Joe Biden calls out to deceased congresswoman during White House event

Washington DC - President Joe Biden called out to the late congresswoman Jackie Walorski while on stage during a White House conference on food insecurity and hunger.

Joe Biden tried to find a dead congresswoman in the audience during a recent White House event, and his critics argue it's a sign of cognitive decline.
Joe Biden tried to find a dead congresswoman in the audience during a recent White House event, and his critics argue it's a sign of cognitive decline.  © Oliver Contreras / AFP

Former Indiana Rep. Walorski and three of her staffers died in a tragic car accident on August 3.

But despite the White House and the president having issued statements following her passing, Biden went looking for her in the audience during Wednesday's event."

"I want to thank all of you here for including bipartisan elected officials like Rep. [Jim] McGovern, Sen. [Mike] Braun, Sen. [Cory] Booker, Representative – Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? I think she wasn’t going to be here – to help make this a reality," the president said.

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Later that day, during a press conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed by reporters about the incident, which she said, "I don’t think it’s all that unusual."

"The president was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work," she explained. "He had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday. There will be a bill signing in her honor this coming Friday, so, of course, she was on his mind."

"She was top of mind for the President," Jean-Pierre insisted. "He very much looks forward to discussing her remarkable legacy of public service with them when he sees her family this coming Friday."

Biden, who will turn 80 in November, was asked about the prospect of him running for a second term, to which he responded, "It's much too early to make that kind of decision."

Cover photo: Oliver Contreras / AFP

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