WATCH: Biden Press Chiefs Mock Don Lemon Remarks Live During Briefing — And Behind the Scenes

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC spokesman John Kirby mocked Don Lemon’s widely-criticized remarks about women being past their prime — and did so behind the scenes as well as on-camera.

Haley announced her candidacy for president this week with a bio-heavy campaign video on Tuesday and a rally in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday at which she called for competency tests for politicians over 75, widely seen as a shot at President Joe Biden and ex-President Donald Trump.

On Thursday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Lemon stepped in it when he tried to criticize Haley’s demand for mental fitness tests by saying Haley would be considered “past her prime” by Google, remarks for which he later apologized.

At Friday’s White House briefing, Jean-Pierre and Kirby made an oblique reference to a conversation they’d had in the press office before the briefing, the subject of which would later become clear:

And joining me today from the National Security Council is John Kirby, who will preview the trip.

John? Do you want to come up? You’re welcome.

MR. KIRBY: Great. Yeah, sure. Yeah. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t rushing anything.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s all — it’s all yours. No, no. I know we were talking about something else back there.

MR. KIRBY: We — we were —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But we’re not going to mention that. (Laughs.)

MR. KIRBY: Yeah.

Q Oooh. (Laughter.)

MR. KIRBY: Well, now you opened it up.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) I know I did.

MR. KIRBY: It had something to do with my age, I think.

After his opening remarks, Kirby and Jean-Pierre made another more definitive reference:

MR. KIRBY: With that, I’m happy to take some questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: John, neither of us have hit our prime yet.

MR. KIRBY: Beg your pardon? (Laughter.) Oh, oh, we’re back to my age again. Yeah. (Laughs.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.

Later in the briefing, CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang picked up on the unsubtle banter, and asked Jean-Pierre directly about Lemon’s comments, to which Jean-Pierre responded in a more general fashion:

Q And then, switching topics. On a topic that you brought up —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Uh-oh. (Laughs.)

Q — with John Kirby earlier —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh.

Q — when you said that neither you or he are — have “hit your prime yet.” Does the President have anything to say about this national conversation that was sparked after a claim that was seemingly made in defense of the President, that Nikki Haley is not in her prime because women hit their prime in their 20, 30s, and 40s?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, I’m not going to comment directly to that. That is something, clearly, that needs to be addressed by —

Q Right, I only bring it up because you — you brought it up with John.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no. No, no. I’m going to say something. Just give me a second. I — I have something to say.

When you look at this President’s administration, and we have talked about the numbers before, it is — there are more women in his senior — in his senior advisor, in his senior staff roles than men. And I think when you think about that, you see a President that truly — that truly takes pride and takes deep consideration into making sure — and meaningful consideration to making sure there are diverse voices around him.

And I think that’s impor- — that’s important. And I — and so what I want to say is: Just watch his actions, watch what he’s done.

You just asked me about — about — about Julie Su. And I laid out what the President has done in having the most diverse administration. And so I think all you have to do is look at the numbers, look at the people around him, look what he’s been able to do, look how he’s lift up different communities, including women. And I’m just going to leave it there.

It is, clearly, truly a priority for him. And I’ll just leave it there.

Watch above via C-SPAN.