White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed the COVID pandemic for Vice President Kamala Harris losing the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Donald Trump.

Jean-Pierre made the remarks during Thursday’s press briefing, the first briefing that the administration has had since Tuesday’s election.

A reporter asked Jean-Pierre: “Does the President have any regrets about when he chose to leave the race or any regrets about deciding to run for a second term?”

“Um — so — look — um — the president is very proud of what he was able to accomplish,” Jean-Pierre responded. “He was very proud and when he made that decision to hand over the torch, pass the torch, to the vice president, he believed it was the right decision to make at that time. He believed that she was ready, she was ready to lead on day one and has been very proud in what he’s been able to deliver.”

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“What we saw two nights ago was certainly very much in line to what we’ve seen in other G7 countries, in incumbencies, the role, the toll that the pandemic took even though we were able to lead in the world when it comes to the economy,” she claimed.

She continued, “We saw what happened in other G7 countries, and so, that is what we believe. Look, there’s going to be a lot of punditry, a lot of election experts who are going to have their opinions, who are going to have their thoughts, but the president is very, very proud, very proud of what he’s been able to accomplish and incredibly impressed by what the vice president was able to do.”

WATCH:

CBS’s @NancyCordes: “Does the President have any regrets about when he chose to leave the race or any regrets about deciding to run for a second term?”

KJP: “Um — so — look — um — the President is very proud of what he was able to accomplish. He was very proud and when he made… pic.twitter.com/tp77SSuRim

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 7, 2024