James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
3:22 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everyone.
Q Good afternoon.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I have a couple things at the top. So, I want to start by addressing the horrific killing of Sonya Massey.
The president and vice president both released statements on their heartbreak for Sonya Massey’s family and loved ones as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss.
They’ve also been clear that all of us as Americans, regar- — regardless of who we are or where we live, should be able to do so without fearing for our lives.
Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways that many Americans do not. Sonya’s family deserves justice.
President Biden has been clear about his commitment to doing everything he can to make our communities safer, including by advancing effective, accountable policing.
That’s why the president has pushed Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and signed an executive order to make federal policing the gold standard of effectiveness and accountability.
While we wait for this case to be prosecuted, the president and the vice president are continuing to urge Congress to get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to his desk so he can sign it.
I also wanted to share the president and the vice president’s deep sadness at the passing of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
No matter the issue, from delivering racial justice to building an economy for working people, she was unrelenting in her leadership — leadership she demonstrated in her work to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, make Juneteenth a federal holiday, and reintroducing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
As the president said in his statement on Saturday, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace. Both the president and the vice president shared the honor of working with her during their times in Congress.
We at the White House join the president and the vice president and their families in sending our love and condolences to the congresswoman’s family, her con- — her constituents, and beloved colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Later this evening, after the president’s speech, First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Paris, France, to lead the U.S. presidential delegation to the Opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The first lady and the delegation will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games and cheer on Team USA at various events. The First Lady previously led the U.S. delegation to the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in the summer of 2021 due to COVID-19.
And finally, as you all know and certainly are tracking, what we saw from the president the last couple of days is what we have seen from him over the last several decades: human decency, patriotism, a good man who puts the American people ahead of himself.
As the president said in his letter this past Sunday, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
As a member of his team and as an American, I am proud of this president’s record. He has accomplished more in nearly one term than most presidents have in two terms.
The president remains focused on fighting for the American people and building on the historic progress his administration has made.
He’s focused on growing the middle class instead of delivering big giveaways to corporations and the ultra-wealthy; fighting to lower costs for families instead of raising them by threatening to cut critical programs like Social Security; fighting for a fairer tax system instead of championing a $2 trillion tax bill that overwhelmingly benefitted the ultra-wealthy; making health care more accessible and more affordable instead of working to eliminate the Affordable Care Act; strengthening and growing NATO, not eliminating it; and fighting for reproductive freedom, not working to take it away.
You will hear directly from President Biden when he addresses the nation tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Tonight, the president will discuss his historic decision to put the country above all else and about the inflection point we face as a country in this moment.
This is one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make will — now will determine the future of our nation. America must choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.
He signed historic, monumental pieces of legislation into law and has worked across party lines to get a lot of them done, from jump-starting a historic economic recovery to the largest investment in clean energy and climate action, gun safety, and more.
The president is proud to have delivered these historic results for the American people, and he is going to use the remainder of his term to build on this progress for the future with the enduring faith he has in our nation.
And so, therefore, I encourage all Americans to tune in tonight to hear directly from the president.
Zeke.
Q Thanks, Karine. The president believes that it’s best for the country that he not be in the Oval Office for another four years. How can he assure the American people that he is up to be in the Oval Office for the next six months?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, first I would say is that — and I’ve heard these suggestions out there. This is not an answer to — to you. This is an answer to the suggestions that I’ve had — I’ve heard about him resigning from office.
We believe — and any suggestion of that note is ridiculous. It is not what we believe. The president — I just laid out what the president has been able to do in almost four years, and it’s been successful. He’s been able to do more, again, than any president has been able to do in two terms. He’s been able to do that more in one term. And he wants to finish the job that he started and delivering more historic results for the American people.
And, look, he didn’t step down from — from campaigning or from running because he didn’t believe he could serve in a second term. That is not why.
And what I would say, as I just finished my opening — I would say, “Tune in.” Tune in to what he has to say tonight, and he will lay out that out for th- — you all and the American people unto — as to why he made that decision.
Q So, you’re saying he believes that he’s capable of serving another four years, but he just doesn’t believe that he can win another four years?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I will let the president speak for himself.
Q And, so, today, the president believes that he is capable — fully capable of serving in the office that he currently has now and for the next four and a half years if he — if he wanted to —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: If —
Q — if he wanted to do it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely. And let me just quote from what he said on Sunday in his letter. He said, “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
And what — the decision that he made on Sunday was about putting country first, was about his party, and was about the American people.
Again, I would refer you to what he’s going to say tonight. He will lay that out, speak for himself, and you will hear directly from the Americ- —
Q And just —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — from the president. The American people will — certainly will as well.
Q And just on a different topic.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Sure.
