A reporter chided White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre after she refused to call on him.
The New York Post‘s Steven Nelson spoke up during a press briefing on Wednesday, lamenting, “You haven’t called on me in two seasons, Karine.”
Jean-Pierre replied, “And I’m not calling on you today.” She tried to move on, repeatedly telling another reporter in the room, “Go ahead,” but Nelson wasn’t done.
REPORTER (@stevennelson10): "You haven't called on me in two seasons, Karine!"
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "I'm not calling on you today!"
REPORTER: "You should be ashamed of that! That shows disrespect to a free and independent media!" pic.twitter.com/YVCrTmgxKy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 11, 2023
“You should be ashamed of that,” Nelson said. “That shows disrespect to a free and independent media, to blacklist one of our country’s largest and most widely read newspapers, Karine … that shows contempt for a free and independent press.”
Jean-Pierre refused to engage. “Go ahead,” she said again to another reporter. “I’m calling on somebody who I haven’t called on for a long time as well. Go ahead.”
Video clips of the clash got shared on social media by the Republican National Committee and others.
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“The [New York Post] is our country’s oldest daily newspaper. We have 4th-largest print circulation and only NY Times has more web traffic,” Nelson said in response to one of the posts on X.
The @NYPost is our country's oldest daily newspaper. We have 4th-largest print circulation and only NY Times has more web traffic@PressSec last called on me in May, and on a colleague in July. The May exchange was also about press freedom issues: https://t.co/lNhoE8KSfD https://t.co/4FdRDZvlQ3
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) October 11, 2023
Jean-Pierre, who is often called “KJP,” “last called on me in May, and on a colleague in July. The May exchange was also about press freedom issues,” he added.
Indeed, at the very end of May, Nelson asked Jean-Pierre about the White House Press Office pre-screening reporters for President Joe Biden’s large indoor events and concerns about restricted press access. In response, Jean-Pierre insisted, “There is no restriction.”
It’s not for a lack of trying that Nelson has not been able to get Jean-Pierre to answer questions during a press briefing in the intervening months.
At the end of a briefing in September, he asked about Biden interacting with his son Hunter’s foreign business associates. The press secretary ignored the question and walked out of the room.
“Never an answer,” commented New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.
"Can you explain why the president interacted with so many of his son's foreign business associates!? More than half of voters told CNN they believe the president was involved and he lied! You can't have a response to that, Karine?"
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: *walks out* pic.twitter.com/mSusQmrNbh
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 13, 2023
Jean-Pierre’s icy exchanges with the media also extends to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, including in May when she pushed for “the dramatics” to “come down a little bit” after he asked about illegal immigration.
