The White House again on Tuesday backed President Biden’s decision to defend himself after special counsel Robert Hur’s report described him as an elderly man with memory problems.
Prompted by comedian Jon Stewart’s mocking of Biden’s age during his return to “The Daily Show” on Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if the White House made the right decision in having the president respond to Hur’s report, released Thursday.
“The president’s going to stand and defend himself. The characterization, the way that report was characterized was… flatly wrong, and it was gratuitous, and it was inappropriate,” she said.
“The president’s going to defend himself, and to the American people, and make that very, very clear,” she added. “He believes he did the right thing and we’re going to continue to speak on this very loud and clear.”
In his return to hosting duties of the Comedy Central show, Stewart took aim at Biden after Hur’s report included various references to the president’s memory.
“This guy couldn’t remember stuff during his deposition. Do you understand what that means? He had no ability to recall very basic things under questioning,” Stewart said.
The comedian also took jabs at former President Trump during the monologue for regularly saying things “that would warrant a wellness check.”
Jean-Pierre was asked if Biden is a fan of “The Daily Show” and said she would have to check.
Biden on Thursday fiercely defended his cognitive abilities and memory following the release of the report, squarely pushing back on details that portrayed him as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The White House since called the report “gratuitous” and Vice President Harris bashed it as politically motivated.