Q There’s large protests taking place in Washington, and the White House is now ringed by anti-climb fencing. The Capitol — there’s some protests around Union Station. Is the president monitoring these protests? Does he have a message to the people who are demonstrating right now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, it’s basically what we have said for some time. We respect the right for all American to peacefully protest — peacefully protest. And, obviously, we will continue to strongly condemn any form of violence as it relates, certainly, to protesting or destruction of property. We’ve been very, very clear. But Americans have the right to peacefully protest.
Anything that is related to what’s happening outside of this campus — the fencing, as you just mentioned to me — that’s something for Secret Service to speak to directly.
Q Is he watching the protests, is what I’m asking?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, the president is — is — you know, he is always kept up to date on what’s going on. I — you know, right now, he’s certainly having meetings today with — with his senior advisers and other senior staff. I can’t speak if he’s right now watching the protests. Obviously, he is kept up — up to date into what’s happening.
But what I can say right now: We respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest. We understand that this is a painful moment for many, many communities. But obviously we’re going to continue to condemn — strongly condemn any form of violence or any destruction of property. That is something we’ve been consistent on.
Go ahead, Nancy.
Q Thanks, Karine. You read the president’s statement where he said that it’s in the country’s interests for him to step aside. Why is it in the country’s best interests for him to step aside? Does it have to do with his health or his poll numbers?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It does not have to do — there — it has nothing to do with his health. Again, the president is going to speak to this directly to the American people tonight in prime time. I know many of you all will be watching it. There are specials going on tonight.
He will — I promise you: He will speak to this directly to all of you tonight. But, in his letter, he talked about the country, he talked about the party, he talked about the moment that we’re in right now.
It is not about his health. I can say, no, that’s not the reason. But he- — hear him out tonight.
Q And the president denied for weeks and you denied for —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — weeks that he was even thinking of stepping —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — aside. What changed from all those days that he had that message —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — to Sunday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, he’s going to address this as well this evening. Let him speak for himself.
But here’s what I will say. And I think we gave a little bit of a tick-tock to all of you. He met with a small group of — of advisers on Saturday evening and — and with his family and was thinking through how to move forward.
Sunday afternoon, he made that decision. It was a — in a very short period of time, as you can imagine. And then, at 1:45, he got on the phone with some of his assistants to — assistant to the president, some advisers. He let them know. And then, minutes later, a letter went out.
So, it was a — in a very short period of time that the president was able to think about this and make a decision. But I would say, again, the president is going to address the American people. You will hear directly from him tonight.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks. Can you talk a little more about how he’s feeling after making such an extraordinary decision, like you said, making it —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — quickly?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Did he feel bullied to leave the race?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m going to let the president speak for himself.
Look, these are n- — this — I mean, this obviously is a historic moment, but a decision like this is very personal. It’s not easy to make. And I think there are very rare — rare politicians who could look at the situation and make a decision. Right?
And I think it speaks to how honorable this president is, how selfless this president is that he was able to make this decision and say, “It is not about me. It is about the American people. This is about the country.” And make a — again, a personal, difficult decision.
And so, I think that speaks for itself. I really do. I think that speaks for itself.
And in the letter, as you all know, he said that he wanted to address the American people, was going to give remarks about his decision, and now we’ve come to that day where he’s going to speak directly to the American people later tonight. And he’s going to lay out what it is that he wants to say, what he — he believes the American people want to hear directly from him.
Q So, just switching gears a little bit to —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q — Netanyahu’s remarks on Capitol Hill. We’ve heard Republicans voicing serious criticism against the vice president for not being there. Her team insisting that it was a scheduling conflict. But how do you respond to that? What does it say about her priorities, the administration’s priorities that she was not there?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me just first say that the vice president has — has been unwavering in her commitment to security of Israel. As you know, she’s been a partner with this president for the past four years — not just domes- — domestic issues but obviously also foreign policy issues. She’s going to meet with the prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, when he’s here.
And so, again, has been a critical partner in ensuring that Israel can defend itself and to secure a hostage deal. As you know, the president — we’ve been talking about that for some time, making sure that we have this hostage deal. She’s been a partner in that.
And that’s what I can certainly say — you know, that she continues to be supportive to Israel, making sure that Israel’s security is — is ironclad, as we have been, as the partner — as the president has been. And she’s going to meet with the prime minister.
Go ahead.
Q Given the historic nature of Kamala Harris being the top of the ticket, is — does the president have any regrets about the way that he handed this enormous responsibility off in such a, you know, unusual, shortened, kind of truncated fashion, not having her have a normal ascendency to that top position?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, the president has no regrets — has no regrets.
Let’s not forget, the vice president obviously has been vice president for more than [almost] four years. I do not see anyone who is more qualified to step in in this moment. Right?
She was a senator. She was an attorney general. She’s been a partner to this president — a critical partner, as I’ve said. I’ve listed out what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last three and a half, almost four years — an unprecedented record. She was a partner in that to the president.
