‘Wow!’ Reporter Draws Stunned Laughs at Briefing By Asking if Biden’s String of Wins While Infected is ‘Coincidence’

Washington Post White House correspondent Tyler Pager drew astonished laughter when he asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if President Joe Biden’s recent successes and his Covid isolation are “just a coincidence.”

After being sprung briefly after a negative test, President Biden went back into isolation over the weekend due to a rebound Covid infection. Meanwhile, the Senate passed the bipartisan CHIPs bill and reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act.

At Tuesday’s White House briefing, Pager connected those dots, asking Jean-Pierre if the successes are a “coincidence” and citing the success of the 2020 campaign during isolation. When Jean-Pierre recovered from the surprise, she gave Pager a detailed answer — and he took two more cracks at it:

MR. PAGER: Just a question following up on Zeke’s. Did the — this has been one of the most successful weeks of the President’s tenure in the White House so far. I’m wondering if it’s just a coincidence that it’s happened while he has largely been isolating in the White House. You know, the CHIPS bill has passed, an historic agreement with Manchin and Schumer.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, my gosh. (Laughs.) What are you trying to say?

MR. PAGER: I’m not —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wow. (Laughs.)

MR. PAGER: I’m just — I’m just wondering if the White House finds it a coincidence or — I mean, the President had a successful 2020 campaign where he was mostly working from his home. Work from home has seemed to be successful for the President. And I’m wondering if —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Tyler! (Laughter.) My goodness! Geez.

MR. PAGER: — any feeling that — that you guys have on that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, my gosh. The cynicism. (Laughter.)

Look, the President is going to continue to work for the American people regardless. You know, it doesn’t matter where he is. I hear — I hear what you’re saying. But, you know, we’ve had successes over the last 18 months. It’s not just been this week. Right? (Laughs.)

MR. PAGER: I’m not — I wasn’t saying just — just this spurt —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I hear you, but —

MR. PAGER: — has been a quite successful week for the President by — by all accounts.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, but it’s not the first time. We had the American Rescue Plan. We had the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. You know, we’ve had other successes in this White House.

And so, look — look, you know, what we have seen the past couple of days — is the Pres- — President grateful? Absolutely, from what we’re seeing from Congress — the work that we have continued to do with them, the partnership that we have had with them for the past 18 months.

You know, when you look at the Inflation Reduction Act, that’s something that we have been working so hard for that he was talking about during the campaign, that is like a down payment from what he was talking about from 2019 that we’re now seeing moving forward. And we are grateful for that.

You know, and — and so we’re going to — the CHIPS Act, as you just mentioned — he did an event with the governor of Michigan. And that’s going to be something that we’ll see more on — those types of events with state — state, local officials.

But, look, you know, I will say this: This is all — what we’re seeing right now is because of the hard work of this administration, is because work that we have been doing for some time now just happens to be coming down at this time.

But I wouldn’t put it all together in one — in one week or two. I’m just saying: This is the work that we have been working towards. This is the hard work of this President. This is the hard work of this administration to continue to do the business of the American people. And he has still been working.

MR. PAGER: I know —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He has still been working.

MR. PAGER: I know, and I’m not suggesting that he’s not working. It’s just at a time when, for the first time, when he has been forced by his medical diagnosis to stay in the Residence, there’s been a string of successes.

I’m getting the sense that you’re saying it’s just a coincidence that the timing has aligned. But — but I don’t want to put words in your mouth. I don’t want to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Tyler, my goodness.

MR. PAGER: I just — I just think it’s an interesting phenomenon that we’ve seen, across a range of his priorities, they’ve all kind of come together at this moment.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think we should just be really thrilled and really excited that we’re getting work done for the American people. And I think that’s — I think that’s what matters at the end of the day.

Watch above via C-SPAN.