Karen Jean-Pierre says it’s up to Biden if he serves ‘all eight years’ until he’s 86 if he wins a second term: Press secretary forced to clean up non-answer in first briefing since 2024 announcement
- Jean-Pierre said she learned Biden was running for president on Tuesday morning
- She said she “didn’t want to outsmart” Biden when asked about his full-term service
- She then tweeted: “If re-elected, she will serve all 8 years” of two terms
White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre declined to say President Joe Biden would serve out his entire term if re-elected at a press conference on Tuesday — then quickly clarified the comment online.
Jean-Pierre asked questions hours after Biden announced he would seek re-election in a three-minute video. This came at a White House news conference where the first question concerned the Hatch Act — and where Jean-Pierre tried repeatedly to avoid questions that would require handling the nuances of the law over policy by federal employees.
When asked if Biden, 80, plans to serve “every eight years” if elected to a second term, she replied: “I’m not going to get ahead of the president. That’s something he has to decide. I’m just not going to get ahead of it.”
And she continued: There is the 2024 campaign. Anything related to that, I will refer you to that.
White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre gives her first briefing since President Joe Biden announced his re-election campaign
The answer risked exposing a hint of doubt about the tenure of Biden, who at 80 is the nation’s oldest president and would be the oldest president to be re-elected next year. A new video has repeated footage of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Within minutes of finishing her briefing, Jean-Pierre chirp: “You know, we take following the law very seriously. So I wanted to make sure I didn’t go into 2024 more than is appropriate by law. But I can assure you that if he’s re-elected, he’ll serve every 8 years.
Jean-Pierre answered questions after Biden, 80, announced he would seek a second term
This was in response to a tweet by Fox News reporter Jackie Heinrichs, who posted the same tweet to the exchange, adding: “First press briefing since Biden announced his 2024 re-election bid.”
She also indicated that the administration believes in the “rule of law” and intends to operate within the confines of the Hatch Act.
“The law provides for the limited participation of a few selected officials,” she said.
But she said any politicization by taxpayer employees would be “consistent with past norms”.
