When a reporter asked White House press secretary Josh Earnest what “victory” over the Islamic State would look like and what “destroy” really means, he replied with a joke.

“I didn’t bring my Webster’s dictionary,” he said.

The response didn’t sit well with many people, given the seriousness of the threat posed by Islamic State terrorists across the globe. Watch the rest of his response below:

Twitchy provides some of reactions from Twitter:

I can't even https://t.co/8ECmvTXora

— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) September 11, 2014

Cute. The republic is doomed. https://t.co/Wm78qG6twY

— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 11, 2014

@ZekeJMiller @exjon @OKnox OMG this is real life NOT an episode of the West Wing. FFS. Get UR act together @PressSec.

— Laurel Lieb (@laureldlieb) September 11, 2014

We're in good hands... https://t.co/byg8sIt6s3 @ZekeJMiller @OKnox @PressSec #isis

— William J. Miller (@WilliamJMiller) September 11, 2014

Secretary of State John Kerry downplayed the idea that the U.S. is at “war” with the Islamic State, instead insisting that the United States is “engaging in a significant counter-terrorism operation.

“I don’t think people need to get into a war fever on this,” he said.