WATCH: Karine Jean-Pierre Fumbles In Jumbled Comments On Inflation

Joseph CurlJune 8, 2022

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has delivered some very odd answers to queries from reporters about inflation.

Take this one: “What we’re trying to say — what I’m trying to say to you is that the economy is in a better place than it has been historically. And so we feel here at this administration — and other experts as well — is that we feel that we are in a good position to take on inflation. We’re in a good position to really start really working on lowering prices,” she said Tuesday.

Huh?

Jean-Pierre had this exchange with Fox News’ Peter Doocy during her daily briefing.

“Why do you think it is that 83 percent of people polled by The Wall Street Journal say the economy is ‘poor’ or ‘not so good’?” Doocy asked Biden’s spokesman.

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“So, when it comes to consumer confidence — is what you’re talking about there — we know that can reflect concern and uncertainty about higher prices. People feel the effect of high prices when they go to the grocery store and they fill up their gans- — gas tank, which the President understands very personally — when he was growing up and understanding how — how when prices elevate even just a bit, how much that can hurt a family, how much that can really affect, you know, someone’s household,” Jean-Pierre said.

“We are in a fundamentally different place compared to when the President took office and compared to this time a year ago,” she said.

That part is too true: The price of gasoline this week officially doubled since Biden took office.

Unbelievably extraordinary lie.

It’s all they can do…

pic.twitter.com/Xnkx0z6e27

— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) June 7, 2022

Jean-Pierre continued. “And so, you know, during this President — during his pres- — this presidency, people felt uncertainty — uncertain about the economy generally, but they actually felt as good about their personal financial situations as they ever have, according to the Federal Reserve survey, with nearly 80 percent of adults reporting that they are financially comfortable. So, that matters as well.”

But Doocy followed up, saying: “But to the point about the — you’re saying that people feel good about their personal financial situation. High gas prices, people can’t get baby formula, the supply chain is messed up, everything is more expensive. Where’s the good part?”

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“So, the survey that I just read off started in 2013. And that is the first time that we saw numbers like this since 2013. So that does — no, that does mean something. Just like you gave me 83 percent, I’m giving you —” she said before Doocy cut in.

” And I understand that. Another number then, newer than 2013, 61 percent are saying now, in this Wall Street Journal poll, they are generally pessimistic about people having an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. How’s that going look on a — on a bumper sticker?”

“So, what I’m — I guess what I’m trying to say, Peter, is that we understand that people are feeling — feeling this,” Jean-Pierre said. “They are feeling the increase of prices, which — with food, in particular, right now, and gas. That is — that is something that we understand. What we’re trying to say, what I’m trying to say to you is that the economy is in a better place than it has been historically,” she said.

“We are in a historic place in history — historic place right now, as we have — as we look at where we are with the economy. Very, very different than where we were a year ago. And that is because of what the President has been able to do with a comprehensive plan to get people vaccinated, with a plan to get people back to work,” she said.

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Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.