Karine Jean-Pierre is not directly answering whether Biden, 80, will survive a second term

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged a question about whether President Biden would “survive” a full second term — instead defending Biden’s track record on infrastructure and the budget.

She was asked at Monday’s White House press conference about criticism from Republican former UN ambassador Nikki Haley — who has repeatedly attacked Biden’s cognitive abilities and said Monday that a vote for Biden is “actually a vote for President Harris” — in reference to Vice President Kamala Harris.

“What do you say to someone who wonders if the president will survive a full four-year term?” Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich asked her.

Jean-Pierre responded by citing the Hatch Act, which limits politicization by U.S. government officials during their official duties, but would not necessarily prevent her from influencing the president’s health, which Republicans are trying to make a campaign issue .

“So, let me just say this – I’m not going to comment on the 2024 – she’s a candidate,” Jean-Pierre replied, adding that she wanted to be careful. “And we follow the Hatch Act, so I want to be very, very mindful here,” she added.

She then went on to defend Biden’s legislative record. “Look, this is a president, if you look at his record — and I’m saying this in a broader sense, if you look at what he’s been able to do, he’s been able to move forward and do historic pieces of legislation. ,’ she said.

“He’s done more than any other president when you think about infrastructure or legislation. when you think about the last president it was a joke. We were talking about “Infrastructure Week” – it was literally a joke. Now you hear the president talk about “infrastructure decade.”

She went on to talk about Medicare, job creation and the bipartisan budget deal Biden signed this weekend.

“That’s important to the American people,” she said.

Her comments came after the 80-year-old Biden was flustered as he handed out diplomas to cadets at the graduation of Colorado’s Coast Guard Academy last week, raising new questions about his condition as he prepares for a grueling campaign.

Biden joked with reporters after the incident as he ran to the White House and said he was “thrown in the sandbag” — referring to the black sandbag he apparently tripped on stage.

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said a vote for Biden was a “vote for President Harris.” She renewed her call for ‘mental competence tests’

Biden, 80, is trying to become the oldest re-elected president

Haley tried to shift attention to Vice President Kamala Harris

President Joe Biden is helped to his feet after a fall during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets

It led to a deep dive into the New York Times on Sunday by the New York Times quoting people calling Biden “sharp as a nail” but also being diagnosed with arthritis in his spine and stiffness in his gait by the doctor of the hospital. White House noted.

Haley, 51, kicked off her campaign by expressing doubts about Biden’s mental capacity. On Monday, she tried to tie him to his vice president on Fox News, who, like Biden, has an underwater approval rating and struggles with immigration and other issues.

“We cannot continue on this road. And let’s be very clear if they think it’s going to be President Biden, a vote for President Biden, it’s actually a vote for President Harris. We run against Kamala Harris. Don’t make a big deal of it,” said Haley, who scores about 4 percent in the RealClearPolitics average.

Harris, the nation’s first black and first female vice president, has a 51 percent disapproval rate. Fthirty five, with 38 percent approval. Biden has higher disapproval, at 55 percent, but also higher approval, at 41 percent.