“First of all, I want to say, we understand the concerns. We get it. The president did not have a great night,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She later added: “We’re not taking away from what the American people saw.” Tuesday’s press briefing, the first since the debate, came as Biden has faced one of the toughest stretches of his presidency and with his reelection campaign reeling.
Jean-Pierre reiterated that Biden had been sick last Thursday - adding that he still had a cold. The president did not take any cold medication prior to the debate, she said. “I would not see this as an episode,” Jean-Pierre said. “I would see this as what it was and what we believe it to be – which is, it was a bad night.” She added the administration is “absolutely not” hiding information about the president’s health or ability to do his job.