Amid the deaths of three US military members due to a drone attack in Jordan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre encountered intense criticism on social media for claiming that the troops were “fighting” for the administration of President Joe Biden .
The attack on American military personnel in Jordan was verified by Biden, who said that “radical, Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” were responsible for the incident. During an MSNBC interview, Jean-Pierre expressed her sympathies to the families of the three military men, stating that the troops lost their lives “fighting on behalf of this administration.”
She said in the interview, “Our deepest, obviously our deepest condolences go out, and our heartfelt condolences go out to the families who lost, uh, three, three brave, uh, three brave, uh, three brave, three folks who are military folks, who are brave, who are always fighting, who are fighting on behalf of, uh, this administration, of the American people, obviously more so, more importantly.”
Jean-Pierre was attacked by Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN), who referred to her as the “weakest” press secretary in history. “She is the worst and weakest Press Secretary we’ve ever had in our nation,” the Republican lawmaker told KWAM . “Those men and women are fighting for the United States of America, not for the Biden administration.”
Jean-Pierre’s remarks have struck users on X, formerly Twitter, who are voicing their disgust over the words she used and the way she handled her condolences in general, per Newsweek . The watchdog group Media Research Center stated, “Wrong, Karine. Our service members signed up to serve their Country; they died because of your administration.”
Proud Elephant, a conservative media outlet, chastised the press secretary for using the term “folks” in her post on X. “KJP gives half-a**ed condolences to ‘three folks who are military folks who are brave who are always fighting, who were fighting on behalf of this administration.’ ‘Folks’? Wow. That’s low even for KJP. Show some damn respect for once!”
ZNO, an X user, remarked, “KJP’s brain is literally fighting with her not to say words that would commemorate the 3 dead servicemen. This is how much they hate you. This is how much they hate this country. Their bodies reject it. The Biden administration is a disgrace and a stain on this country.”
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis’s press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, criticized Jean-Pierre’s remarks on X, “Say what you will about this word salad, but the idea that anyone in the military is fighting on behalf of any administration is precisely what is wrong with the DC ruling class. Disgusting comment by @PressSec.”
The strike on Saturday comes amid growing worries over Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza. Iran also launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, and Yemen has since attacked trade boats that are traversing the Red Sea. Biden has been criticized for handling the situation, and many worry this could escalate an already volatile relationship with the Middle East.