White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden’s gaffe during the debate when he claimed no US troops had been killed under his command was because he cares “deeply” about service members.
“The president was comparing the number of service members who have died under his command to the number that had died before. That was the comparison he was making,” Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Wednesday. “And he did it because he cares deeply about our soldiers and their families and he wants to keep them safe.”
The remarks were made in response to a question about Biden’s claim during a debate that he was the only president in this century to have never had a soldier die in office.
Democrats declare Trump ‘wins election’, American democracy will survive
President Biden keeps his head down during a debate with former President Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on Thursday. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“The fact is, I’m the only president this century, this decade, who has had no soldiers killed anywhere in the world like he has,” Biden said.
Critics were quick to point out that U.S. troops have died under Biden’s administration, including 13 soldiers killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Khaljia International Airport during the Afghanistan withdrawal operation.
More recently, a drone attack on a US military base in Jordan in January killed three US soldiers.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appears in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC on January 3. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Texas congressman becomes first Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from election
Jean-Pierre acknowledged both attacks at a press conference on Wednesday, noting that President Biden was present for the dignified removal of the military remains in both incidents.
Four of the “Heroes of Kabul” were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport in August 2021 while evacuating from Afghanistan. (Provided by each household)
But Biden sparked controversy when he attended a dignified transfer ceremony for 13 soldiers killed in Afghanistan and appeared to check his watch while the ceremony was underway.
Still, Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that Biden “cares very deeply” about military personnel and their families.
President Biden looks at his watch as he attends a ceremony with First Lady Jill Biden to remove the remains of fallen military personnel at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on August 29, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“You have to remember that for a while he carried a card in his pocket that listed how many soldiers had been wounded and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Jean-Pierre said. “You can see how that was a reminder to him of the times we live in.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