And so, look, this is, again, a decision that this president made. And — and I think he is proud to have made that decision. I know so. You saw it in — in what he has been able to say since Sunday. He’s going to be on camera later today, obviously, to address the American people from the Oval Office because of this moment and how big this moment is. He wants to do that. He wants to make sure that Americans hear directly from him, again, after putting out — out the letter on Sunday.
Q And if you could distill just into a few kind of bite-sized pieces, what specific policies, actions does the president want to get done in these last few months?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, he certainly wants to build on what we’ve been able to do. You heard me say this has been a — certainly what he’s been able to accomplish in the four — four years in this first term is more than we have seen in presidents who have done eight — many presidents who have done eight. And he is going to be known as a consequential president of his time.
And so, he’s going to continue to build on those successes. I mean, let’s not forget, if it wasn’t for the American Rescue Plan, we wouldn’t be able to get out of the pandemic, we wouldn’t be able to open up schools, we wouldn’t be able to open up bus- — businesses wouldn’t be able to open up again.
Thi- — Inflation Reduction Act, which was also a incredibly important piece of legislation if you think about climate change and dealing with that, if you think about — if you think about being able to b- — beat Big Pharma.
You think about the infrastructure legislation, which was done in a bipartisan way. This president was able to get that done.
CHIPS and Science Act — again, a bipartisan way this president was able to reach across the aisle and get that done.
You think about NATO, making that stronger and bigger.
I mean, there are many ways. I’m just naming a few things that the president has been able to do.
Look, they — both of them — the president and vice president — are proud to have delivered these re- — historic results, and we’re going to continue to figure out ways on how to build on — on this progress.
So, that’s going to be his focus. We will have a lot more to share. I’m not going to call out, name out policies at this time. But you certainly will hear from this president. He’s going to run through the finish line.
Q No concerns about being a lame duck?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We don’t see ourselves as a lame duck president at all — at all in a — in this — in this period of time. This is a president that has been incredibly successful, and he’s going to do everything that he can to continue to fight for the American people.
I would say, “Stay tuned. Watch.”
Q Thank you, Karine. I have two questions. One on the vice president and then one on the president’s decision.
First, it’s clear that President Biden and Vice President Harris have met regularly, including their standing lunches, from the outset of the administration. But I’m — I’m wondering now, since he made his decision, if there are any plans to increase the cadence of this interactions or if he plans to include her in more of his policy-making processes. How will that relationship and that involvement change?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what I can say is the president and the vice president speak regularly. They see each other regularly. You named some ways of how they’ve been able to do that, to stay in touch and see each other in person.
Look, the president is committed to being president and leading this country forward in the way that he believes that Americans want to see this country moving forward. And the vice president is going to be — continue to be a critical partner. Nothing is going to change in that.
But they’re going to continue to engage, interact, and have important conversations as it relates to policies and moving forward. That’s not going to stop.
And — and just — I’ll leave it there.
Q And on the timing of his decision. It’s now been widely reported that when Senator Chuck Schumer went to visit with the president in Rehoboth a week ago Saturday that President Biden said, “I need another week.”
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look —
Q What did he need another week for?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, here — I’ll say this. They had a very good conversation — the president and — and Senator Schumer. And I’m not going to go into their private conversation. I’m not going to go into particulars. But it was a good conversation.
Q But you said it was a very short timeframe in which the president was —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: To — in making that —
Q — was advised —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — decision. Right?
Q — and made his decision.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: When he started thinking about it and making that decision. He st- — it started Saturday evening. And on Sunday afternoon, he made his decision.
Q But it sounds like he was presented with data a week prior.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m — I’m just not going to get into specifics. It started Saturday evening. The next afternoon, which was Sunday afternoon, he made that decision. A small group of advisers, including family, was with him on Sun- — on Saturday night. And then, Sunday afternoon, he made the decision.
That’s — that’s how it — it happened. That’s how it — it — he — he came to — to announcing it.
Q And on the messaging to us, to the press corps. It’s been nine days since there has been a briefing. The president obviously published his letter officially —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — on Sunday withdrawing from the race. Why go on television to make your first comments about that decision —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — rather than make — make those from the briefing room?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I appreciate that. We’ve always had a protocol here: When the president is not here, we don’t do a briefing. That’s just a — the way that we’ve always ha- — it’s always happened.
The interview that I did yesterday was on the books for about two, three weeks. It was way before — way before the president made his decision. That’s it.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Go ahead.
Q Did the president exit the race because he didn’t think he could defeat Donald Trump in November?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get into — into specific details of his thoughts. I would say tune in to- — tonight when he speaks directly to the American people. You’ll hear what he though- — thinks about this, his decision. He said in his letter that would — he wanted to address the American people about this decision that he made on Sunday. I would tune in to that, and you’ll hear directly from him.
