White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday said that President Biden still believes that President-elect Trump is an ‘existential threat’ to democracy.
But when confronted by a reporter about Biden’s relative silence on the ‘threat’ he thinks Trump poses since the election, Jean-Pierre replied, ‘We are now in a different place.’
‘There was an election and the American people spoke. The will of the American people were very clear,’ she told reporters at the daily White House press briefing.
Biden met with Trump at the White House last week and committed to a ‘smooth transition’ as the 45th and soon to be 47th president prepares to return to office in January.
Their cordial meeting stood in stark contrast to the heated rhetoric used before Election Day, when Biden and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris each called Trump a ‘fascist’ and repeatedly warned that American democracy would be in danger if he prevailed.
‘Politics is tough and in many cases it’s not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today,’ a smiling Trump said after Biden shook his hand and welcomed him back to the White House.
Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden’s shift in tone reflects an effort to ‘lead by example’ to make sure the peaceful transfer of power takes place.
‘He feels like he is obligated. What he said still stands, but we are now in a different place. We are— the American people spoke. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power,’ she said.
