White House press secretary says Biden’s ‘soul of the nation speech’ wasn’t divisive

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White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that President Biden’s "soul of the nation" speech — in which he cast former President Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans as a threat to the country — was not divisive. 

The comments came during a Wednesday afternoon press conference when a reporter asked Jean-Pierre if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell should be considered a "MAGA Republican." 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the specifics but referenced Biden’s speech last Thursday in Philadelphia. 

"People have talked about if (the speech) was divisive. It wasn’t divisive," Jean-Pierre said. "(President Biden) was talking to a majority of the country who agree that we have to protect our democracy, who agree that we have to protect our freedom, who agree that we have to protect our rights." 

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She said the president was talking about "a minority, a small group of people who have extreme views and who threaten that … core value of who we are as a country." 

"You don’t have to look further than Jan. 6, 2021, to see what their attack was on our democracy. It was very clear. We all saw it," Jean-Pierre said. "And when you have people who say the protesters on that day were patriots, that’s problematic. That’s coming from leaders." 

President Biden gives a speech on protecting American democracy in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Later in the press conference, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy referenced a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inspector general which said the department failed to properly vet and screen Afghan evacuees into the U.S. and may have allowed multiple national security and public safety threats. 

"In the last week or so we’ve heard the president calling elected Republicans a threat to the country. Does he think MAGA Republicans are more of a threat to the country than people DHS says may pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities?," asked Doocy. 

Jean-Pierre said the DHS had disputed the report, adding that it didn’t include the "rigorous, multilayered screening and vetting process" that the federal government took. 

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Biden’s speech in Pennsylvania last Thursday came in the wake of comments he made accusing Republicans of representing "semi-fascism."