In a recent exchange at Wednesday’s White House press conference, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre engaged in a brief verbal spar with New York Post reporter Steven Nelson. The confrontation arose when Nelson, visibly frustrated, claimed that Jean-Pierre had been ignoring his questions for approximately “two seasons.”
Interrupting Jean-Pierre as she sought to call on another reporter, Nelson voiced his discontent, stating, “You haven’t called on me in two seasons, Karine.”
Jean-Pierre, firm in her response, retorted, “And I’m not calling on you today,” redirecting her attention to a different journalist.
Despite Jean-Pierre’s attempts to move on and address other reporters, Nelson persisted, admonishing her for what he perceived as disrespect towards a free and independent media outlet. He specifically criticized the alleged blacklisting of the New York Post, highlighting its status as the country’s oldest daily newspaper with the fourth-largest print circulation.
During the back-and-forth, Nelson took to his social media account to share his perspective, asserting that the last time he was called upon by Jean-Pierre was in May. He emphasized the relevance of the exchange, as it touched upon press freedom issues and linked to an article addressing the Biden administration’s pre-screening process for reporters at exclusive events.
Responding to inquiries from Fox News Digital, Nelson opted to let his earlier remarks stand, providing no further comment on the incident.
This clash is not the first instance of friction between Nelson and the White House. In a previous encounter, Nelson confronted President Biden in June, raising questions about alleged involvement in a bribery scheme with Ukrainian officials. Biden, in response, deflected the query, questioning its validity.
The @NYPost is our country’s oldest daily newspaper. We have 4th-largest print circulation and only NY Times has more web traffic@PressSec last called on me in May, and on a colleague in July. The May exchange was also about press freedom issues: https://t.co/lNhoE8KSfD https://t.co/4FdRDZvlQ3
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) October 11, 2023
More recently, Jean-Pierre ignored a question from Nelson regarding a CNN poll indicating that over half of voters believed President Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings.
Last week, Jean-Pierre faced criticism for dismissing a reporter who claimed to have waited four months to ask a question, telling him he was “wasting our time.”
The incident adds to a series of contentious interactions between the Biden administration and certain members of the press, underscoring ongoing tensions between the White House and reporters seeking answers on critical issues.
Karine Jean-Pierre gets slammed for not answering questions again!
Steven Nelson, a reporter from the New York Post did not hold back this time.
“It’s one of our country’s largest and most widely read newspapers, Karine! That shows contempt for a free and independent press!”… pic.twitter.com/1EPFEh4ubz
— TP Breaking Alerts (@tpbreaking) October 11, 2023
