Most Democrats Didn't Want Biden to Run Again. Jean-Pierre: 'Watch Him' (February 6, 2023)

The day before President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union, the polls were brutal. Just 37% of Democrats wanted him to seek a second term, down from 52% before the midterms, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll [2]. At the White House briefing, a reporter read Biden’s numbers from an NBC poll, including this one: “Has the necessary mental and physical health to be President: 28 percent, yes; 54 percent, no” [1].

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered that Biden deserved the credit for Democrats’ midterm results. “The President has been very clear: He intends to run,” she said. “Watch him and see what he does” [1].

The video above shows the exchange from the Feb. 6, 2023, briefing. Quotes are from the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

”A Majority of Democrats Don’t Want the President to Seek Reelection”

The first question laid out the problem. “A number of surveys, including from the AP, over the weekend showed that a majority of Democrats don’t want the President to seek reelection. They’re looking for a new generation and have concerns about his age,” a reporter said. “Without getting into whether or not the President will announce, does the President believe that he has to address those concerns from his own constituents?” [1]

“So, as you just laid out, I’m going to be very careful; covered by the Hatch Act,” Jean-Pierre said. “The President has been very clear: He intends to run. And, you know, I think the way that we should look at this is what we saw from the midterms” [1].

She said the president “laid out the policy for senators and congressional members to really have a midterms that did not lead to a red wave,” and added: “We were told it was going to be more than 60 seats. And it’s not that at all” [1].

Then she brushed off the question of whether Biden needed to answer the doubts. “And so, I’m not going to get into what the person — what the President should respond to. I think, you know, the President always says this: Watch him. Watch him and see what he does” [1].

”Is Biden Honest and Trustworthy?”

Another reporter followed up with numbers. “This is a recent NBC poll: Is Biden honest and trustworthy? 34 percent, yes; 48 percent, no. Ability to handle a crisis: 30 percent — 32 percent, yes; 49 percent, no. Competent and effective: 31 percent, yes; 49 percent, no. Has the necessary mental and physical health to be President: 28 percent, yes; 54 percent, no. Uniting the country: 23 percent, yes; 50 percent, no” [1].

“Why are you so convinced that it was President Biden that caused the Democratic success in the midterms and not that the Democrats had success in spite of the President?” the reporter asked [1].

“Well, I’ll say this: Because if you look at what candidates — senators and congressional members — ran on, it was the successes that the President had,” Jean-Pierre said, listing the infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. “Yeah, I think the President did play a big role” [1].

The reporter pressed once more, asking whether other Democrats had been “more successful at talking about the President’s agenda than the President” himself [1].

What the Poll Found

The AP-NORC numbers were worse than the headline. Only 22% of all U.S. adults said Biden should run again, and among Democrats under 45, just 23% did, down from 45% before the midterms. In follow-up interviews, the AP reported, many respondents said “the 80-year-old’s age is a liability, with people focused on his coughing, his gait, his gaffes” [2].

“I, honestly, think that he would be too old,” one Democrat, a 37-year-old in Raleigh, North Carolina, told the AP. “We could use someone younger in the office” [2]. Biden, the AP noted, would be 86 at the end of a second term [2].

Jean-Pierre’s midterm argument had its limits, too. Republicans won the House, 222 seats to 213, in the election she cited [3].

”Only 16 Percent Are Feeling Better Off”

The same briefing featured National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, and a reporter Jean-Pierre called Ian pressed him on a poll. “And just to clarify on the stat that was just cited, it’s only 16 percent of those in the pool — poll believe they’re financially better off than when they entered — than when Biden entered the office — the White House. It’s 42 percent feel about the same. So, just to clarify, it’s only 16 percent are feeling better off,” the reporter said [1].

“Well, look, I think that — I don’t want to — you know, I don’t want to repeat myself, only to say we have more work to do,” Deese answered. He pointed to “inflation coming down; gas prices coming down” [1].

”Already There When I Got Here”

A reporter Jean-Pierre called Phil asked about a Biden claim. “The other day, when he was asked about inflation, he said that it was, quote, ‘already there when I got here.’ Of course, inflation, when he arrived on Inauguration Day, was at 1.4 percent. So, did the President misspeak?” [1]

“Look, the — the core of what we’ve seen in this economy has been a pandemic-driven economic crisis and a pandemic-affected recovery,” Deese said [1].

”Is It a National Security Risk?”

At the end, a reporter raised TikTok, quoting Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.: “‘If a CCP surveillance balloon scares you…wait until you hear about TikTok…’” “Does the administration believe that TikTok is a national security threat?” the reporter asked [1].

“So, look, the President — the Biden administration more sp- — more broadly, has never allowed TikTok on White House devices,” Jean-Pierre said. Asked again, “Is it a national security risk?” she said: “Again, I’m just not going to — there’s a review happening by CFIUS. I’m just not going to get ahead of that.” [1]

By the Numbers

37%: Democrats who wanted Biden to seek a second term, down from 52% before the midterms [2].
22%: all U.S. adults who said he should run again [2].
28% to 54%: NBC respondents who said Biden did, or did not, have the mental and physical health to be president, as the reporter read it [1].
80: Biden’s age at the time [2].
16 percent: Americans who felt financially better off, per the poll a reporter cited [1].
1.4 percent: inflation on Inauguration Day, per the reporter [1].
222-213: the Republican House majority that came out of the midterms [3].
312-226: the 2024 Electoral College result, Donald Trump over Kamala Harris [6].

What Happened Next

He ran, then he quit. After what the AP called his “troubling performance” at the June 27, 2024, debate, Biden announced on July 21, 2024, that he would not seek reelection. “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” he wrote [4].

His doctor took the Fifth. On July 9, 2025, Biden’s White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights in a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, which was investigating Biden’s mental fitness in office. Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said the refusal made it “clear there was a conspiracy.” Biden has called claims that he was impaired “ridiculous and false” [5].

Trump won. Harris, who replaced Biden at the top of the ticket, lost to Donald Trump, 312 electoral votes to 226 [6].

For Jean-Pierre’s later claim that Biden did not need a cognitive test, see HYGO News’ page on that briefing. More of her answers checked against the record are on the Karine Jean-Pierre record page.