WH Spox Asked About Boebert Heckling Biden as He Spoke About Late Son Beau — Responds with Message to Gold Star Families

Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a question about the heckling of President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address by reading out a message to grieving Gold Star families.

Congresswomen Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia made headlines at Tuesday night’s SOTU speech, turning their backs on cabinet members and periodically heckling the president, including the well-publicized moment Boebert shouted out while Biden spoke about his son.

Ms. Jeann-Pierre briefed reporters aboard Air Force One Wednesday en route to Wisconsin and was asked about the latter moment. But instead of responding to the fact that Boebert was heckling, KJP addressed the substance of the shouted jab — the 13 families who lost a loved one during the evacuation of Afghanistan:

Q Does the President have a reaction to the interruption last night by the — I think it was two Republican congresswomen right around the time when he was talking about his son?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, you know, we grieve alongside these Gold Star families. We do not pretend to understand the depths of their grief, but we respect their concerns and their unique perspectives about the loss of their loved ones. So, they were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth.

Q Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right.

Q I actually wasn’t — I wasn’t actually asking about Gold Star families. I was asking about the —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: One of the members actually —

Q Was that Boebert?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. She was — yeah, that’s what she was talking about.

Q I see. I thought she said, “Build the wall.”

Q There was someone else that shouted “Build the wall,” I think.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It might’ve been someone else. Yeah.

Earlier yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the heckling and gave a lengthy response that amounted to a brush-off. She told an interviewer that the moment “says a lot more about them” than anything else, and did not address the substance of Boebert’s comment.

Watch above via The White House.