Karine Jean-Pierre's 'Firing Squad' Recap of Biden's Exit Sparks Controversy

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing backlash after describing the Democratic Party's reaction to President Biden's debate performance and subsequent exit from the race as a "firing squad."

Speaking at an event for the Institute of Politics at Harvard University on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre said, "I think what was the toughest thing to see in the three weeks was there was a disconnect for me [in] what was happening with leadership in the Democratic Party and how it was truly, as my former colleague, communications director Ben Labolt said, it was a firing squad."

She continued, "I had never seen anything like it before. I had never seen a party do that in the way that they did, and it was hurtful and sad to see that happening. A firing squad around a person who I believe was a true patriot... who I believe has done more in one term than most presidents had done in two terms, historical things, and I was shocked by what I was seeing."

These comments, marking her first in-depth analysis since leaving the White House, immediately ignited criticism, particularly from conservatives on social media. I mean, can you really blame them for speaking out? The whole situation was pretty dramatic.

Joe Concha, a Fox News contributor, posted on X, "She openly lied about Biden’s mental decline. She blamed cheap fake videos, which many in media echoed. Worst press secretary of our lifetimes. And now she’s shocked, shocked. . . ."

Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X, "The most important takeaway from this is Karine still doesn’t understand that they did anything wrong."

Greg Price of the White House Rapid Response team posted on X, "She either genuinely believes that Joe Biden was the most cognitively aware person to ever be President, or she knows he wasn't fit to serve four more years and is once again lying to you. Either way, she's the worst Press Secretary in American history."

Guy Benson, another Fox News contributor, posted on X, "She's complicit."

Jim Treacher, a Substack writer, posted on X, "She really thought she could just lie her way past Father Time."

Jean-Pierre also mentioned during her Harvard appearance that she has intentionally avoided watching the news since leaving her post.

"I have not watched the news," she said. "I have really tried to focus on self-care. I’ve really tried to focus on my daughter. I have a 10-year-old. And I have done . . . it's, I think the best way to say this is, I have deprogrammed myself so that I could be a civilian again. I used to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. Like, that was my schedule every day for four years. And I thought that when I stepped away from the lectern and the podium that I would have this, like, adrenaline, like, I would need to feed my, like, ‘Aaah, I need to be doing something!’"

Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this report