WASHINGTON: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed a question from a journalist regarding the characterization of Donald Trump as a “threat.” This came in response to an altered video circulating online, which made it appear as though she walked away without answering.
The video, shared on Facebook two days after an alleged assassination attempt on Trump, included the caption: “Peter Doocy just exposed Karine Jean-Pierre as a total coward.” In it, Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy questioned Jean-Pierre about her use of the word “threat” in relation to Trump.
“It’s been just two days since someone allegedly attempted to kill Donald Trump again, and you’re here calling him a ‘threat’,” Doocy stated. He further asked, “How many more assassination attempts on Trump will it take for the president, the vice president, and you to choose a different word?”
The edited video abruptly cut to Jean-Pierre thanking journalists before leaving the podium.
However, the original livestream from September 17, available on the White House YouTube channel, shows Jean-Pierre responding to Doocy for nearly three minutes. She expressed her disagreement with the premise of his question, calling the way it was posed “incredibly dangerous,” especially since “American people are watching.”
READ ALSO: Israel Kills Top Hezbollah Leader in Beirut Strike
Jean-Pierre noted that the Biden administration has “consistently condemned political violence” and mentioned that President Biden had reached out to Trump, expressing gratitude that he was safe. She added that her statements about Trump’s role related to the January 6 Capitol attack were based on factual reports. She concluded by saying, “But when you start bringing political rhetoric, that is not okay.”
Doocy followed up with another question, which was subsequently addressed by another journalist before the press conference ended.
The day before, on September 16, Trump commented during a Fox News interview that the suspected gunman was influenced by “highly inflammatory language” from Democrats, claiming, “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at.” On his platform Truth Social, he posted, “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!”
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT: Altered. The video of Karine Jean-Pierre appearing to leave the briefing room without answering Peter Doocy’s question was edited to omit her actual response.
