KPJ Loses It When Reporter Asks About Biden’s Naps

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was thrown into a frenzy when a reporter loudly questioned whether President Joe Biden was "awake" and able to address the media.

Following his debate with former President Donald Trump last Thursday, Biden has faced increasing criticism. Several incidents have shown the 81-year-old struggling to stay on track, his voice hoarse from an apparent cold.

Recent polls indicate that 72% of Americans doubt Biden has the "mental and cognitive health to be president," and on Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first sitting member of Congress to openly urge Biden to withdraw from the race.

Biden’s campaign faced more challenges when a New York Times/Siena College poll revealed Trump leading Biden by 6 points nationally. Meanwhile, internal Democratic dissatisfaction, campaign staff anxiety, and calls for him to step down have persisted. Nevertheless, Biden has insisted he plans to continue running.

Here is a transcript of the exchange, via Grabien:

O’DONNELL: "Does the president have a duty to review data, like polling information that’s coming in, donor information, the fears and concerns or anxieties expressed by Democrats? Does he have a duty to review what’s happening now?"

Jean-Pierre: "When you say a duty, can you say more about the duty piece?"

O’DONNELL: "You are saying he’s absolutely running."

Jean-Pierre: "Yeah. Well, he’s saying that, and I’m sharing — I’m sharing with you his view."

O’DONNELL: "And we would invite the president to come here and tell us directly."

Jean-Pierre: "Noted, Kelly."

O’DONNELL: "But — "

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "If he’s awake."

O’DONNELL: "That’s inappropriate."

Jean-Pierre: "As you heard from your colleague, the president of the WHCA, that’s inappropriate. Thank you, Kelly."

O’DONNELL: "My question is, information is coming in and assessment is happening within the party. Does he have a duty to review that? Has he closed the door on reviewing the data?"

Jean-Pierre: "So, I’m going to be really mindful. Obviously, you’re asking me about campaign numbers and data that’s coming in. And look, what I will — what I will note is that this is a president that looks at everything, takes in all the information, it’s important to him to do so. I don’t want to get into hypotheticals here. That’s not what I’m here to do. What I can say is, in this moment, we move forward on building on this unprecedented record that the president has been able to lay out for the American people, and that’s going to be our focus. I don’t want to get into hypotheticals. I don’t want to get ahead into anything else."

O’DONNELL: "It doesn’t sound like closing the door to reviewing this over a period of time."

Jean-Pierre: "What I can say is the president is moving forward. He’s moving forward as being president. He’s moving forward with his campaign, as his campaign has been very, very clear about that. That’s what I can — that’s what I can speak to, and that’s what I can say, and that is the president’s focus. The president’s focus is, how does he continue to do that work. And anything else that we’re hearing or that’s being reported is absolutely false."

Under growing pressure from his party to step aside, Biden told reporters in front of the White House that he intends to remain in the November race.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden told reporters.

During a poor performance in CNN’s debate against former President Donald Trump last week, Biden struggled to clearly answer questions and clarify his plans. Now, Democratic legislators, funders, and analysts have started urging the president to withdraw from the race before the convention.

“You got me, man. I’m not going anywhere. Alright,” Biden told reporters.

WATCH:

Earlier this week, reports surfaced alleging that Biden is seriously considering whether he should remain the Democratic presidential nominee.

According to a New York Times report, Biden told a “key ally” he realizes he might not be able to win re-election if he cannot convince the American people he is fit to serve following his poor debate performance.

“The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well,” the report stated.

“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, the unnamed source told the Times.

White House Spokesman Andrew Bates disputed the report, saying: “That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so.”