White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced intense criticism online after defending President Joe Biden’s handling of the border crisis during a briefing on Wednesday, May 22.
During the briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked why President Biden has not taken unilateral action to address the growing migrant issue despite having the authority to do so. Jean-Pierre responded, “But why should he have to do it unilaterally? Why shouldn’t we do it in a legislative way?”
When reminded that Biden had taken 94 executive actions earlier, Jean-Pierre maintained her position. “To deal with what’s happening at the border, in order to deal with a broken immigration system, you need law, you need legislation, you need it to happen in a bipartisan way,” she stated.
Jean-Pierre later took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reiterate her stance. “The President is clear about where he stands – he believes we are a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. We can expand lawful immigration pathways and ensure the United States remains a beacon of hope and opportunity,” she wrote.
However, Jean-Pierre’s remarks did not sit well with many online users. One critic tweeted, “This woman is a shocker! She’s so far up herself that she’s almost invisible!” Another user called for her resignation, stating, “You should resign. Period.”
Comments continued to pour in, with one user criticizing Biden, saying, “Because it’s his job!! He’s the president, isn’t he? Unbelievable!!” Others commented on Jean-Pierre’s performance, with remarks such as, “You are so bad at this…” and “Do you really think people actually believe anything you say? It’s pretty funny watching you pretend like you do.”
The backlash highlights the contentious nature of the border crisis and the polarized responses to the Biden administration’s poor handling of immigration issues.