Jean-Pierre's defensiveness and the dishonesty make this worse: Matt Gorman
Former NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman calls out Karine Jean-Pierre for refusing to admit President Joe Biden's gaffe
Credibility isn’t black and white. It isn’t an either/or. It exists in the margins. But once you’ve been caught in a lie, it’s a lot easier to keep losing it than to rebuild it.
President Joe Biden is about to learn this firsthand.
In a few weeks, Democrats will likely wake up to a Republican majority in both the House and Senate and naively wonder how it all went wrong.
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While the economy is the number one issue for voters, there is a slightly more intangible reason that looms large as well.
The Biden administration has lost its credibility.
It’s the reason they, despite some good news every now and then, can’t raise their poll numbers.
Afghanistan was the moment when Joe Biden’s post-inaugural honeymoon ended. People clearly saw the debacle it was, all while Biden claimed his administration "planned for every contingency" and called the pullout an "extraordinary success."
President Biden at the IBM factory. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
Once you take a credibility hit this big, you need to carefully and consciously rebuild it. Biden did nothing of the sort. In fact, he made it worse.
This is the story of how Biden dug himself an even deeper hole and lost his credibility for good. Here are three areas where things went wrong.
1. THE ECONOMY
Post-Afghanistan, Biden’s troubles compounded when the economy got dramatically worse.
In July 2022, the GDP showed negative growth for the second straight quarter. This objectively meant the country was in a recession. The definition was accepted by Republicans and Democrats alike for decades. It was practically indisputable.
That is until Joe Biden became president.
The White House, knowing what admitting a recession would mean to their poll numbers, attempted to gaslight us all, splitting thinner hairs than you’d find on my bald head.
They ridiculously argued over and over again that it wasn’t technically a recession.
Why?
Well, because they said so.
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Want another shocker?
Many in the media bought their ridiculous spin.
2. GAS PRICES
When it comes to gas prices, the White House is still completely flummoxed.
When you trot out laughable excuses, blame everyone under the sun, and simply deny reality, people tune you out.
They know it’s a problem, but are clueless on how to fix it, so they’ve turned it into an optics game…and yet, they’re still awful at it.
When the price goes up: "It’s Putin’s fault."
"No, wait. It’s Big Oil’s fault."
"Regardless, it isn’t our fault."
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When the price goes down: "Hey, you’re welcome!"
We saw it again a few days ago when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if Biden was responsible for the recent price spike. Predictably, she was less than willing to take the blame saying, "It’s a lot more nuanced than that."
The braggadocio of just a few weeks prior disappeared.
And let’s remember, this was the same president who triumphantly killed the Keystone Pipeline on his first day, making it a signature part of his agenda. If you’re going to thump your chest when you implement disastrous energy policies, at least be ready to accept the consequences.
3. JACKIE WALORSKI
Lastly, let's talk about the time Joe Biden thought Jackie Walorski was still alive.
"Representative Jackie — are you here? Where’s Jackie? — I think she wasn’t going to be here — to help make this a reality,"
As we all know, Congresswoman Walorski passed away tragically a few months ago.
On their own, Biden’s comments are weird, yet fairly inconsequential. Whether you’re 18 or 80, people forget things and misspeak all the time. It’s called being human. It’s OK.
Yet, the White House refused to take the easy way out and proceeded to embarrass itself. They denied any mistake, saying Biden’s comments were simply because Walorski was "top of mind."
Their explanation is not just dishonest, but delusional.
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It’s inevitable that questions about Biden’s competence and sharpness would come up during his presidency. It’s utterly ridiculous to insist that Joe Biden is a paragon of forensic eloquence. He never has been. People know that.
But if you really want to stand behind the White House podium and tell people the sky is magenta, fine. God bless you.
Wouldn't it have been easier to just be human about it?
These 3 examples certainly aren’t comprehensive, but they do give a small glimpse into how Biden wore out his welcome and lost his credibility. When you trot out laughable excuses, blame everyone under the sun, and simply deny reality, people tune you out.
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At the end of the day, we’re not stupid.
Democrats will see that the morning after Election Day.
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