Fox’s Peter Doocy Grills Karine Jean-Pierre on Biden’s Poor Swing State Numbers: ‘Why Is It Nothing You’re Doing… Is Working?’

DOOCY: “Thanks, Karine. Why do you think Americans are so down on President Biden right now?”

Jean-Pierre: “What do you mean?”

DOOCY: “I know you don’t like to talk about polls like the five of six swing states that he is losing right now to somebody who is a criminal defendant. But more broadly, it doesn’t seem like anything you guys are doing is making him more popular. Why do you think that is?”

Jean-Pierre: “So, you — you mentioned a criminal defendant — your words, not mine. So, I want to be super mindful about how I answer this question because, obviously, that criminal defendant is also a — in — in the race for 2024 election. So, going to be super mindful there. I will speak more broadly to what the American people are going through. Like, we understand. We are sensitive enough and open-minded enough to understand that this is — that not just this country but globally people have had to deal with a pandemic and coming out of that pandemic. We understand that even — you know, you think about gas prices and, because of Putin’s war, what that has occurred that led to gas prices increasing. And the president had a lot to deal with when he walked in — a lot — a lot of crises. And this is a president that took that very, very seriously and took action. The American Rescue Plan — no Republicans voted for that, but we ended up trying to work to get an economy that’s fairer for all and make sure that we don’t leave people behind and creating 15 million jobs, un- — an unemployment rate that’s under 4 percent. We understand that people are still feeling this. We get that. And we’re not — we’re not blind to that. That’s why you hear the president pretty regularly announcing how he is going to lower costs for the American people — whether it’s Big Pharma, trying to lower healthcare costs, expanding ACA for those who truly need it, or it is making sure that we get rid of junk fees that cost Americans a lot of money every year. So, look, we know it’s going to take a little bit of time. We get that. And we are going to continue to — it’s not going to stop us from talking about it and then also not going to stop us from talking about the contrast that we see from GOP Republican congressional members who want to do the opposite of what the president is trying to get done: cutting Social Security, Medicare — Medicare, Medicaid. That is what they’re talking about — slashing taxes for billionaires and corporations. That’s not what this president wants to do. He wants to make sure that we’re building an economy from the bottom up, middle out. And, again, we get it. We get that prices are too high for Americans. And that w- — that’s what we’re going to continue to do: the work.”

DOOCY: “I get that you understand that people are hurting right now. Why is it that nothing you’re doing to address their concerns is working?”

Jean-Pierre: “What I’m saying is we’re going to continue to do the work. I can’t speak to the polls, right? Those are for folks who are experts who can do a deep dive and look into that and speak to them. What I can speak to is: We understand what the American people are feeling. We understand what they’re going through. That’s why we’re going to continue to do the work. 301 tariff, that’s part of it — right? — making sure that we’re protecting American workers, making sure that we’re protecting American businesses. That’s the work that the president is going to focus on. And we’re going to continue to move in that way.”