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A reporter called out President Biden for urging an end to the "poison of politics" during his Christmas address after spending much of the year smearing Republicans as "segregationists" Wednesday.
The exchange came when White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a gaggle with the press aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. The reporter pointed to Biden's Christmas address, in which he urged Americans to reject the "poison of politics."
"In the president's Christmas address he called for Americans to reject the poison of politics, but last year he compared his political opponents to segregationists, labeled them semi-fascist. Don't comments like that contribute to political poison?" the reporter asked.
"Look, the president is going to call out what he sees. That is his job as a president" Jean-Pierre responded. "He has talked about how our democracy has been under attack, how we have to protect our democracy."
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 6, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images))
"As you know, last year he made two incredibly important speeches on that. He's gonna call that out, but at the same time … he's optimistic," she continued. "He believes there [are] still possibilities to bring the country together, and that's a big reason why he was elected back in 2020."
Biden had faced widespread criticism on social media for his "unity" themed Christmas speech.
CNN's Brian Stelter asked Biden adviser Gene Sperling if part of the problem with economic coverage in the media was that administration officials and TV anchors don't feel the pain like the average American. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"I sincerely hope this holiday season will drain the poison that has infected our politics and set us against one another," Biden said at the time. "I hope this Christmas season marks a fresh start for our nation, because there’s so much that unites us as Americans. So much more that unites us than divides us. We’re truly blessed to live in this nation. And I truly hope we take the time to look out for one another not at one another."
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Conservative Twitter users attacked Biden’s unity speech after he frequently attacked "MAGA Republicans," as well as unvaccinated Americans in previous addresses to the nation.
Earlier in his administration, Biden had attacked Republicans as segregationists for passing what he described as a "Jim Crow 2.0" voting law in Georgia. The law ultimately resulted in record-breaking voter participation in Georgia during the 2022 midterm elections.
"How does Joe Biden get away with this phony unity rhetoric after he smeared half the country as domestic terrorists and compared anyone who opposes his radical agenda to segregationists?" House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's spokesman Chad Gilmartin wrote last week.
U.S. President Joe Biden reacts during a joint news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (not pictured) in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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"Says the guy who tried to turn Americans against each other over a vaccine and often yells about ~half the country being fascists. Spare us, you old grinch," Townhall.com managing editor Spencer Brown wrote.
Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
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