Q And also, similar to some of the questions my colleagues have asked for weeks: People from this podium —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — and other top spokespeople for the president were adamant that there was no way he was dropping out.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Just in terms of credibility moving forward, I’m curious if you guys could just address that question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I kind of addressed it a couple times of the president’s decision-making. When we all t- — when — when folks from my team, from folks from this White House said that he wasn’t going to drop out or he was not planning to drop out, that’s where we were. That’s where we were in that time. That’s — that is the guidance that we had.
I mean, it’s not —
Q So, there were questions about you guys not receiving the proper guidance?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I — Tyler, on Sa- — on Saturday night, he met with a small group of advisers and his family, and that’s when the decision started. Sunday, he made the final — Sunday afternoon, he made the final decision. That’s where we were.
And we’ve talked about this: This was a dynamic situation. It was. This is a historic moment. You have to — that — that is true. And it was for this — the president to come to that decision — to come to that decision.
When we told you all that the president — you heard from the president: He’s not going to drop out. And he actually addressed it himself, not just us. There were multiple events, multiple opportunities where the president said he’s in it. So, you heard directly from him multiple times after the debate.
You know, the president, again, met with his — a small group of advisers on Saturday. Sunday, he made his final decision. That’s how it worked. That’s how it happened.
Q And do you think tonight we’ll get a better sense from him about what went into that decision-making process?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I would tune in to tonight. I would let the president speak for himself in this moment.
Go ahead.
Q Given the level of support the vice president has received from lawmakers, other Democrats, donors, the party in general, has the president expressed any sentiment that maybe he should have made his decision sooner and — and given her a longer timeline?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I will say is this was a difficult decision to make, a personal decision to make. And the personal — the president made it. And I will leave it at that.
Q Has he given any advice at this point to the vice president in her process of picking a running mate?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: They speak regularly. They speak often. Obviously, they have spoken a couple of times. And I’m not going to get into their private discussions.
Go ahead.
Q Is the vice president or her staff going to be more closely involved in the day-to-day operations of the administration, given that she’s now the —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I —
Q — (inaudible)?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — kind of got this question moments ago. Nothing more to add where — the vice president has been a critical partner. She’s been import- — played important role to a lot of decisions that have been made in the past three and half years. That’s not going to change. And the president has always obviously appreciated her — her policy savvy, her — her ideas, her thoughts. And that’s going to continue.
Q Will she get more of a say now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the president is still president. You know, he’s still very much commander in chief. He’s still very much the president of the United States. And he’s still very much going to lead this country in the way and the direction that he believes is right — is the right way to do it.
So, that doesn’t change. That’s not going to change.
Q And just to make sure I understood your answer earlier.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q They have spoken about the VP selection specifically or —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, the VP selection — that is something — obviously, I can’t speak to the campaign’s — the campaign side could speak to.
What I can say is I — I heard the question as giving advice to the vice president in — in any way. Right? They’ve spoken many times. I’m just not going to get into private conversation.
The VP pick, specifically, anything related to that, obviously, the campaign can speak to that more if you want more details.
Q But — but current Vice President Harris won’t have extra staff in meetings that wouldn’t normally be there for some sort of overlap transition they would make?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I would say that nothing — nothing is going to change. The president is the president of the United States. He’s going to continue to lead — you know, lead this administration the way that he sees fit.
They are partners. They are partners. They have been. She’s been, again, a critical partner in some of the big-piece items that we have been able to get done on behalf of — of this country. Obviously, she’s alw- — she’s going to play a role, as she has done in the past.
Q Did he watch the prime minister’s speech?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — that just ended not too — too — too long after I came out here. I have not talked to the president about this, if he was able to catch some of the prime minister’s speech. Obviously, they’re going to — as you know, they’re going to be meeting here at the White House. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the president is going to be meeting here tomorrow.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. This was a White House that was operating, obviously, with an eye towards the next six months but also thinking it might have four more years to serve as well. Can — I know it’s early, but can you talk through whether there has been any sort of new direction about how this White House will operate given that you — you only have this short amount of time left?
Obviously, the president was also balancing a reelection campaign at the same time. Does this free him up? Are there considerations being given to what else he might be able to do that he might not have been?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, don’t have any policy announcements to make at this time. The president is going to continue to do what he has set out to do for the, you know, next several months, even while he was indeed running for reelection, which is pretty consistent: building on the accomplish[ments] that he’s been able to get done. That’s going to be really important. He’s going to look at this remainder — remaind- — remainder of his term, and there’s going to be important issues that he wants to get done.
Don’t have anything right now to — to lay out. But we want to continue to build on those accomplishments. We’ve gotten a lot of things done. Whether it’s health care, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s manufacturing — right? — we want to continue to build on that.
