White House Spox Calls Congressional Progress On Gun Control 'Very Promising' As She Backs Boss
June 7 2022, Published 2:29 p.m. ET
The day after Karine Jean-Pierre took over as White House Press Secretary, the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting occurred, followed by Uvalde, Texas.
“It has been a tragic three weeks,” Jean-Pierre, 47, told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts. “I was there in Uvalde when the people cried out to President Biden to take action, to ‘do something.’”
Jean-Pierre stressed that Joe Biden has signed the most executive actions, at this time in a president's term, addressing gun control. She said her boss is “very encouraged with what the Senate is trying to do, the bipartisan negotiations that we're seeing.”
She deflected though when asked if Biden was personally lobbying senators on the gun control issue. “He wants to give the Senate and Congress some space on the Hill to have that conversation,” she noted. “It sounds very promising.”
Roberts then switched topics, citing an ABC News poll that found 80 percent of Americans said inflation is a very important factor for them when voting in the upcoming midterm elections.
“What we're dealing with right now is global challenges,” Jean-Pierre suggested. “We're in a pandemic. When the president walked into this office, the economy was in a crisis.”
“We understand that Americans are truly, truly feeling this,” she continued. “We understand there's more work to be done, but we are continuing to take steps.”
Roberts then segued to the summer's other hot topic, abortion. “The president has continued to tap into the different entities to make sure we fortify Title 10 and we're going to continue to talk to groups and figure out what else we can do,” she explained. “But really, we have to get Congress to act on this so we can codify Roe v. Wade.”
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Roberts concluded the interview by wondering how Jean-Pierre feels as the first Black person, the first immigrant and the first openly gay individual to hold the White House Press Secretary position. “Representation does indeed matter,” she stated. “I think about my daughter, I think about my friends. I hope when she sees me on TV, she thinks to herself, ‘I can do this and I can do more, when I'm older.’”
