White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre touted President Biden’s Tuesday speech in Virginia on abortion as “fiery” despite a much-noticed flub and the near-constant interruptions by protesters concerning his administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Her defense of the speech came as she was pressed by multiple reporters during the White House briefing on whether Biden was “frustrated” he wasn’t able to deliver it as intended, and whether he was braced for more protests at future public events.
“I mean, look, the president, from my view — and I think your colleagues have written about this — it was a fiery speech. It was a deeply, deeply impactful speech. You heard how the crowd reacted to the speech. It was a speech that I think landed in the way that talked about how this president, and his entire administration, is going to fight for women,” Jean-Pierre said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gives remarks at the press briefing on January 24. (Andrew Thomas/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
She added that Biden believes Americans have the right to have their voices heard “as long as they do it peacefully.” “We respect that,” she said.
Despite her claims, Biden was ripped on social media for one instance during the speech in which he slurred a nearly incoherent line about former President Donald Trump and women in America.
“We’ll teach Donald Trump a valuable lesson: Don’t mess with the women of America unless you want to get the benefit!” Biden appeared to say. He was subsequently blasted by critics over his age and cognitive ability, a common critique of the president, even from within his own party.
President Joe Biden speaks during the reproductive freedom campaign rally at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia, on Jan. 23, 2024. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Biden was interrupted multiple times during the speech as he shared the stage with Vice President Kamala Harris and their respective spouses, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Throughout the time he was speaking, multiple protesters interrupted by shouting critiques of his administration’s handling of Israel’s ongoing ground offensive against the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Immediately after beginning his remarks, a male protester with a Palestinian flag shouted, “How many kids have you killed?” The protester was drowned out by the crowd chanting “four more years” as security escorted the protester out.
President Joe Biden speaks during the United Auto Workers union conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden began his remarks again but was soon interrupted by another protester, a woman who shouted, “Israel kills two mothers every hour.”
The second protester was also escorted out as the pro-Biden crowd again shouted “four more years.”
Biden plowed ahead with his remarks and was continually interrupted. By the end, around a dozen protesters interrupted the president, shouting slogans like “Stop funding genocide” and “Genocide Joe has got to go.”
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“This is going to go on for a while; they got this planned,” Biden said as the protesters were escorted out one by one.
