White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s tongue-in-cheek answer to questions about a Fox News graphic that suggested President Joe Biden as a “want to be dictator” garnered laughter from reporters.
Following his arrest and arraignment in Miami on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech from his Bedminster club.
He was indicted on 37 counts for violating the Espionage Act and pleaded “not guilty” through his attorney.
While left-leaning networks refused to carry Trump’s speech claiming it would be filled with falsehoods, Fox News broadcasted it live.
At one point, they displayed a split screen showing Trump alongside muted video footage of Biden speaking at the White House.
A graphic accompanied this split screen, echoing one of Trump’s claims that Biden was speaking at the White House after having his primary political adversary indicated.
During Wednesday’s briefing, Tyler Pager, a Washington Post White House reporter, questioned Jean-Pierre about the controversial graphic and inquired if the White House had any response to it.
Jean-Pierre responded with a witty remark that Pager initially interpreted as a “no comment.” Her response garnered laughter when she pointed out that her statement was the comment.
Pager: Thanks, Karine. Last night, Fox News displayed a chyron referring to the President as a “wannabe dictator,” I’m curious if the White House has any comment on that.
Jean-Pierre: Well, there are probably around 787 million things I could say about what we witnessed last night, but I don’t think I’ll delve into it.
Pager: So, there’s no official comment from the White House?
Jean-Pierre: I believe I just commented. (Laughter.)
Please proceed.
After the graphic gained viral attention, Fox News said, “The chyron was promptly taken down and addressed.”
The graphic was on TV screens for 27 seconds before being replaced.
After being held responsible for the on-air chyron labeling President Joe Biden as a “wannabe dictator” due to the indictment of former President Donald Trump, longtime Tucker Carlson producer Alex McCaskill has departed from Fox News.
McCaskill announced his exit through an Instagram post, while Fox News refrained from commenting on the matter on Friday.
McCaskill had chosen to remain with the network even after the termination of Tucker Carlson, a top-rated personality at Fox News.
Carlson’s abrupt dismissal occurred on April 24, but the specific reason for his departure has not been publicly disclosed.
