On 1/17/2023, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “I want to ask you about trade. We’re days away now from the President being two years in office, and there have been no completed trade deals. Why not?”
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So a couple of — a couple of — a couple of things here. So when the President was running, he made clear that we will invest in American workers and communities before pursuing new trade deals. And this is exactly what we’ve been doing. You’ve seen it for yourself … More than 750,000 manufacturing jobs were created right here, under this President. At the same time, we’re working —
Q Most added back, though. Most of the jobs added back.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We — we go — we —
Q It created 149,000.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We — we — we go back and forth on this, Ed.
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I hear you. I’m — I’m — 750,000 jobs. Let me finish your — your answer.
Q Sure.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You asked me a question.
But, at the same time, we are working swiftly to finalize the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which represent 40 percent of the world’s GDP
She said, “the two strongest years of job creation in our history. There are reasons for economic optimism all over the country. Today’s new data is the latest confirmation that President Biden’s economic plan is indeed working”
Q And the debt ceiling — it’s supposed to reach its ceiling on Thursday. How do you see the debt ceiling fight playing out? What’s your strategy for getting an agreement?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we have been very clear on this. And I said it at the top, I said it on Friday, and I’ll say it today — so has the President: This should not be political brinksmanship. We should be dealing with the debt ceiling without — without conditions. It is important. We’re not going to work our way around this; we’re not going to negotiate on this. This is the basic — the basic duties of Congress is to deal with this issue.
Q And, lastly, is the President going to sit down with Republicans and talk about this?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, this is something that should be done without conditions. We have been very, very clear about that. We are not going to be negotiating over the debt ceiling.
On Friday, it was reported that Republicans have a so-called “plan” to prioritize payments if Congress fails to address the debt ceiling. So I want to be very, very clear here, as I have been, as the President has been: This is not a plan. It is a recipe for economic catastrophe. As President Biden has made clear, Congress must deal with the debt limit and must do so without conditions. But congressional Republicans are threatening to hold the nation’s full faith and credit, a mandate of the Constitution, hostage to their demands …
Q So just to clarify on the debt ceiling again: So the White House has no intention of sitting down with Leader McCarthy on the debt ceiling in the coming month or at all?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What we’re saying here is that — we’ve been very, very clear. It was clear at the top. It was clear when I was just asked this question. Congress is going to need to address the debt without conditions. And — and it’s just that simple. This should not be — there should be no hostage taking here. There should be no attempts to exploit the debt ceiling or to leverage it. We’re going to be very, very clear about that.
Rep. Donalds on Fox Business Network Making Money with Charles Payne
https://facebook.com/HygoNewsUSA/videos/873241880582201/
Q: no trade deal? A: 750K jobs, Most of jobs added BACK; no debt ceiling no negotiation very, very clear