Stephen Colbert clashed with former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday night over President Joe Biden’s mental sharpness and the claims that Democrats betrayed him by forcing him out of the 2024 race.
“It was very personal for those of us who watched it,” Colbert said. “Because — I mean, you’re talking to a guy who helped raise $25 million for Joe Biden in March of that same year. And three months later, I saw a guy who I had not seen backstage at the benefit that I did. It seemed like a dramatically different person.”
At 81 years old, Colbert said Biden’s apparent decline wasn’t unexpected, but the June 2024 debate was a “shock to the system.” Jean-Pierre pushed back, insisting that she saw Biden daily and that he was fully capable of governing.
Jean-Pierre, who left the administration shortly after, said she grew disillusioned with the party’s pressure campaign against Biden. In her new book, Independent, she says she “couldn’t stomach” being part of it anymore.
Colbert wasn’t convinced. “I’m not questioning his heart or his policies, but it takes more than that to be the president of the United States,” he said. “In a moment of great pressure on stage, we saw someone shock us and worry us.”
Jean-Pierre conceded that Biden’s debate performance was “disappointing.” Colbert didn’t let up. “Disappointment is such a light term,” he replied. “It was harrowing.”
Earlier that same day, Jean-Pierre appeared on CBS Mornings, where hosts Tony Dokoupil and Gayle King also pressed her on the issue. Dokoupil questioned how she could defend Biden’s capabilities when “what we were seeing is what you were seeing — and he was struggling.”
King echoed that sentiment, asking how Jean-Pierre could have missed signs of decline, especially since she traveled with Biden to the debate. Jean-Pierre claimed she didn’t see the president during the flight because his family was with him.
The tense exchanges on both programs highlighted how even longtime Biden allies are openly grappling with questions about his fitness — and whether his team, including Jean-Pierre, shielded the public from the truth.