Psaki Says White House Could Propose “Bunny Rabbits and Ice Cream” Laws as Administration Hits Rock Bottom on Multiple Fronts

On 1/13/2022, Press Secretary Jen Psaki arrived at the briefing room on one of the administration’s worst days. Inflation had hit a 40-year high. The Supreme Court had blocked Biden’s vaccine mandate. Build Back Better was dead. Voting rights legislation was about to fail after Senator Kyrsten Sinema reiterated her opposition to changing the filibuster just minutes before Biden addressed the Democratic caucus. When a reporter asked if it was time for a reset, Psaki offered a now-iconic response about “bunny rabbits and ice cream."

"Bunny Rabbits and Ice Cream”

A reporter laid out the cascading failures bluntly: “Things just seem like they’re going pretty poorly right now. Build Back Better, voting rights have been blocked. Diplomatic talks with Russia doesn’t seem to have brought us back from the brink of war. Inflation’s at a 40-year high. The virus is setting records for infection. You seem to be stagnating on an incredible number of fronts right now.”

Psaki’s response became the defining quote of the day. “We could certainly propose legislation to see if people support bunny rabbits and ice cream, but that wouldn’t be very rewarding to the American people,” she said. “So the President’s view is we’re going to keep pushing for hard things.”

When the reporter pressed — “So the sense is things are going well? There’s no need for change right now?” — Psaki doubled down. “Having worked in a White House before, you do hard things in White Houses. You have every challenge at your feet, laid at your feet, whether it’s global or domestically.”

Sinema Delivers the Kill Shot

Senator Kyrsten Sinema took to the Senate floor just minutes before Biden arrived at the Capitol to address the Democratic caucus. “There’s no need for me to restate my longstanding support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation,” Sinema said. “And there’s no need for me to restate its role protecting our country from wild reversals in federal policy.”

Senator Manchin followed with his own statement confirming he would not change the filibuster either. Asked how Biden responded to Sinema’s speech, Psaki said: “I think the President was most focused on speaking directly to the caucus, not on her comments.”

Biden: “I Don’t Know Whether We Can Get This Done”

After emerging from the caucus meeting, Biden struck an unusually candid tone. “The honest-to-God answer is, I don’t know whether we can get this done,” he said. “But I know one thing — as long as I have a breath in me, as long as I’m in the White House, as long as I’m engaged at all, I’m going to be fighting.”

He appeared to acknowledge defeat, speaking in the past tense. “We missed this time,” Biden said. A reporter noted the shift: “The President spoke about the voting rights push in the past tense. He said, ‘We missed this time.’ What then is the political value in moving forward with these show votes?”

No Backup Plan

When reporters asked what the administration’s backup plan was for voting rights, Psaki could offer nothing concrete. “If we miss the first time, we can come back and try the second time,” she said. “We’re going to have to determine what the next steps are.”

Underwater on His Anniversary

The briefing came one day before the first anniversary of Biden’s inauguration, with his approval ratings underwater — more Americans disapproving than approving. Asked what Biden planned to do differently in year two, Psaki said: “The President doesn’t think that the disapproval rates are a reflection of the way he’s approached the job. I would point you to what most data shows you, which is frustration about COVID and prices.”

Asked whether Biden had underestimated Trump’s continued grip on the Republican Party, Psaki pointed to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s evolution as evidence. “Hearing Kevin McCarthy talk today, and seeing what he said on January 21st last year, is a pretty stark reminder of how much sway the former President has over members of his party,” she said.

Key Takeaways

Psaki said the White House could propose “bunny rabbits and ice cream” legislation but instead chose to “keep pushing for hard things” — on a day when every major initiative had stalled or failed.
Senator Sinema reiterated her opposition to changing the filibuster minutes before Biden addressed the Democratic caucus, effectively killing voting rights legislation.
Biden admitted “I don’t know whether we can get this done” and spoke about voting rights “in the past tense.”
Inflation was at a 40-year high, the Supreme Court had blocked the vaccine mandate, and diplomatic talks with Russia had not prevented escalation.
On the eve of his first anniversary, Biden’s approval ratings were underwater and Psaki had no backup plan for voting rights.

Transcript Highlights

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

We could certainly propose legislation to see if people support bunny rabbits and ice cream, but that wouldn’t be very rewarding to the American people.
There’s no need for me to restate my longstanding support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation.
The honest-to-God answer is, I don’t know whether we can get this done. But as long as I have a breath in me, I’m going to be fighting.
Things just seem like they’re going pretty poorly right now. Build back better, voting rights have been blocked. Inflation’s at a 40-year high. The virus is setting records.
We missed this time. If we miss the first time, we can come back and try the second time.
The President doesn’t think that the disapproval rates are a reflection of the way he’s approached the job.

Full transcript: 1982 words transcribed via Whisper AI.