White House Press SecretaryKarine JeanPierrefaced an intense grilling from reporters Tuesday regarding PresidentJoe Biden sstruggles following a rough debate performance including being asked directly if he would undergo a neurological scan. Biden has been facingincreasingscrutinysince hisdebatewith former PresidentDonald Trumplast Thursday, including several moments in which the 81yearold, voice raspy from an apparent cold, struggled to find his train of thought. Recent polling showed72 of Americansdo not believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health to be president and suggested other Democrats would bestrongeragainst Trump. On Tuesday, Rep.Lloyd DoggettDTX became the first sitting Democrat in Congress topublicly callfor Biden to withdraw from the race. In the Tuesday afternoon presser, JeanPierre acknowledged that Biden had had a bad debate and argued that what was more important was performance in a presidency, not performance in terms of a debate. . A reporter brought up the criticisms that were coming fromotherDemocrats, that Biden s struggles were not just that he had a cold, but rather he had no answers, was trailing off and didn t answer some questions fully, and asked if there had been any consideration given to releasing a more robust set of medical records or something to show his mental acuity. . JeanPierre replied that this was a fair question to ask, and insisted that the White House had been transparent by releasing reports from his medical team every year he had been in office. She added that his medical team had said a cognitive test was not warranted in this case and not necessary. . Again, we understand, she continued. We re not taking away from what you all saw, what the American people saw. We understand it was a bad night. It is not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night on their first debate. And we are going to continue to do the work that we have been doing on behalf of the American people. I think the president s record certainly speaks for itself. . CBS News Senior White House CorrespondentWeijia Jiangasked about Biden s cold and what medications he was taking during the days and hours leading up to the debate. JeanPierre said they had been asked that question a couple of times, but Biden was not taking any cold medication, adding that she had asked the president s doctor. After the debate, did the president get examined by a doctor or did he get a neurological scan? Jiang asked. A neurological scan? asked JeanPierre, apparently taken aback by the question and pausing for a moment before continuing. Look, what I can say is that, just to take a step back, it was a bad night, she said. We understand that it was a bad night and the president has spoken to this and he understands that, and so I cannot speak to anything beyond what I just shared. . She reiterated that Biden has regular annual physicals that the White House releases and would continue to release them, the last time he was seen by a doctor was February, and she didn t have anything else to add to answer that question. Jiang followed up by saying it was just a bad night, but what was the explanation of why it was so bad. . If it s not a problem with his mental fitness, what happened that night? asked Jiang. What did we see? . JeanPierre replied that Biden had spoken about this He said, I m not as smooth as I used to be. I don t debate as well as I used to. I don t walk as easily as I used to but what he does know is how to deliver for the American people, and while he understands that he s not a young man, obviously, his focus would continue to be to deliver for the American people on the issues that they care about. . Watch the clip above viaCNN. Have a tip we should know?tipsmediaite.com. Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law  Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the AustinAmerican Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Have a tip or story idea?
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faces intense questioning about President Joe Biden's struggles post-debate where he appeared to lose his train of thought. Recent polls show doubts about his mental and cognitive health. Despite calls for him to withdraw, the White House defends Biden's performance, stating he had a bad night. No neurological scan was done as his medical team deemed it unnecessary. Biden attributes his debate struggles to aging but remains focused on delivering for the American people.