KJP Calls Kevin McCarthy’s Border Visit a “Political Stunt” — Asks “What Is His Plan?” As Biden Had Not Visited the Border in 22 Months as President

On 11/22/2022, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attacked then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for visiting El Paso to highlight the border crisis. “Kevin McCarthy — soon to be Speaker McCarthy — what is his plan? What is he doing to help the situation that we’re seeing? What is his plan? He goes down there and he does a political stunt, like many Republicans do,” KJP said. The attack came despite President Biden having not visited the southern border a single time during his 22 months in office at that point, and despite Border Patrol encounters reaching record levels month after month under his watch. KJP’s demand that McCarthy produce a “plan” was asked of a man who wouldn’t become Speaker for another six weeks, while her own administration had presided over the worst border crisis in American history.

”McCarthy Is at the Border”

The reporter set the context. “The second leader, McCarthy, is in El Paso today. Probably going to make some kind of announcement involving the Homeland Security Secretary. How does the White House respond to criticism that it’s lost control of the border? And given the change in leadership at Customs and Border Protection, what changes does the White House have in mind about how it wants to manage to blow migrants from the border?” the reporter asked.

The question was substantive. It referenced an actual visit by the incoming Republican House Speaker to the border, the ongoing criticism of the administration’s border policies, and the recent leadership change at Customs and Border Protection (where Chris Magnus had been forced out). The reporter was asking the White House to address both the political criticism and the operational changes.

”Mayorkas — Pardon Me”

KJP’s response began with a revealing verbal slip. “So just a couple of things. You know, I know I’ve heard that my — orc is — pardon me, that Kevin McCarthy is at the border,” KJP said.

The slip was telling. KJP started to say “Mayorkas” (Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas) before catching herself and substituting “Kevin McCarthy.” The mistake suggested that KJP’s mental framework was pre-loaded with Mayorkas-related border talking points, and she confused which official was being discussed at the start of her answer.

”What Is His Plan?”

KJP then pivoted to attacking McCarthy. “The question that we have for Kevin McCarthy, who soon to be speaker McCarthy, you know, what is his plan? What is he doing to help the situation that we’re seeing? What is his plan?” KJP said.

The question — “what is his plan?” — was extraordinary given the circumstances. McCarthy wasn’t in charge of border policy. He wasn’t a member of the Biden administration. He didn’t control the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, or any agency with responsibility for border management. He was the minority leader of the House of Representatives, about to become Speaker.

The administration that was in charge of border policy was Biden’s. The agency responsible for border management was CBP, under DHS Secretary Mayorkas. The person who should have had a plan was the president — or his Homeland Security Secretary. The question “what is his plan?” should have been directed at Biden, not at the opposition party leader.

By asking “what is his plan?” KJP was effectively acknowledging that the administration needed Republican help to address a crisis of its own making. It was admitting that Biden didn’t have a plan that was working — otherwise, McCarthy’s alternative wouldn’t matter. The reporter’s original question had been about the administration’s plan, and KJP had pivoted to demanding a plan from someone else.

”He Goes Down There and Does a Political Stunt”

KJP characterized McCarthy’s border visit as theater. “He goes down there and he does a political stunt, like many Republicans do, that we have seen them do, but he actually is not putting forth a plan,” KJP said.

The “political stunt” framing was the administration’s standard attack on Republican border visits, deployed repeatedly throughout 2022. Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida had been called “political stunt” artists for transporting migrants to northern sanctuary cities. Republican members of Congress had been called stunt performers for visiting the border. Any Republican engagement with the border crisis was framed as performative politics rather than substantive concern.

The framing had limits. If visiting the border was a political stunt, what was Biden’s complete absence from the border during 22 months in office? If Republican concern about record encounter numbers was performative, what was the Biden administration’s insistence that everything was under control? The “stunt” framing couldn’t survive the comparison between Republican engagement with the crisis and Democratic dismissal of it.

Biden’s Border Absence

The context that made KJP’s McCarthy attack particularly difficult was Biden’s own border absence. By November 2022, Biden had been president for nearly 22 months — a period during which border encounters had reached all-time records. He had not visited the southern border a single time.

The absence was not for lack of opportunity. Biden had traveled extensively during his presidency, including multiple trips to California, Arizona, and Texas. Several of those trips had brought him within hours of the border. On none of them had he made time to visit the border itself.

Biden’s border absence was a recurring topic of press questioning. Reporters regularly asked when he would visit. The administration regularly deflected — citing scheduling constraints, claiming Biden was focused on other issues, or noting that Vice President Harris had been designated as the administration’s lead on “root causes” of migration (though she hadn’t visited the border either for most of her tenure).

Biden eventually visited the border for the first time in January 2023 — more than two years after taking office and only after significant political pressure. Even that visit was brief and scripted, with Biden meeting no migrants and seeing no active border enforcement operations.

In this context, KJP’s criticism of McCarthy’s El Paso visit as a “stunt” was particularly hollow. At least McCarthy was going. At least he was looking. At least he was forcing attention to the ongoing crisis. The Biden administration was offering no comparable engagement while dismissing Republican engagement as theatrical.

The Ironic Reversal

The exchange represented an ironic reversal of typical political dynamics. Traditionally, administrations in power would be the ones traveling to crisis sites, showing engagement, and demanding that opposition critics “put forward a plan.” Opposition parties would be the ones complaining that the administration wasn’t doing enough.

In this case, the roles were reversed. The administration wasn’t visiting the crisis site. The opposition was. The administration was demanding plans from the opposition. The opposition was developing plans to implement when it gained power.

This reversal reflected the broader dysfunction of the border policy debate in 2022. The administration had chosen to describe the crisis as under control rather than acknowledging its severity. The opposition was forced to highlight the crisis that the administration refused to acknowledge.

Key Takeaways

KJP called Kevin McCarthy’s El Paso border visit a “political stunt” — while Biden had not visited the border in 22 months as president.
She demanded McCarthy produce a “plan” for the border — a question that should have been directed at the administration responsible for border policy.
The “help us deal with an issue” framing implicitly acknowledged the administration was struggling with the border situation.
KJP began her answer with a verbal slip, almost saying “Mayorkas” before correcting to “McCarthy.”
The exchange represented an ironic role reversal — the opposition engaging with the crisis while the administration dismissed that engagement as theater.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Kevin McCarthy is in El Paso today. Probably going to make some kind of announcement involving the Homeland Security Secretary.
How does the White House respond to criticism that it’s lost control of the border?
The question that we have for Kevin McCarthy, soon to be Speaker McCarthy — what is his plan?
He goes down there and he does a political stunt, like many Republicans do.
He actually is not putting forth a plan.
A plan to help us deal with an issue that we’re all seeing that you all are reporting.

Full transcript: 177 words transcribed via Whisper AI.