And so, the president is determined. He is determined to get that done.
Q One of the first major initiatives that the president asked the vice president to lead was to oversee the diplomatic work with Central American countries as it relates to flows of migration. The House Rules Committee yesterday approved a resolution that will go to evoke a full House strongly condemning the Biden administration and its border czar, the vice president, for failure to secure the border.
Do you have a response to that? And how — how would the president characterize the vice president’s accomplishments in terms of what we’re seeing in that portfolio?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, as we speak, you have congressional Republicans — they continue doing their — continue with their month-long blockade of critical resources that we need for the border, whether it’s ICE, Border Patrol. And this is what they’ve been doing. This is what they’ve been doing.
Let’s not forget: The bipartisan — a really tough, important bipartisan piece of legislation — or a deal that came out of the Senate that we were able to get done, and they got in their own way. They got in their own way because they listened to the former president, because they thought it would help Joe Biden.
So, they continue to block critical resources. That’s what they have done for the past three and a half years. The president is looking for ways to fund — to fund security funding to get to the border, right? And he’s done that in a record way.
And so, we’re going to continue to fight to make sure that the Border Patrol agents get what they need and get more personnel — thousands of new personnel at the border. That’s what we’re going to do.
The president announced new decisive executive orders to secure the border. Unlawful crossings have dropped by more than 50 percent. And that’s the president acting without Congress — by 50 percent. They are now lower at this point than they were in 2019 and lower than when the former president left office.
And the president is doing that one his own — on his own. They get in the way; he finds other ways to — to make things happen. That’s been the story of this administration.
Q One more question. Obviously, the Secret Service director resigned yesterday. I’m also curious if there is any consideration to increasing the security around the vice president now and whether the resources of the Secret Service are affected by that — that decision?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, that’s something for the Secret Service to speak to. That’s something for the vice president’s campaign to speak to. I — I don’t have anything to add on that as — as it relates to protection.
Go ahead.
Q How are you doing with all of this, Karine? (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You care about how I feel?
Q Are you going to stick around for a potential President Harris administration?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, my goodness. Let me just get through the day. Can I just get through today?
Q I do have some other questions, Karine. (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I think that’s good. I think we’re good. I think we’re good. (Laughter.)
Q Karine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: How are you doing? (Laughter.) Are you good?
Q I’m doing okay. Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I haven’t seen you in a while.
Q Well, you guys haven’t had a press briefing since President Biden has dropped out of the race, so — (laughter).
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The president hasn’t been here. He just got here yesterday. And now I’m here taking your questions.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. And I’ve taken about three or four at this point from you alone. (Laughter.)
Q Well, it — it would seem that people in this White House knew that President Biden was slipping, and it was hidden from the American people. So, who ordered White House officials to cover up a declining president?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know that that is a narrative that you love and — to —
Q Well, when he was — in 10 days —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no, wait. Hold on.
Q He did a press conference at NATO.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on.
Q “I’m in it. There’s all these things that I need to finish.”
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on.
Q And then, 10 days later, “I’m dropping out.”
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, w- — okay, you’re asking me, like, two — multiple questions here. Let me — wait, wait.
First of all, there’s been no cover-up. I want to be very clear about that. I know that’s the narrative that you all want —
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. No, no, no. You can’t in- —
Q I — well —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
Q I’ve been with — I’ve been with President Biden for five years.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Are you going to let me answer the question?
Q Would you at least admit that the debate was not —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I —
Q — just a bad night?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — wait. Can you — can I answer the question?
Q Yes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Are you sure?
Q Yes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. To your first question: It is not a cover-up. I know that is the narrative that you all want. It is not.
I’m going to say this again, and you’re — you’re going to hear directly from the president. I hope you listen tonight. I think it’s going to be incredibly powerful and important. The Oval Office — presidents, as you know, when they make speeches from the Oval Office, it’s because they’re important moments that they want to directly make sure that the American people hear from them. And it’s obviously going to be done in prime time. I would listen to the president.
And then, what I will say is that it is not easy making a decision that the president made on Sunday. It is just not. It is not. And as all you have — you all reported, it is historic. It is unusual. This is not the norm.
And making a decision like that for someone who has been in public service for 54 years — U.S. senator for 36, president to — vice president to President Obama for 8, and now a first term as president himself — these are not easy decisions to make. They’re just not.
And so, the fact that he was able to make that decision in a selfless way, that’s admirable.
Q One of the decisions he made, President Biden wants Vice President Harris to be the standard-bearer of the party now. Does she still want to get rid of ICE?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You have seen what this administration has been able to do in the past three and a half years, and they did that with the vice president as a partner in that.
And Republicans got in the way. The president went around Republicans and was able to get thousands of personnels at the border. And now we are seeing a 50 percent drop at the border. And that’s because of what this president has done.
