White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed any concerns about President Biden being able to finish his term in her first public appearance since he announced he would bow out of the presidential race.
"I think that's ridiculous, seriously," Jean-Pierre told "The View," responding to calls from GOP vice-presidential nominee JD Vance for Biden to leave office immediately. "The president decided to not run for re-election, that's it. That's all that he decided on."
Biden announced he would be dropping out of the race on Sunday. Jean-Pierre last held an official press briefing on July 15 alongside DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who took questions from reporters about the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
"He wants to continue to do the work, three and a half years of unprecedented, historic work," she said. "I think that shows what he's capable of doing. I think that shows how important his leadership is."
Biden will address the nation on Wednesday and explain his decision to drop out, which came after weeks of pressure from top Democrats and liberal media allies.
"We have so much more work to do, and he understands that. He is going to speak to this, in about 24 hours or so and he'll lay that out, but this president is ready to continue to lead this country in a historic way. And that stands," Jean-Pierre added.
Co-host Sunny Hostin compared Biden to George Washington during the discussion and said Washington also "showed this country how to step down and pass the baton," referring to him limiting his presidency to two terms and establishing a precedent.
"So it's very patriotic that the president stepped aside," Hostin added.
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Jean-Pierre posted to X on Sunday following Biden's announcement.
"President Biden will go down in history as one of our greatest Presidents. Accomplishing more in 4 years than many accomplished in 8 years. He is also an honorable man. A decent man. And a person who has always put the country first," she wrote.
"Working for him has been one of the highest honors of my life and I look forward to working with him to continue to deliver results for the American people through the end of this term," she added.
