White House press secretary on MSNBC: ‘This is a ‘scary time’ for a ‘majority of Americans’
Karine Jean-Pierre say people must 'stand up' to 'extremist' MAGA Republicans
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre further defended President Biden’s "semi-fascism" comments on MSNBC’s "The ReidOut" by claiming that it’s a "scary time" for a majority of Americans on Thursday.
Jean-Pierre appeared on the show with host Joy Reid to preview President Biden’s political speech from outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Although he had promoted himself as a unifying force for the country, Biden and his administration recently came under fire for decrying "MAGA Republicans" as promoting a form of "semi-fascism."
Jean-Pierre was one of many White House officials and Democrats who defended Biden’s statements and she further emphasized that people need to "stand up" to "MAGA Republicans in Congress" and their "incredibly dangerous" agenda.
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
"Look, this is a scary time. This is definitely a time that we should all be concerned about, and you see that for a majority of Americans. But we also believe that a majority of Americans understand that there is a choice to be made, that we can do this together, that we can stand up to what is in front of us, this extremist, this extremist part of one party, these MAGA Republicans in Congress and their agenda that is incredibly dangerous, that is going to set us back, that is going to take away our very rights, our freedoms," Jean-Pierre said.
She added, "So that’s what you’re going to hear from this president, and he believes we have to do this. He has to have this conversation. He has to be the leader that has that voice because he is the President of the United States."
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Earlier in the segment, she previewed the speech as a reminder about "the need to protect our democracy," along with "our rights" and "our freedom." She claimed there is an "assault" on America as a "beacon for the world."
President Biden decried "MAGA" extremists as a threat to democracy and threatening "semi-fascism" in August. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
"Look, for about two centuries now, more than two centuries, America has been a beacon for the world and now what we’re seeing is an assault. So he’s going to lay that out, what that attack has been. He’s going to lay out who it is coming from and he’s also going to also lay out what do we do next? How do we move forward?" she explained.
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Media pundits and Democrats have largely defended Biden’s statements as the "truth" in the wake of Biden’s previous promise to be a unifier during the 2020 presidential election.
Despite emphasizing how "scary" of a time a majority of Americans face, Jean-Pierre also claimed that Biden is still an "optimist."
Mainstream media outlets have defended U.S. President Joe Biden's "semi-fascism" comments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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"One thing I know you understand is that this president, Joe Biden, is an optimist. You’re going to hear as well how to move forward, how we can come together as a country to make sure that we are fighting, indeed, for our rights, fighting for our democracy, fighting for our freedom because we do have a choice to make," Jean-Pierre said.