White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was left scratching her head after Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked her how "awkward" Vice President Kamala Harris's recent lunch with President Joe Biden was after she lost the election to President-elect Donald Trump.
Doocy asked:
“We know that, today, a week after the election, President Biden and Vice President Harris had a private lunch. How awkward was that?”
When a confused Jean-Pierre questioned "why would [the lunch] be awkward," Doocy reasoned that Harris and Biden are not getting along at the moment even though there is no evidence to suggest this is the case:
“Because she kept him at arm’s length and then she lost and now she’s back."
Jean-Pierre responded:
“Why would you characterize it as awkward? They have regular lunches. They meet and talk regularly. Why would you call it awkward?”
And after Doocy questioned if "there’s no weirdness about the way things have unfolded" since Harris lost the election, Jean-Pierre shut him down completely, pointing to Biden and Harris’s trip to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday for Veterans’ Day:
“Did you see them together yesterday as well when they honored our veterans and were together during the day making sure that we didn’t forget the brave men and women that fought for this country?”
“The president and vice president had lunch today. They’ve had lunch many times. They communicate with each other regularly."
"They had an opportunity to discuss the last 70 days or so of this administration, how important it is to get things done for the American people, and that’s their focus.”
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Doocy was swiftly criticized, with more than a few suggesting that his line of questioning was essentially an "audition" to be Trump's Press Secretary come January.
Let's just say Jean-Pierre has the patience of a saint.