White House says Biden 'we finally beat Medicare' flub was meant to be about 'big pharma'

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday clarified President Joe Biden's "we finally beat Medicare" flub last week was meant to be about beating big pharmaceutical companies. 

The president left many viewers confused during the first presidential debate last week when he stumbled through an answer on the national debt by concluding that the administration "finally beat Medicare." 

“He meant to say he beat big pharma,” Jean-Pierre said in a briefing when asked about the answer, according to The Hill. “I mean, that’s what he meant to say.”

The comment was meant to reflect that the Biden administration was able to help give Medicare the ability to negotiate prescription drug prices that it pays to pharmaceutical companies, which is intended to help reduce federal spending, the Associated Press reported.

The answer was among one of the president's biggest issues in the debate against former President Donald Trump. Biden's performance has sparked fear and confusion among Democrats on whether the president is capable of serving another four years in office, and whether he can actually beat Trump in November.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.