Tuesday’s White Home press briefing featured some robust questions and softballs (corresponding to one from a Polish radio reporter about President Biden’s Valentines Day plans), however the penultimate change was probably the most intriguing as Newsmax’s James Rosen pressed Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on whether or not the administration believes sure mediums of communication are weaker than others for Biden and whether or not he’s “woke.”

At all times shrewd, Rosen started by telling her “there may be clearly quite a lot of settings the President can make use of: set items, impromptu remarks, teleprompter, no teleprompter, et cetera, et cetera” and, since “you’re employed on his communications workforce,” it was value asking how she views Biden’s potential to speak in any and all boards.

He then leveled the growth that anybody might reply who’s watched Biden spend years misremembering and stumbling at instances: “Is it the view of the President’s communications workforce that he’s equally adept in all settings, when it comes to communications? Or are there some that play to better strengths, some the place he in all probability isn’t as robust, et cetera.”

For as soon as, Jean-Pierre got here off ready with a solution one ought to count on from any spokesperson: “I’ll inform you this: The President is one of the best communicator that now we have within the White Home.”

And on wokeism, Rosen said “[o]ne of probably the most distinguished themes…from each elected Republicans and candidates has to do with what known as ‘wokeism,’” which “jogs my memory of what Supreme Court docket Justice Potter Stewart as soon as stated about obscenity — that he couldn’t outline it, however he knew it when he noticed it.”

Given the speak of “woke capitalism” and a “woke army,” Rosen stated he thought it will be becoming to degree “a threshold query”: “Is President Biden woke?”

Jean-Pierre refused to reply and as an alternative dropped a phrase salad about “what the President cares about and what’s essential to” him, which doesn’t contain “Republicans…creating political stunts” and guaranteeing financial development and the nationwide deficit from the GOP.

Rosen interjected: “So that you wouldn’t describe him as ‘woke?’”

Jean-Pierre once more refused to reply, claiming he’d “work with Republicans on how we’re going to proceed to ship” for the American folks, however would battle them tooth and nail on entitlements as a result of “they” as a complete “wish to reduce Social Safety” and “reduce Medicare” (although neither of these issues are true).

To see the related briefing transcript from February 14, click on “develop.”

White Home press briefing [via Washington Post Live]
February 14, 2023
3:32 p.m. Japanese

JAMES ROSEN: I’ve two questions And one of many advantages of asking questions this late within the briefing is that you simply don’t must be involved with advancing the story incrementally of the day; you’ll be able to simply ask about, form of, broader issues. So, with that in thoughts: First, on the communications workforce, after which on the cultural — so-called tradition wars. The place the President’s communications are involved — and I’m asking you since you work on his communications workforce; you’re an expert communicator — there may be clearly quite a lot of settings the President can make use of: set items, impromptu remarks, teleprompter, no teleprompter, et cetera, et cetera. Is it the view of the President’s communications workforce that he’s equally adept in all settings, when it comes to communications? Or are there some that play to better strengths, some the place he in all probability isn’t as robust, et cetera?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I’ll inform you this: The President is one of the best communicator that now we have within the White Home. [TO LYNN SWEET] Go forward. Go forward. Proper right here.

ROSEN: Okay. Subsequent query was on the so-called —

JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

ROSEN: — tradition wars, should you would and I recognize it.

JEAN-PIERRE: Positive.

ROSEN: Probably the most distinguished themes that we hear from each elected Republicans and candidates has to do with what known as “wokeism.” And we hear about an “anti-woke” agenda. And this complete topic jogs my memory of what Supreme Court docket Justice Potter Stewart as soon as stated about obscenity — that he couldn’t outline it, however he knew it when he noticed it and so, we hear a lot speak about “woke capitalism,” a “woke army,” and so forth. And by the use of attempting to make clear this for the American folks, I ponder if we couldn’t start with a threshold query to wit: Is President Biden woke?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me inform you what the President cares about and what’s essential to this President. The President doesn’t — doesn’t concern himself about what Republicans are attempting to do in creating political stunts, in making a difficulty out of the issues that they really feel advantages them politically — not the American folks, not what issues to the American folks, however what advantages them politically for their very own — for their very own potential to maneuver ahead. What the President cares about is strictly what I simply talked about and what he talked about on the legislative convention, which is how are we going to proceed to ship for the American folks. You heard him say that on the State of the Union. You heard him speak about how the financial system has grown the final two years, the progress that now we have made. And guess what? He desires to proceed that progress. He desires to proceed to maneuver ahead to make it possible for we decrease the deficit, which he did the primary two years by $1.7 trillion, and be fiscally accountable.

ROSEN: So that you wouldn’t describe him as “woke”?

JEAN-PIERRE: However he’s — however he’s — however he desires to work with Republicans on how we’re going to proceed to ship, how we’re going to construct on the financial progress that we’re seeing. That’s not what they wish to do. What they wish to do is that they wish to reduce Social Safety. What they wish to do is that they wish to reduce Medicare. They usually wish to take us again and never really take care of points that matter to the American folks. Are you able to think about — are you able to think about should you’re an American on the market, and also you hear your congressional member speaking about how they wish to reduce Social Safety, speaking about how they wish to reduce Medicare — one thing that you’ve labored very exhausting for a lot of, a few years and paid into so you will get these packages. However but, that Republican senator — who we’ve been speaking about — from Florida, has continued to speak about how they wish to sundown these — these packages. That’s not what we’re about. We’re about combating for these — for these packages. And that’s what you’re going to see from the President, and that’s what he cares about.