Q As a partner, though, she’s been in charge of root causes of migration for years. She has never spoken to the Border Patrol chief, Jason Owens, or the Border Patr- — Patrol chief before him, Raul Ortiz. What should that tell us about her leadership style?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: She was supposed to be doing root causes, dealing with diplomacy.
Q And that does not involve the Border —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. Diplomacy — that’s what her job was supposed to be. Diplo- — diplomatic — that’s the job.
And it — I — I understand that you’re asking these questions, but we should also look at congressional Republicans who got in the way — literally got in the way of everything that this president was trying to do to deal with the border. They got in the way. They would say one thing, and then they would change their mind.
They would say, “We want Border Patrol — we want — you know, we want a deal on — on what’s happening at the border,” and then they would walk away from it. And they did it because of what the former president said.
You guys reported that. I didn’t — that’s not coming from me. Some of your colleagues reported that the former president said, “Let’s not move forward with this proposal because it’s going to help Joe Biden.”
I mean, that’s also the reality. You got to talk about both sides here.
Go ahead. I — I —
Q Great.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is —
Q Can you move to the back of the room?
Q I get — I get — I get that you’re not going to give us —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You got to — I got —
Q I get that you might hes- —
Q You control the briefing, not Peter.
Q Okay.
Q Come on.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. No, go ahead, Peter.
Q Fine, one more.
Q It’s unbelievable.
Q I get that you don’t probably want to give us —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s good to see you too, James.
Q (Inaudible.)
Q — a specific name, but were there any names that came forward that surprised you of Democratic officials in the last week who stabbed President Biden in the back?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have anything else to say.
Go ahead, April.
Q Karine, really fast. Two questions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q One on Sonya Massey.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q This is something that’s continued to happen. The president, before he even became president, was really pushing after the George Floyd death — police-involved death.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q What is the lesson learned, I guess, if you will? He couldn’t get it through Congress, but he did come up with federal executive orders and efforts. What is the lesson learned from this moment — that continues to happen — that, I guess, Kamala Harris might have to start dealing with as well if she becomes president?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, when you say “lesson learned,” meaning —
Q How could you have done something differently or what could you have done to maybe change the dynamic?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I think we got to step back a coup- — for a second here. The president has been able to reach across the aisle and get a lot of things done. He has. Gun — gun legislation — the first bipartisan gun legislation that we saw in decades — that was important.
And there is issues that — you know, infrastructure legislation — was able to get that done. He reached over, across the line and got bipartisan support.
So, we have seen this president and this vice president be very successful in doing that. There are some — been some issues that have been a little harder — to your point, police reform. And what the president did when — was when that wasn’t to get done in a bipartisan way in Congress, he took an executive or- — order to deal with it on the federal — federal law enforcement level. And that was a step that he was able to take.
And he’s going to continue — it doesn’t stop. You heard me mention the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act probably twice or three times at the top because it’s important to — to use — to use our platform, to use this podium to continue to call for what we believe is right.
There’s always going to be lessons in how people govern and decisions that we made here, but there has also been a lot of success. And when action wasn’t happening in Congress, the president took action — the president took action.
Q So, as you said, you mentioned this at the top —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — emphasizing this heinous death and how it happened, but is this something that the president hopes — I mean, it was one of his passion projects.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, in 2020, for sure.
Q Yes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely.
Q Do you — does the president hope that if Kamala Harris becomes president of the United States that she could champion this and that she could get what he couldn’t —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely.
Q — get done?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely. For sure. Absolutely. This is an important issue for this president. He’s going to do everything that he can, you know, with the — and with the rest of his term to get this done. He’s still going to work on this. It doesn’t stop.
Go ahead, Michael.
Q Thanks, Karine. A few days before the president announced his withdrawal from the race, he said that he was going to be rolling out proposals for Supreme Court reform. Is he still committed to that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the president believes that when you hold a high office, you should be held by certain ethics and transparency. That’s something that the president believes. And so, he certainly will continue to do everything that he can.
I don’t have any policy announcements to make at this moment, today, in front of you. But once we will, we certainly will share that.
Q And just secondly, has the president spoken with former President Obama since making the decision —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No calls to read out.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you. I have a foreign policy-related question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q President Biden will be one of the few sitting presidents since the reestablishment of U.S.-China relations not to visit China during his tenure. Could you please explain the reasoning behind this decision? Isn’t this a missed opportunity?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, you heard from the national security adviser himself many times, and we’ve talked about our relationship with China. It’s been very deliberate in its — in our strategy, in our approach to our relationship with China. Very deliberate.
And, as you’ve heard us say many, many times — again, I mentioned the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan — we are pursuing competition without conflict. That has been our goal from day one of this administration.
