White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre danced around concerns about Pennsylvania Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) health raised by his performance during his Tuesday night debate against Dr. Mehmet Oz (R-PA).
Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke in May, utilized a closed captioning system during Tuesday’s event and even acknowledged his ongoing recovery during his opening statement.
FETTERMAN’S STROKE RECOVERY MARS DEBATE WITH OZ
Jean-Pierre told reporters during Wednesday’s White House press briefing that she had not gotten the opportunity to ask President Joe Biden if he watched the debate but reiterated that Biden “looks forward to working with the lieutenant governor when he is in the Senate” in efforts to cut costs for American families.
Still, Fetterman noticeably struggled through Tuesday night, and reporters repeatedly pressed Jean-Pierre on whether Biden was “concerned” by his performance.
“In personal conversations that the president has had with the lieutenant governor, the president has found him to be an impressive, incredibly bright, and talented person who’s just as capable as always to carry out his office, the duties of his office,” she said in one response. “He is lieutenant governor currently and has great ability and heartfelt concern for the people of the commonwealth, and that is what the president has observed himself.”
“He respects the courage and the honesty that he sees from the lieutenant governor, that he’s experienced in their conversation and their relationship over time,” Jean-Pierre continued. “We have, of course, as relates to your question about his health, seen the same comments from independent medical experts that you all have noted and that the improving symptoms he has … to do with the speech and hearing, not all with cognitive function.”
“[Biden] thinks that he looks forward to working with the lieutenant governor in the future and … sees him as an authentic individual who is fighting every day for the middle class and finds him incredibly impressive,” she concluded.
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You can watch Wednesday’s briefing in full below.
