Karine Jean-Pierre, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell pause conference to call out journalist's 'inappropriate' Joe Biden joke

Joey Nolfi

3 July 2024 at 3:01 pm·2-min read

Karine Jean-Pierre, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell pause conference to call out journalist's 'inappropriate' Joe Biden joke

"That's inappropriate," O'Donnell said during the press conference, pointing behind her to an off-camera colleague.

Amid a flurry of calls for President Joe Biden to step down from the current presidential race, both White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell paused a tense televised media conference Wednesday to scold a journalist who made a joke about the political leader.

The moment came after O'Donnell — a political reporter for NBC News who also serves as the White House Correspondents' Association's president — inquired about Biden's supposed intention to remain in the race despite receiving heavy criticism from Democrats for his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate against Donald Trump.

"You're saying he's absolutely running?" O'Donnell asked, to which Jean-Pierre replied: "He's saying that, and I'm sharing with you his view."

<p>CNN</p> Kelly O'Donnell and Karine Jean-Pierre scold journalist's 'inappropriate' Joe Biden joke — CNN
Kelly O'Donnell and Karine Jean-Pierre scold journalist's 'inappropriate' Joe Biden joke

When O'Donnell said "we would invite the president to come here and tells us that directly," an off-camera journalist behind O'Donnell quipped, "If he's awake."

O'Donnell continued speaking, before pausing to point her finger over her shoulder and call out her peer.

"That's inappropriate," O'Donnell said. Jean-Pierre jumped in, turning to the journalist to reiterate: "As you heard from your colleague, the president of the WHCA, that's inappropriate."

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for the White House, the WHCA, and NBC News for comment.

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The tension follows days of sustained calls for Biden to bow out of the election, with many citing his performance and overall demeanor during the debate as cause for concern over the 81-year-old's age.

Of the many urging Biden to step aside are several cohosts of The View, including Alyssa Farah Griffin — a former Trump staffer — and Sara Haines.

"It kind of pains me to say this today, but I think President Biden needs to step down and be replaced if we want to defeat Donald Trump in November," Haines said, advising Democrats to stop "twisting the age issue" by making excuses for Biden before November's matchup at the polls.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.

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