In her first press briefing since Tuesday’s election, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the loss suffered by Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, attributing it to “global headwinds.”
On being asked whether President Joe Biden felt responsible for Harris’s decisive loss to President-elect Donald Trump, or if he regretted his decision to seek reelection, Jean-Pierre stated that Biden took full responsibility for the outcome.
“Biden takes responsibility for the loss,” Jean-Pierre said. “The disruption of the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on several incumbent leaders around the world.”
She went on to explain that despite the accomplishments of the Biden administration, global disruptions during the pandemic had political repercussions across many countries. “If you look at what happened in 2024 globally, that’s what you see,” she said.
When asked for further details, Jean-Pierre refrained from giving a deep analysis and suggested leaving the political commentary to election experts. “We’ll be mindful and leave the political analysis to the pundits,” she added. “There is going to be a lot of post-mortem analysis of what happened in the coming days, weeks, even months.”
Jean-Pierre emphasized that Biden was proud of the administration’s achievements, particularly the economic policies which have positioned the country well for the next president. She reiterated that Biden’s decision to end his candidacy and pass the torch to Harris was a move made because of his belief that she was the right person for the job.
“When the time came to pass the torch, the party came right behind Harris to support her,” Jean-Pierre said. “It was because she was the right person to do the job. Biden selected her as his running mate in 2020 because of this reason.”
Pierre also reaffirmed that Biden was proud of leaving behind a strong economy for the next administration. “The President is proud to leave the strongest economy for the next person who’s coming for the President-elect,” she noted.
However, she acknowledged the ongoing struggle for the soul of America. “The struggle for the soul of America since our very founding crosses generations and is always ongoing. It is still important today,” she remarked.
Jean-Pierre also stated that both Biden and Harris had accepted the election results, reinforcing that “we cannot re-write history.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris accepted the choice that the country has made,” she said. “We cannot re-write history, and we have to remember what happened in 2022. When we came out of the 2022 mid-terms, we saw successful mid-terms for any new administration from over 60 years. It was because of the President’s policies… those were popular with the American people.”
(WITH ANI INPUTS)
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