You know, the met — the president, as you know, met in a bilateral fashion with the President Xi just last November, as you know, in California with that goal in mind.
Again, we want competition without conflict. So, we have also had a number of Cabinet secretaries — we’ve — we’ve — we’ve spoken to that, whether it is Secretary — is it Secretary Blinken or the Treasury secretary, they’ve had travels to China over the past several years. And — and many more.
And so, look, we’re going to continue to have these high-level officials travel there, to China, to continue to have those conversations. But we have been incredibly deliberate with our strategy.
Again, competition without conflict — that’s how we’re moving forward.
Q There are still a few months left.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Will there still be opportunity?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Say that last part. Will there still be —
Q Be a chance he may go abroad?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t — I don’t have anything to share about foreign travel. But we have been very deliberate with our strategy, we believe it’s worked, and we’re going to continue to move forward in that fashion.
Go ahead, Danny.
Q Thanks, Karine. The president said that he wants to push for a Gaza ceasefire in his last six months in office. But Prime Minister Netanyahu just gave a pretty uncompromising speech to Congress just a day before he comes here to the White House. Does the president really believe that Netanyahu sounds like a man who’s likely to go for a peace deal?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me just say a couple of things. I do want to give our reaction to — to the prime minister’s speech. So, we appreciate Prime Minister Netanyahu for thanking President Biden for his unwavering support for Israel in his efforts to secure the release of the hostages.
President Biden looks forward to meeting the prime minister here tomorrow to discuss developments in Gaza, including negotiations on a ceasefire deal and the humanitarian situation on the ground.
And my colleagues, in — in the 4 o’clock hour, is going to — at NSC is going to hold a — a press call where they’re going to address additional questions regarding the prime minister’s address and also his visit. So, I would certainly tune in. You’ll hear more from — from them directly.
Look, they’re going to meet tomorrow. The president has always been clear on how — on how he see the future: a two-state solution. He’s always supported that. That’s something that he’s going to continue to speak to.
They’re going to have a conversation tomorrow. The president looks forward to that. The vice president is also going to have a meeting with the prime minister tomorrow.
And so, I’ll leave it there. But the — my — the National Security Council is going to be doing a — a press call, so I would certainly refer you to any — any further questions that you may have on the visit.
Q But you’ve got no sense of whether he does have any confidence this — this is really an achievable goal in his last six months?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I believe that the president is optimistic. This is a president that believes that anything could happen if you stay focused, if you work hard towards it. So, he’s going to be optimistic. The work continues. And that’s not going to stop him, for sure.
Go ahead, Jared.
Q Given that you’ve had a lot of questions about the president’s agenda here over the next six months, I’m curious: Does the president believe that some of what he’d like to get through Congress between now and the end of the year is made easier if he’s not a candidate?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t quite understand the question, because he’s not on the — on the —
Q Does he think that — that it will be easier or harder or the same to — to kind of get some of these things —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I —
Q — that he’s been struggling —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I —
Q — to get through Congress —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I would —
Q — until now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — well, first of all, this has been — the fact that the president has gotten this much done — right? — the — the historic pieces of legislation —
Q Well, I’m not talking about what he said —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait.
Q — he wanted to do.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. Hold on. Let me — you guys got to give me a second to answer — to at least —
Q My apologies.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — to actually warm up into the — into the answer.
So, look, the president has gotten a lot done — historic amount of legislation passed — historic pieces of legislation passed. And that’s — and that’s — that wasn’t done with an easy political climate. Right? It’s not. I mean, I think you could agree with me there.
And so, look, we’re going to have more to share on what the next several months — the final several months of his term is going to look like. We will share that. The president wants to build — continue to build on those historic initiatives that he was able to get done.
This has not been an easy political climate. And some of that work, he was — did it in a bipartisan way.
And when he wasn’t able to get it done in a bipartisan way, he found policy, ways to do that with an executive action. And we’ve been able to be successful, whether it’s the border — right? — whether it’s trying to get things done on student l- — on the student loan side.
There’s been ways that the president has been very — still very, very focused on making sure we’re delivering on the initiatives, on the goals that we set out to do in the beginning of this administration.
That doesn’t stop. That doesn’t stop.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. I have two questions: domestic and foreign policy. On domestic, was there any reason why the president did not endorse the vice president in the first tweet? It took, like, a while — maybe 15, 20 minutes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, I mean, look, “the first” meaning —
Q When he — the first tweet was he’s withdrawing from the race, but he did not say clearly that he is endorsing her.
Q From the letter to the (inaudible) —
Q To the tweet.
Q Yeah.
Q There was a half hour —
Q It was about 20 minutes.
Q It was 30 minutes.
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Because there was a 30 minutes —
Q Thirty minutes, yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re questioning a 30-minute window?
