WATCH: Karine Jean Pierre Confronted on Whether President Biden is Considering Firing Staffers as Poll Numbers Worsen
Nov. 27 2023, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
A CBS news reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre if President Joe Biden is considering making changes to his staff amid a downturn in recent polls, RadarOnline.com has learned.
CBS senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe bluntly asked the question during a press briefing on Monday.
O'Keefe didn't dance around Biden dropping behind GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in recent polls when he began his line of questioning.
"I suspect that if we polled the room, many of us would probably ask some version of the following question: Given the president’s sagging poll numbers and the fact that he is currently placing behind any Republican opponent, has there been any talk in this White House about a change in strategy or staffing going forward in reflection of those numbers that continue to show him underwater?" O'Keefe asked.
An irked Jean-Pierre sharply replied, "No."
"And there was also a call out in recent weeks to staff, senior officials, and if you wanna go by the end of they year, go — otherwise you’re here for the duration of the rest of the term — is there, should we be anticipating any departures of either Cabinet officials or other senior officials," the CBS reporter asked in a follow-up question.
"Look, I can’t speak to people’s personal decisions, I just don’t," Biden's press secretary responded.
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"We don’t have anything to announce at this time and, you know, we’re going to continue to do the work that the president’s set out to do and we just talked about supply chains, we just talked about the economy, we’ve been talking about the president’s leadership globally, especially in the Middle East," Jean-Pierre continued.
"That’s what we’re here to do and focus on. That’s what I’m here to do and focus on — I just can’t speak to people’s decisions," she added before moving on.
O'Keefe's question followed a RealClearPolitics poll that found a mere 40.7 percent of voters polled approved of Biden's current performance as president, while a whopping 55.4 percent disapproved of the Democrat.
In RealClearPolitics hypothetical general election poll, the embattled incumbent lagged behind Trump by 2.6 points. Worse for Biden was that he still trailed behind when the poll replaced Trump, who currently leads among Republican candidates, with Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.