White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre became testy after Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich questioned her about a change in President Biden's rhetoric before and after the election.
In brief remarks Thursday, Biden said he congratulated President-elect Trump on his victory and assured that his entire administration would work "to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition." He emphasized unity and spoke about political campaigns as a "contest of competing visions" that the country chooses between.
"We accept the choice the country made. I've said many times, you can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, you see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans," Biden said.
Heinrich, however, recalled Biden’s history of warning that Trump and his supporters are threats to American democracy.
"As you've mentioned, you know, this administration messaged to millions of Americans that they're going to wake up the day after the election if Trump won and have their rights stripped away, that democracy would crumble. And the president said today, ‘We're going to be okay,’ So how do you square that?" she asked the press secretary.
"I can square that," Jean-Pierre said. "I'm going to square that in a way that hopefully makes sense, because I've been answering this question multiple times. The American people made the decision. There was an election two nights ago. There was. And it was a free and fair election. And we respect the election process. We do. And Americans spoke. And so the job of the president is to make sure we respect that. The job of the president is to make sure that we have a peaceful transfer of power. That is what the American people deserve."
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She later added that Biden has played his part in the peaceful transfer of power, "because the president wants to lead by example. It's not complicated. It really isn't. And, you know, that's important."
Heinrich pressed Jean-Pierre, asking what the message is to "people who are fearful based on" Biden's previous messaging.
Jean-Pierre bristled at the question.
"Well, now you're just twisting everything around, and that's really unfair. No it is, no, no, no, Jackie, it's unfair because I've been standing here trying to be very respectful to what happened the last two nights, two nights ago. Being respectful," the White House spokeswoman said.
"I've been standing here saying that we respect the decision that the American people made. I've been standing here and saying that the president's going to put the American people first. I've been standing here talking about how the president's going to make sure that they get what they deserve, which is a peaceful transfer of power."
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Appearing frustrated, Jean-Pierre continued to object to the reporter’s question.
"I do not appreciate having my words twisted," she said, claiming she has "been very clear, very, very, very clear about what the president wants to do, and the vice president. We want to make sure that we deliver for the American people. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power. And that's what you're going to see."
"Thanks, everybody," Jean-Pierre said, closing her binder and leaving the podium.
The president repeatedly argued while he was still running that Trump was "a threat to democracy." As he campaigned in the final weeks of the election for Harris, Biden called for Trump to be locked up "politically."
"Our democracy is at stake," he added. "Think about it. Think about what would happen if Donald Trump wins this election."
