Karine Jean-Pierre concluded an interview with a local North Carolina radio station abruptly on Tuesday, surprising the reporter and host.
The White House press secretary had been speaking with 99.3 WBT Charlotte News Director Mark Garrison ahead of President Biden’s visit to Raleigh. During "The Brett Winterble Show," Garrison discussed the interview, playing clips from it.
At one point, Garrison asked whether Biden has "dementia," noting that "a number of people" had asked him to pose that question.
Jean-Pierre found the question "incredibly offensive" and criticized Garrison for "taking us down this rabbit hole."
After defending Biden’s record, she refused to entertain the premise of the question, calling it "incredibly insulting" and suggesting they move on to the next question.
When Garrison asked how Biden could win votes when people have less disposable income, Jean-Pierre emphasized that the president understands the challenges, having grown up in a middle-class, working-class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
She highlighted the crises Biden inherited, including COVID and an economy in turmoil, attributing recent improvements in gas prices and grocery costs to the president's actions.
Jean-Pierre closed the interview abruptly, thanking Garrison and wishing him a great day before ending the call, which was followed by a busy signal.
Winterble reacted with surprise, while Garrison laughed.
Winterble praised Garrison’s questions, suggesting he deserved a White House press corps badge. He expressed confusion over Jean-Pierre's reaction, noting that the questions were pertinent and not out of bounds.
Garrison, who had expected more time for the interview, expressed surprise at Jean-Pierre's decision to end it abruptly, noting that he had additional questions.
He mentioned that more clips from the interview would likely be aired on a morning show.
In response to the incident, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates stated that Jean-Pierre had back-to-back interviews with radio stations, each offered seven minutes.
Once the allotted time was over, she moved on to the next interview. Bates criticized the station for not airing the full interview and for adding an artificial sound effect that phones do not make when calls end.