Karine Jean-Pierre loses her cool when she grills Joe Biden’s warnings that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy

press secretary in the White House Karine Jean-Pierre snapped at reporters when asked to explain why Biden gave a calm and upbeat message of hope to Americans after warning them for months that democracy would be at risk if Trump won.

The president promised yesterday ‘to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition’ to Donald Trump over the next two months. He was happy and couldn’t hide his smile.

‘We accept the choice the country has made. I have said many times that you cannot only love your country when you win, he said.

‘Yyou cannot love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, you don’t see each other as opponents, but as fellow Americans.’

It was a marked shift from the stark warnings Democrats repeated throughout the campaign.

But when asked to correct this shift, Jean-Pierre became confused and hit back at journalists she accused of ‘twisting her words’.

She tried to explain that Biden was simply respecting the election results — with the veiled allusion to Trump’s refusal to accept that he lost in 2020.

‘The American people made the decision. There was an election two nights ago… And it was a free and fair election. And we respect the electoral process, she said.

And the Americans spoke. And so the president’s job is to make sure that we respect that. The President’s job is to ensure that we have a peaceful transfer of power. This is what the American people deserve.’

‘The president wants to lead by example. It’s not complicated. It really isn’t. And you know it’s important.’

Jean-Pierre became more frustrated when asked what Americans who were afraid of what Trump would do, based on the warnings of Biden and Kamala Harris, should think about the president’s change of tone.

“Well now you’re just turning it all around and it’s really unfair… because I’ve been standing here trying to be very respectful of what happened… two nights ago,” she said.

‘I have stood here and said that we respect the decision that the American people made. I’ve stood here and said the president will put the American people first.’

Jean-Pierre then lost his cool and accused sections of the press of twisting her words before abruptly ending the question and answer.

“I don’t appreciate having my words twisted … I’ve been very clear, very, very, very clear about what the president wants to do and the vice president,” she said.

We want to make sure we deliver to the American people. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power. And that’s what you’re going to see.’

Jean-Pierre was also repeatedly asked if Biden regretted leaving the presidential race and if the president played any role in Harris’ defeat.

She fumbled her answers and used ‘um’ repeatedly as she searched for answers.

‘President Biden believes he made the right decision when he decided to step aside – uh – and – uh – immediately endorsed the vice president, and you saw the party get behind her, support her, and he believed that it was right for the American people,” she said.

‘He put himself aside. It wasn’t about him. This is about what was right for the American people, and that’s what he means. He believes it was the right decision to make. He is very incredibly proud.’

Democrats are still reeling from Harris’ loss to Trump, and the shootout has begun over who is to blame.

Harris aides blame Biden for not doing enough to fight inflation, for his many verbal fumbles and for not dropping out of the race sooner. He is described as the 81-year-old albatross hanging around her neck.

Others blame Harris herself: she didn’t differentiate herself enough from Biden during the campaign, there were conflicts among her staff, she exaggerated her numbers, she didn’t.

Jean-Pierre sidestepped any questions about whether Biden is guilty or whether he regretted leaving the presidential race.

‘The president understands that he will respect the will of the people. He understands that. He understands that the American people made a decision and he will respect that, she said.

And when asked if Biden has any regrets, she said: ‘The president is very proud of what he was able to accomplish.

‘He was very proud and when he made that decision to pass the torch – to pass the torch, to pass the torch to the vice president, he thought it was the right decision to make at that time.

‘Um – he thought she was ready. She was ready to lead on day one and has been very proud of what he has been able to deliver.’

She repeatedly pointed out that Biden still has 74 days in office.

And she backtracked when asked about blaming Biden for the defeat.

‘There will be many people who are going to say many things. There will be pollsters who will look under the hood over the next few days and weeks and months, as I’ve already said, and they’ll have their say on this race,” she said.

Earlier Thursday, President Biden pledged to work with Trump to ensure a peaceful transition and urged the country to come together as he broke his silence on the election.

‘I will do my duty as president. I will fulfill my oath and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20th, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America,” Biden said.

He did not discuss why Harris may have lost. He also did not answer shouted questions from reporters about the race.

However, the 81-year-old commander-in-chief spoke with a smile from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon in his first public appearance since Trump’s landslide victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The outgoing president was noticeably more relaxed than he had appeared during the campaign as he told the nation to be positive and accept the devastating results for the Democrats, while noting that Harris ran an ‘inspiring campaign’.

Biden exited the Oval Office to applause from a crowd including cabinet members, staff and his grandson Finnegan and jogged to the podium.

As he concluded his remarks, he kissed the crowd and insisted that his administration should be proud of its record.

‘I know this is a difficult time. You hurt. I hear you and I see you,” Biden said.

‘A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country makes.

‘You can’t only love your country when you win. You can only love your neighbor when you agree, Biden said.

‘A defeat does not mean that we are defeated. We lost this match. But we can get back up, he added.

The president watched the results come in with family and close friends at the White House late Tuesday night, sitting in the residence as Republicans took control of the White House and Senate.

Control of the House of Representatives has not yet been determined.

Biden called both Harris and Trump on Wednesday. He is also called a Democrat who has won elections to the House and the Senate.

He congratulated Harris on her historic campaign, and invited President-elect Trump to meet with him at the White House.

He expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition to power.

But he had his own warning for the president-elect, telling him of the ‘importance of working to bring the country together’.

Biden will attend Trump’s inauguration. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said before the election that Biden would run for whoever won the presidency.

It is now Biden’s legacy at stake as president in brackets following Trump’s terms.

“Don’t forget all that we accomplished,” he said Thursday. ‘It has been a historic presidency.’

He argued that many of these achievements – such as his infrastructure plan – will not be felt by the public for years.

He also pushed back on voter anger over the economy.

‘We leave behind the strongest economy in the world. I know people are still hurt, but things are changing fast,” he said.

He and his team will likely spend the three months leading up to Inauguration Day trying to support as many of their initiatives as they can — securing more funding for Ukraine, pushing for a Middle East ceasefire, and doing what they can to protect federal workers that Trump has promised to target.