WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Tuesday that it was appropriate to refer to former President Donald Trump as a “threat” to democracy because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — raising her voice to say the date repeatedly when asked about Trump saying such rhetoric is contributing to attempts on his life.
Jean-Pierre denounced Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, as a “threat” to America’s form of government when ABC News’ Selina Wang asked Jean-Pierre at her regular briefing about how Trump “claimed without evidence that their rhetoric is causing him to be ‘shot at.’”
“President Biden has been clear-eyed about the threat that the former president represents to our democracy,” Jean-Pierre said. “He refused to accept the outcomes of free and fair elections [in 2020 and] 2,000 angry people went [to the US Capitol] to try to overturn a free and fair election.”
Jean-Pierre said that Trump’s criticism was “not going to stop the president and vice president — to call out, to continue to strongly call out, when it comes to protecting our democracy. We have to be forceful about that. We have to be very clear.”
Alleged would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after he was discovered hiding in the bushes with a rifle near Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course — following a July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., where Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet and a rally-goer was killed.
Routh posted on X in April that “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot” — using the same catchphrase as Biden and Harris have employed against Trump.
The press secretary’s stance was challenged by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy.
“It’s been only two days since somebody allegedly tried to kill Donald Trump again and you’re here at the podium at the White House briefing room calling him a threat,” Doocy said. “How many more assassination attempts on Donald Trump until the president and the vice president and you pick a different word to describe trump other than ‘threat’?”
“I actually completely disagree with the premise of your question that you’re asking is also incredibly dangerous in the way that you’re asking it, because American people are watching,” Jean-Pierre fumed.
“For you to make that kind of comment in your question…. that is also incredibly dangerous when we’ve been very clear in condemning political violence from here, she went on, adding, “What I have said about the former president on January 6 is facts [sic].”
Doocy pressed: “There are mentally unstable people who are attempting to kill political candidates, who are attempting to kill Donald Trump, and they are still hearing this White House refer to him as a threat. Is there no concern that people are taking that literally?”
“We’re using examples,” Jean-Pierre said, again defending her use of the word.
“We’re not just saying that just to say it. January 6, Peter, January 6. Wait, January. 6. How many times do I have to? — Jan. 6, 2021! That is a fact, what was reported, what happened on that day… and we have, at the same time, denounced political violence over and over.”
She signed off with a final reprimand: “We also have to be careful on how you’re asking me these questions. People are watching and what you were saying about us raising political violent rhetoric, whatever, however you just formulated it — this is an administration that has to denounce and condemn any type of political rhetoric or violence.”