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No, Biden’s press secretary didn’t walk out when asked about Trump’s assassination attempt
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- The clip is altered. In the full video, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answers the reporter’s question.
News of an apparent second assassination attempt Sept. 15 on former President Donald Trump has led to a slew of misinformation online. One claim is that President Joe Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, avoided questions about the administration’s response to the incident.
In an Instagram reel, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy says to Jean-Pierre, "It’s been only two days since somebody allegedly tried to kill Donald Trump again, and you’re here at the podium in the White House Briefing Room calling him a ‘threat.’ How many more assassination attempts on Donald Trump until the president and the vice president and you pick a different word to describe Trump other than ‘threat’?"
The video then cuts to Jean-Pierre saying, "All right. Thanks everybody. See you tomorrow," before she walks out of the room.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
Jean-Pierre’s purported reaction to the question upset some social media users. "Holy s—! That was her answer to just leave? What is she 12 years old? What a joke and an embarrassment for the White House," one user commented.
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But the clip has been misleadingly edited. The full video from the Sept. 17 press conference and transcript shows Jean-Pierre responding to Doocy by saying:
"Peter, if anything from this administration, I actually completely disagree with the premise of your question. The question that you’re asking, it is also incredibly dangerous in the way that you’re asking it, because American people are watching. And to say that — to say that from an administration who has consistently condemned political violence; from an administration where the president called the former president and was thankful, grateful that he was OK; from an administration who has called out Jan. 6, called out the attack of Paul Pelosi, called out and said we need to lower the temperature after the Butler (Pennsylvania) incident — and now for you to make that kind of comment in your question — because it — your question involved a comment and a statement — and, you know, it is — that is also incredibly dangerous when we have been very clear in — in condemning political violence from here."
The press conference then continues for about seven more minutes before Jean-Pierre leaves.
We rate the claim that Jean-Pierre ended a press conference when a reporter asked about Donald Trump’s second assassination attempt False.
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived), Sept. 17, 2024
YouTube, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Sept. 17, 2024
The White House, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Sept. 17, 2024
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No, Biden’s press secretary didn’t walk out when asked about Trump’s assassination attempt
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