White House continues to blame debate ‘bad night’ on cold as Karine Jean-Pierre forced to say whether president is ‘disabled’ or has Alzheimer’s or dementia

The White House on Tuesday tried to dismiss 81-year-old President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance as “just a bad night” and the result of a “cold.”

But during her first briefing since Biden struggled to maintain his train of thought during a 90-minute confrontation with former President Donald Trump, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had to field curious questions about whether her boss was suffering from dementia or another debilitating condition.

The tense discussions highlight how the issue of a declining president will overshadow the rest of this year’s election, as nervous Democrats begin to openly call for Biden to resign.

“We are not taking anything away from what you all saw or what the American people saw,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.

“We understand it was a bad night. It’s not uncommon for incumbent politicians to have a bad night during their first debate, and we’re going to continue the work we’ve been doing for the American people.”

Her answers were met with disbelief in the White House press room. She explained that the president was simply nursing a cold and had no intention of stepping aside.

And she kept asking questions, like whether he had taken cold medicine before the debate (no, she said) or whether something more serious was wrong with him.

At one point she was asked if he was “handicapped.”

Another reporter asked, “I think the American people need to be given a yes or no answer to this: Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer’s, some form of dementia or some degenerative disease that causes these kinds of relapses?”

Jean-Pierre replied, “It’s a no. And I hope you ask the other man exactly the same question.”

The problem for the White House and Biden’s campaign is that Trump emerged as the clear winner of the debate.

Biden looked 81 years old, but his answers stalled or descended into bizarre non-sequiturs.

He was unable to refute Trump’s exaggerations and lies and at the end of the 90-minute speech he was helped off the stage by his wife.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre was forced to answer questions about whether Biden was disabled or had dementia

Biden spoke Tuesday after receiving an operational briefing on severe weather at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s emergency operations center in Washington, D.C.

The poor performance has dominated headlines ever since, sending Democratic donors into a frenzy that his campaign is headed for disaster.

Questions in the press room about where Biden will be at the end of his second term and about dementia don’t help.

Jean-Pierre did her best to draw a line under the debate. She painted a picture of a busy president who will continue with his work, travel to Wisconsin later in the week, sit down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and hold a solo press conference next week when NATO leaders are in town.

She also confirmed that he held a virtual meeting with Democratic governors, but would not answer questions about whether it was intended to provide reassurances.

“We want to put an end to this situation, and we want to do this for the American people, because we know they need to see him there,” she said.

Whether this will be enough to assuage growing concerns among donors and strategists is another question.

Several people told DailyMail.com they were surprised the president backed down over the weekend instead of immediately pushing back.

On Tuesday, the secret conversations became public as the first elected Democrats publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race.

Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett was the first Democratic congressman to call for Biden’s resignation.

“My decision to make these strong concerns public was not taken lightly and in no way diminishes my respect for all that President Biden has accomplished,” he said.

“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I hope he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully urge him to do so.”