White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has had her share of flubs, gaffes, and heaping helpings of word salad during her tenure in the Biden administration.
When she got behind the lectern to address Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter, however, she attracted even more acute backlash for her misrepresentation of a recent public opinion poll. Jean-Pierre apparently either didn’t realize or didn’t care that the actual results of the survey only bolstered the stance of Biden’s critics.
As Fox News reported:
“I think it’s important to note here, as you’re asking me these questions — important questions to ask — that there was a poll, a U.S. Gov [sic] poll that came out that, some of you all reported on it,” she said.
“And it said 64% of the American people agree with the pardon — 64% of the American people. So, we get a sense of where the American people are on this. Obviously, it’s one poll, but it gives you a little bit of insight. Sixty-four percent is nothing to sneeze at,” she emphasized.
She later again said, “I called out the U.S. Gov [sic]. poll where 64% of Americans, that’s not a small number, agree with the president’s decision to pardon his son.”
The poll was from YouGov, not U.S. Gov, which does not exist.
But according to the poll, it was 64% of Democrats who supported the pardon. Of the American people, only 34% “strongly” or “somewhat” approved of the pardon, while 50% of Americans either “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved.
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Her remarks led to an outpouring of mockery and derision on social media:
YIKES.
KJP: "I called out the UsGov poll where 64% of Americans – not a small number – agree with the President's decision to pardon his son."
By "US Gov poll" she means "YouGov"
And this poll showed only 34% approve, 50% DISAPPROVE. pic.twitter.com/XBVElC0hqp
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) December 6, 2024
KJP: "I called out the UsGov poll where 64% of Americans, that's not a small number, agree with the President's decision to pardon his son."
Not only did she get the name of the poll wrong, but just 34% of Americans agree with 50% disapproving. pic.twitter.com/fPWofAD4TL
— Bobby LaValley (@Bobby_LaVallley) December 6, 2024
Of course, this wasn’t the first time Jean-Pierre was flummoxed by a poll:
DOOCY TIME: “Karine, why do you think it is that more and more people pooled feel like, over time, President Biden is getting less and less mentally sharp?”
KJP: “Which poll is this?”
Doocy: “ABC has President Biden's rating for health since May down five points and for mental… pic.twitter.com/af9rp0lXZT
— Uncut Version International (@uncutversion123) January 23, 2024
REPORTER: "Our new CBS News poll found that registered voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania believe they would be financially better off if Trump wins. How do you explain that?"
KJP: Putin’s fault.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 30, 2024
Q) “Support among Arabs & Muslims. Polls are showing…that its dropping significantly for [Biden].”
KJP: “…I'm not going to get into every poll… one of the reasons that he’s going out there into rural America to hear directly from Americans there.”pic.twitter.com/8T7sP7pNaW
— Waleed Shahid 🪬 (@_waleedshahid) November 1, 2023
The Times of India provided coverage of the exchange that led to her most recent press briefing collapse:
Jean-Pierre, who had maintained that President Biden would not use his executive powers to pardon his son, was confronted by reporters questioning her about the apparent contradiction. “How can you explain what you previously said wouldn’t happen, and yet it did?” one reporter asked, pointing out the shift in stance. Another reporter even pressed, asking, “Do you owe the American people an apology?”
And if you’re hungry for more Jean-Pierre lowlights, here’s a compilation of the many times she insisted Biden wouldn’t be issuing a pardon for his son:
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