White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accidentally messed up the names of one of the justices on the Supreme Court.
During a press briefing on Monday, a reporter asked Jean-Pierre about Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) claim that the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage was “clearly wrong” and if the White House has concerns about whether that ruling could be in danger.
“It should raise concerns. As we know from the Dobbs decision, one of the things that we saw from Judge Thompson is that they’re looking to go further, whether it’s privacy, contraception, or marriage equality,” she responded.
Jean-Pierre was referring to Justice Clarence Thomas.
Watch the video below:
Does Biden's White House Press Secretary not know who Justice Clarence Thomas is?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 18, 2022
"From the Dobbs decision, one of the things that we saw from from *Judge Thompson* is that they are looking to go further." pic.twitter.com/xg59oes9wv
This flub was not the worst in the world and did not change the meaning of what she was trying to convey. But that didn’t stop some Twitter users from roasting her.
Check out some of the reactions below:
https://twitter.com/MarkRWeaver/status/1549195832360140802
"Judge Thompson, Justice Thomas, they all look the same to me." https://t.co/nFegdkF5Hb
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) July 18, 2022
Hunter Biden does not raise any concerns, but that Justice Thompson….. https://t.co/UFz0nYNnoR
— Ross McLean (@McLeanChronicle) July 18, 2022
President Joe Biden’s decision in May to make Jean-Pierre his new press secretary was historical as it made her the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position.
But in the short time, she has been press secretary, she has delivered a lot of non-answers — sometimes after an apparent search for an answer. In June, she was asked if the administration had any updates on the baby formula shortage.
“Let me see if I have anything new for you on that,” she responded as she flipped through a binder for roughly 20 seconds.
Finally, she said, “OK…I don’t have anything new. I know we made some announcements last week.”
In case you missed it:
Karine Jean-Pierre is asked if there are any updates on the baby formula shortage.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 13, 2022
She spends almost 20 seconds flipping through her binder before saying she has no update on it. pic.twitter.com/5a9gLetxdM
In a time when the president’s poll numbers were in the 50s, and the mood among the electorate was positive, Jean-Pierre might be a fine fit for the press secretary.
But with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris struggling with their gaffe-prone selves, and now First Lady Jill Biden comparing the Hispanic community to breakfast tacos, from a purely political angle, the White House could probably use a different approach to the briefing room.
The administration could either use a silver-tongued press secretary who communicates clearly and can put a positive spin on negative news, or someone like the former president’s press secretaries who didn’t mind sparring with reporters to try to push back on negative narratives. Right now it doesn’t have either.