(CNSNews.com) - When President Biden calls out MAGA Republicans, he’s referring to an “extreme part” of the Republican Party, which does not just include Republican leadership, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.
“When it comes to voters, how does the President differentiate between the ultra-MAGA folks who he sees as an extremist threat to democracy and the average GOP voter?” a reporter asked.
JEAN-PIERRE: So, can’t talk about voters from here, as you know. …. Just to be clear. I mean, the president has been — has been really clear about the leadership — right? — the MAGA Republicans in leadership. They’re the ones who have the platform. They’re the ones who — again, the extremist part of the Republican Party.
They’re the ones who, you know, folks listen to in their own party, and by inciting violence, by trying to take away — they’re the ones who are the legislators and trying to take away our rights, trying to take away our freedoms, and that’s who the president is speaking to, right? He’s being very targeted in that way and calling that out and saying, you know, “We can’t allow our democracy to be attacked in this way.”
And they have a responsibility — right? — they have a responsibility in how they’re doing their business on behalf of their constituents.
REPORTER: So, for folks sitting at home, when the president is talking about preserving the soul of the nation and these threats to democracy, he’s not referring to those individuals; he’s talking about Republican leadership?
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, let me be — be very clear: It’s not just Republican leadership. It’s not just that blanket. Right? He is talking about an extre- — an extreme portion, like extreme part of the party. He’s been very, very clear about that.
He was just in Maryland, as you all know, and he talked about Governor Larry Hogan and talked about how he is a conservative Republican who does not — who is not in that bucket. Right? He was very clear, and he was very purposeful in saying that and being respectful to conservative Republicans who are not part of that extreme.
So, again, I want to be very clear here: This is not a blanket statement. This is calling out what we have seen for some time, since 2017, as the president wrote about in his article. Right?
When you are — when you are supporting an authoritarian figure, as we have seen, who is leading — currently leading — the former — the former president, you know, and — and saying the — inciting the violence that you are or wanting to take away our freedoms, you know, it — we need to say something. He’s not going to shy away from that.