White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held her first press conference since her boss’s mind-boggling debate performance at last Thursday’s presidential debate, and my first takeaway is, hoo boy, she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.

The WH press corps, who after three and a half years of mostly sitting there and taking what KJP and her predecessor Jen Psaki say at face value and rarely asking tough questions, seemed notably more aggressive as rumors continue to swirl about whether the president will drop out of the race. She was asked straight-up if Biden had Alzheimer’s—and her exasperated answer was “no.”

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"Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer's, any form of dementia, or degenerative illness that may cause these sorts of lapses?"

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "No" pic.twitter.com/g6vv6HEhtS

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 2, 2024

The reporter pointed out that we all saw a cognitively impaired president, and the American people needed an answer:

"All of us saw what happened on Thursday, where [Biden] simply could not form coherent answers to many ... of the questions," one reporter asked, warning that his next question was a delicate one and the president "may not like to hear it" if he's watching.

"But I think the American people need to get a yes or a no answer on this: Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer's, or any form of dementia or degenerative illness that causes these sorts of lapses?" the reporter asked. "And it's a yes or no question."

"I have an answer for you, are you ready for it," Jean-Pierre responded, looking visibly annoyed. "It's a no. And I hope you're asking the other guy the same exact question."

Why would we need to ask the “other guy,” Donald Trump? He did not space out during the debate, or lose his train of thought, or ramble on incoherently—things the president does on a routine basis.

She did not, however, blame the debacle on cold medicine, saying the president did not take any before assuming the stage. What she did not address, however, was whether he was taking any other medications. 

She added that what they really want to do is “turn the page.” I bet.

Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden wasn't taking cold medication at last week's debate — but she does NOT deny he was taking other drugs. Yikes! pic.twitter.com/bXTIygfEty

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 2, 2024

"I don't have anything on that to share" seems to be her common through line.

Meanwhile, there’s been much discussion of a possible replacement for Biden in the race and whether VP Kamala Harris would be under consideration. Jean-Pierre couldn’t even tell us whether Biden and Harris had spoken since the disaster:

Karine Jean-Pierre is unable to say whether Crooked Joe and Kamala have spoken since his humiliating, disastrous debate performance last week pic.twitter.com/LMtZPhY9Fa

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 2, 2024

Events of late haven’t been kind to the VP:

Kamala Harris' Shot at the Presidency Just Got Worse With Cringe Pandering Video at BET Awards

Musk Scorches Kamala Harris Over False Tweet: 'Lying on This Platform Doesn't Work Anymore'

KJP seemed tired, dejected and annoyed through much of the proceedings. She is not good at her job, but I certainly don’t envy her having to try to pretend that Joe Biden is all there because it’s such blatant gaslighting. Her demeanor reminded me of those classic old Southwest Airlines commercials: