President Biden had deceased Rep. Jackie Walorski “top of mind” Wednesday when he looked for her in the audience at an event addressing hunger in the U.S., according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre fielded roughly 10 questions Wednesday about the president’s gaffe during the White House press briefing. Jean-Pierre told reporters 14 times that the president wasn’t confused about whether Walorski was alive and in the room, but he had her “top of mind” because he will be meeting with her family on Friday.
The Indiana congresswoman was killed in a car accident in August, which the White House noted in a statement at the time. “The president was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work,” Jean-Pierre said. “He had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House. On Friday, there will be a bill signing in her honor this coming Friday. So, of course, she was on his mind. She was top of mind for the president.”
