Fox News reporter Peter Doocy kept poking Tuesday at Karine Jean-Pierre , asking how a criminal defendant could be ahead of President Joe Biden in five battleground states. (Watch the video below.)

Doocy was referring to New York Times polls that showed former President Donald Trump , whos on trial over concealing hush money payments, beating Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The incumbent won all of those swing states in 2020.

Doocy milked it in an exchange with the White House press secretary.

Why do you think Americans are so down on President Biden right now? Doocy asked.

What do you mean? Jean-Pierre replied.

I know you dont like to talk about polls like the five of six swing states that he is losing right now to somebody who is a criminal defendant, but more broadly, it doesnt seem like anything you guys are doing is making him more popular, Doocy said. Why do you think that is?

Jean-Pierre said Biden has taken Americans hardships very, very seriously and took action on a pandemic-scarred economy that also took a hit from Putins war, which sparked gas price hikes.

She noted some of Bidens victories to stimulate the economy to make sure that we dont leave people behind, including the American Rescue Plan. She touted Bidens job creation and his efforts to lower health care costs and expand the Affordable Care Act.

Its not going to stop us from talking about it, she said of the economic difficulty. And its also not going to stop us from talking about the contrasts that we see from GOP, Republican congressional members who want to do the opposite of what the president is trying to get done, cutting social security, Medicare, Medicaid. ... slashing taxes for billionaires and corporations ... We know that prices are too high for Americans.

Why is it that nothing youre doing to address their concerns is working? Doocy pressed further.

We understand what the American people is feeling, Jean-Pierre answered. Thats why were going to continue to do the work.

The press secretary briefly touched on tariff protections.

Doocy, who regularly pushes Jean-Pierres buttons, wasnt done. So more broadly then, have you considered in the White House that some of President Bidens recent policy positions could be a turnoff to the people that used to like him?

Jean-Pierre countered that combating student debt and Big Pharma have earned mass approval.

So what the president is actually doing is popular with what the majority of Americans want to do, Jean-Pierre said. Even in protecting reproductive rights, something that Republicans are not on the right side of history. You think about what extreme elected officials want to do. The president wants to protect and make sure that we actually are giving a woman a right to make really difficult decisions on their health care. So that part I certainly disagree with you on.

Heres a longer clip of the exchange from Fox News: