that going to change ...

JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, you just laid out - Jackie, you just laid out a bunch of things, so just give me a second here. First of all, I think this is a give and take, right? Even in this briefing room, we go back and forth. I go back and forth with you, with your colleagues, with everyone here. And I think we have a right to say something we don't think is true or something we think we want to push back on. That is a right for us to do, just like you have a right to push me and say, actually, our sources or our reporting say this.

I think it's a give and take. This is what makes - what we do in this room almost every day. This is an exercise of democracy. This is an exercise of freedom of the press. That's what we're doing here. And I think if there's some reporting that we don't believe to be true, I think it's okay if we go back and forth and say, actually, we don't think that reporting is true, right?

And so I don't see anything wrong with that. That's how - is what this is. That is what this is.

[15:20:00]

This is what we actually do on a daily basis. This is how we lead the world, on making sure that journalism exists and you all have the right to do your jobs. But, you know, we also have our right as the press office here in the administration, if we don't believe something is true or we want to share our side of things, that we do so.

You know, look, on the other things that you just listed, you know, I've talked about this President's record a lot, often here in this - just however minutes I've been at this podium. And look, when it comes to the economy, the data shows it. When it comes to health care, the data shows it. Afghanistan, obviously, it is an important conversation to have and that is something that the President wanted to do and end a year - a war, a forever war. He wanted to make sure that we stop putting our young women and men in harm's way. And that is a difficult decision to make. It is not an easy decision to make.

But he's the President and Commander-in-Chief, and he wanted to make sure that we got our armed troops out of harm's way. And so I honor and respect our back-and-forth, and I - it is always an honor and privilege for me to do this job, and I will continue to do that. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ...

JEAN-PIERRE: No. Michael. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, so ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Michael. Go ahead, Michael.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, got you.

JEAN-PIERRE: I'll get (INAUDIBLE) ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have two big boy questions. Medium, I don't know, whatever, first, does the President intend to spend most of his days in July on vacation in Rehoboth and Wilmington?

JEAN-PIERRE: We certainly will have more to share on what his schedule is going to look like for the rest of the month. I don't have anything to share at this time. I can assure you the President will be out and about talking directly to the American people. I just laid out the next couple of days. I don't have anything to share beyond ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess - I guess ...

JEAN-PIERRE: ... beyond - well, actually, beyond NATO, right? As you know there's going to be the NATO summit next week, so I can't - don't have anything to share beyond that. But the President will be out there talking directly to the American people. I have to be mindful, obviously, we're in campaign season. The campaign could speak more to what his schedule is going to look like specifically.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then the second question, we just posted a story, which probably I'm not sure you've seen because we just posted it in the middle of the briefing.

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But in which many people that we've talked to describe accelerating series of episodes, moments, when over the course of the last several weeks, the President appeared confused or listless or would lose the thread of a conversation in private meetings and at the G7, in Normandy, at the White House. Not all the time, not saying that that's the way he is all the time and that there's clearly moments people say that he's forceful and with it and all of that. But these people suggest that the - that what happened, what Americans saw at the debate has a precursor. What do you say to that?

JEAN-PIERRE: So I want to be mindful in respect to reporting, I have not read it. I have not seen it, so it's hard for me to respond to it directly. But what I can speak to more broadly is that I have engagement with the President pretty regularly. What I see is a strong, resolute President who's always willing and able to work on behalf of the American people. I do not know who these folks are that you speak of, so it's hard for me to talk about that and to speak to that. I can just speak to my experience and go back again on the President's record and what he's been able to deliver on behalf of the American people. So I just do want - I do want to be mindful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I get just one follow-up?

JEAN-PIERRE: Sure, sure, sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is - you know, 50 million plus Americans ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... saw the debate last Thursday. They get a very different story from you. You just described a very different-sounding President. Obviously, other administration officials described him very differently than what people saw. How do you reconcile those two versions of a President, one who appeared the way they did to millions of people and the other who appears always to be sort of very forceful and not have any of those (INAUDIBLE) ...

JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, the President spoke to this. You heard me speak to this. We believe and others have said this, not just me, other folks who have been on networks and also obviously as talk - spoken to all of you, is - it was a 90-minute debate. It was a bad night. That's what we believe it to be. We're not taking away what people saw. We're just not. That is - I want to be very clear about that. And, you know, we want to also make sure people understand that the President realizes.

[15:25:03]

You know, I keep saying this over and over again. He said he's not as young as he used to be, and he has addressed this over and over and over again.

But you saw him last night, right? You saw him last night. You saw him these - at the rally. You saw him at the watch parties. There's been many instances, State of the Union, you saw him take on Republicans by himself. And what was happening back and forth in the State of the Union. There has been also many instances where the President has really showed his strength and resolute that all of you have seen and commented about it, you know. And so I think we cannot forget that as well.

And we also heard from, you know, President Obama, who himself has said, you know, his first debate wasn't great. He talked about that. And most incumbents, their first debates aren't great. And so, look, we're going to continue to build on the unprecedented record by continuing to fight for the American people. That is our commitment, and that's what we're going to continue to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thanks, Michael. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Karine. I have two questions.

JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But to follow up on that, you talk about how you've spent time with the President. You know, when you're looking at the time you've spent with him, have you ever seen the President have a bad night like we saw on the debate stage during your time here at the White House?

JEAN-PIERRE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So were you surprised by what you saw on the debate stage?

JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I know that he had a cold. Many of you were reaching out to us, to my team and myself directly. You heard the hoarse voice. We were able to confirm he had a cold. He was under the weather, obviously. And, look, we all have bad nights, right, or bad moments. It is not unusual. I just said there have been incumbents, most incumbents, for their first debate. It doesn't go well. So it's not also unusual in that regard as well.

So, look, you know, we're going to move forward. That's what we want to do. We want to look forward. We just announced some engagement that the President is going to have. We announced, obviously, the interview at ABC and George Stephanopoulos. He's going to go to Wisconsin. He's going to go to Pennsylvania. We're going to have a press conference next week. We want to turn the page on this. And we want to turn the page for the American people as well, because we know that they need to see him out there. He's going to continue to be out there. He has been. And we understand how important that is.

And so we're going to turn the page. We're going to get out there across the country. Americans are going to see him for themselves and I think that's going to be very important as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And (INAUDIBLE) the President had a chance to speak one-on-one with Vice President Harris since the debate?

JEAN-PIERRE: I can't speak to any conversations that they've had. And so I'll just leave it at that. I don't have any readout of a conversation between the two of them.

Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Karine. So I've spoken to a lot of donors since the debate. And, you know, they want to know what exactly happened that night. So just to follow up on MJ's question, I know you said ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... he hadn't taken any cold medication. Was there any other medication he had taken? That's what many of them are asking.

JEAN-PIERRE: No, I understand. I was asked about the cold medicine. I asked about the cold medicine. He was not taking any cold medicine. And I don't have anything beyond that. I don't have anything beyond that to share. And, look, I've answered this question multiple times at this point. I don't have anything else to add beyond what I have shared with your colleagues here in the room. We really, truly want to turn the page on this. We really want to be able to get out there and, you know, speak directly to the American people, you know, speak directly to you all, the President will. And I think that's important, too.

Look - and not forget what this President has been able to do the last three and a half years, how he's been able to deliver. And there is a stark contrast in what this president has done and what Republicans in Congress are doing, right? He's trying to protect our rights as President. He's trying to protect our freedoms. He's trying to protect really important programs that matter to the American people. He wants to protect women's rights, Roe v. Wade. He wants to continue to build an economy that works for all. That's what we're going to focus on. And that's what Americans are going to hear - continue to hear from this President.

Anything else, I've - I think I've litigated this a lot already in this briefing room. I just don't have anything else to add. Go ahead, Andrew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Karine. Two questions.

JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have repeatedly referred to the President's outing after the debate at the watch party, his remarks the next day in North Carolina, his appearances at fundraisers, his appearances this morning at the D.C. emergency operations center. All of those appearances were scripted events where he spoke ...

JEAN-PIERRE: Not all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... from a - most spoke from a teleprompter.

[15:30:05]

JEAN-PIERRE: I know, but you said all, not all. Let's just be - let's be...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. Well, if you're correcting me, they're most, they're scripted spoken ...