Q I’m just asking because he’s — no, I’m not questioning. I’m just asking if there was a reason.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I mean, that — look, he put out a letter to the American people about a decision that he had made. That deserved a standalone letter, I believe, right? A decision — an important, historic decision. He wanted to do that and speak directly to the American people. That’s why he did the letter.
And then, obviously, 30 minutes later, you — you got the endorsement. That’s not a — that’s not a significant amount —
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But it’s not a significant amount of time. I think if you look at the letter, you see that he was truly trying to lay down the decision — a very weighty decision — and he wanted to say that directly to the American people.
Q Fair enough. You explained it now. (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appre- — tha- — thank you for — for approving that answer. (Laughter.)
Q My second question, on foreign policy. Just a follow-up on Danny’s question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q What message does the administration send to the world when we see the White House is barricaded — barricaded in anticipation of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit here, considering that the ICC found a reasonable ground to indict him as a war criminal and 70 percent of Israelis want him to step down?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I can’t speak to Israelis. That’s — that’s — you know, I’m not going to speak to domestic politics. I think we’ve been very clear on our feelings about ICC and their recommendation, something that we do not agree on. We’ve been very clear about that.
Look, when it comes to what we’re seeing outside — as you said, the barricades and such — that’s something for Secret Service to speak to. They can speak to why they feel that it’s needed. That is not for me to speak to.
But it doesn’t change the fact that we believe in the right for all Americans to peacefully protest. That is something that we’ve always been very clear about. It is the right of all Americans to peacefully protest. And we understand that this is an incredibly painful moment for many communities. And we respect that.
And also, in that same vein, we’re going to strongly condemn any type of violence or destruction of property. That is something that we’ve been very clear about as well. But peacefully protest — that’s something that we support.
I can’t speak to — there’s reasons why the Secret Service is deciding to do that. That is for them — for them to speak to directly.
Okay. Go ahead, Raquel.
Q Hi. Thank you, Karine, very much.
Karine, you were saying how difficult it was, this decision for President Biden. What is his mood since he took this decision? And what will be the tone of the address tonight?
Also, why did he decide to do it from the Oval Office? I wonder if he’s going to do —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — (inaudible) campaigning from —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a coup- — a couple of things. Look, I — I saw the president not too long ago — a couple hours ago. He’s determined. He’s in good spirits.
He wants to speak directly to the American people tonight. That is his focus.
He is doing it from the Oval Office because, as many of you all reported — and we agree with all of you — this is an important moment. This is a historic moment. And this decision was a big decision, was an important decision. And Oval Offices are used for moments that — I would say moments like these that are historic.
So, he wants to do it from the Oval. He’s going to do it in prime time. He’s going to speak directly to the American people. I would say, again, tune in. You’ll hear from — what he has to say. And I think — I think it’s going to be important. I think it’s going to be important.
Q Can we expect that he’s going to ask people to vote for Harris from the Oval or doing any kind of campaigning from there?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I — it’s going to be a speech. I believe, we believe that it is going to be important for the American people to hear directly from this president in this moment — in this historic moment.
And I’m not going to get into details, get into specifics. I’ve said this many times from here: I’m not going to get ahead of the president.
This is an oppor- — his opportunity — his opportunity for — to explain that decision and for the American people to — to listen in. And so —
AIDE: Karine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. I’ve got to go. Go ahead.
Q Thanks so much, Karine. Can you give us any more color about the preparation for the speech? Who has been helping the president write it? If he’s been sounding — you know, using anybody as a sounding board —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I —
Q — (inaudible).
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m — I’m not going to go into details. Obviously, this is the president — this is a speech that the president is very deeply involved in. You don’t use the Oval Office often. Yo- — you use it for incredibly important moments. And that’s what you’re going to hear tonight. I’m just not going to get into specifics as to how the president is preparing.
I will say this: Obviously, his senior advisers are always heavily involved. And this is a president that’s taking this very seriously, very focused, like he does with any other speech.
And so, tune in. Tune in.
Q And can you say whether or not you’d be willing to have the president’s doctor come to the podium, particularly given that he is — the president does intend to serve out his term and there have been a number of questions about, you know, his fitness for office?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean —
Q Some of those questions could be settled if, perhaps, there was a — you know, the doctor — if his doctor would come to the podium or if more medical records could be released.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’ve heard from the president’s doctor, I believe, every day that he had COVID. He gave his assessment of what was — what was going on, what was happening. There was a memo that was sent out to all of — to all of you. Obviously, the memo was given to me and we shared it publicly.
I don’t have anything else. We — and you’ve heard me say this many times: There was an extensive medical evaluation that was done — physical that was done in February. You all have that. I just don’t have anything else to share from here.
All right. Thanks, everybody. I’ll be back tomorrow.
4:12 P.M. EDT
