James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
2:07 P.M. EST
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi. Good afternoon, everyone.
Q Good afternoon.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good to — welcome back to some of you out there who were on the trail. Good to see you all.
Okay. As you just heard from the president — President Biden, he spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory.
He also assured him that he would direct his entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power. That is what the American people deserve.
He also spoke with the vice president to congratulate her on a historic, inspiring campaign.
And for some people, this election is a time of victory, and others, it’s a time of loss. To state the obvious, Tuesday’s night’s results were not our team’s desired outcome.
There is going to be a — a lot of post- — postmortem analysis of what happened in the coming days, in the coming weeks, even in the coming months. And so, I’m going to leave those questions to the election experts. That is certainly not my role today.
But what you heard from President Biden is that the struggle for the soul of America, since our very founding, crosses generations and is always ongoing and is still important today.
The president and the vice president accept the choice the country has made and — because the president has said this many time; you heard him say this moments ago in the Rose Garden: You can’t love your country only when you win, and you can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.
The president also spoke to the importance of the integrity of the American election system: It’s honest, it’s fair, and it’s transparent, and it can be trusted, whether you win or you lose.
The president and the vice president are proud to be leaving behind the strongest economy in the world.
And the president and the vice president are proud to have change America for the better. That’s going to be their focus in the upcoming remaining days. You heard the president say that we have 74 days left of his administration, and they are going to make every day count on behalf of the American people, regardless — regardless of who voted for them.
With that, Zeke.
Q Thanks, Karine. First off, do you have an update on when the president-elect will come visit the president here?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as we said in our statement yesterday after the vice president spoke at Howard University, our teams — the president obviously invited the president-elect to the White House for them to meet. Our teams — their team and our team are working on that, and we’re — certainly we’ll share once we lock something in in the near future.
Q Second, when the president spoke in the Rose Garden a little bit ago, one thing he did not do was take any accountability for his party’s defeat on Tuesday night. Does he feel any sense of responsibility for the outcome? Does he feel he would have — he should have done things differently through the course of this campaign?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, there’s a lot there. And let me — if you don’t mind, give me a second to unpack all of this, because I think it’s important for the American people to hear this as well.
Look, the president has spoken to this, and he’ll — I’ll say it again here. He was certainly inspired by the — the campaign that the vice president ran.
And when he decided to pass the torch over to the vice president, you saw — you saw the party come right behind her, support her, right after he was able to do that. And it’s because she was the right person for the job.
You heard him say that in 2020. The reason why he selected her as her [his] running mate: because she — he knew she would be able to do the job on day one.
And you heard that, obviously, once he decided to pass the torch, which he didn’t think about, like, second — give it — give any second thought, right? He thought about it and did it. Like, it wasn’t something that he gave a second thought to, as I just said. He knew it was the right thing to do.
And I would want to say as well — is that if you look at the four years — almost three — well, three-plus years, there are some historic accomplishments that they ha- — were able to do together, whether it’s beating Big Pharma and now Medicare is able to negotiate; whether it’s getting a bipartisan infrastructure law; whether it’s the sc- — the — the PACT Act —
Q CHIPS.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — the Bipartisan Infrastructure; the CHIPS and Science Act — thank you so much — these are things that were able to get us out of the pandemic.
And you heard me say at the top that the president is proud to leave the strongest economy for the next person that’s coming, for the president-elect, and that’s what they’re going to inherit.
But with all of that said — and this gets to your question — despite all of the accomplishments that we were able to get done, there were global headwinds that — because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously, COVID-19 led to disruptions with the supply chain. And it had a political toll on many incumbents, if you look at what happened in 2024 globally.
And that’s what you — that’s part of what you saw, right? You saw that there was a political toll on incumbent parties around the world here.
Now, I’m going to be very mindful and leave the political analysis to the pundits. They’re going to dig in. They’re going to look under the hood. They’re going to see exactly what happened.
But what we saw two nights ago was not unusual to what we have seen from the incumbencies around the world on the global stage.
Q To — to restate my question —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — does the president feel any responsibility for the outcome?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The president understands that he’s going to respect the will of the people. That’s what he understands. He understands that the American people made a decision, and he’s going to respect that.
He believe he made the right decision. When he stepped — stepped aside, decided that he wasn’t going to run, he automatically —
Q Should he have done that in 2022, though?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Guys, here’s the thing — and we can’t — we can’t rewrite history. We have to remember what happened in 2022. 2022 is a perfect example, actually, because when we came out of 2022 midterms, we saw a successful midterms from — from — for any new administration in over 60 years, and it was because of the president’s policies.
Let’s not forget that all of the accomplishments that the president did — again, I had listed the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act — those are popular with the American people. They are. Those policies were indeed popular, and that’s what got us through the 2022 midterm.
It was supposed to be a red wave. That didn’t happen.
And so, coming out of that, we did see some historic markers there.
And so, the president believed that he needed to do — he’s always going to put the American people first. When he decided to step down and endorse immediately the vice president, that’s what he thought was the right thing to do in that moment, in that time.
Q So — one last one for me.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Sure.
Q I’m sure my colleagues have a few to unpack there, but —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)
Q The president entered the office, he said he went around — and traveled around the world and met with world leaders, he was always sa- —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — would recount this anecdote of, you know, “I’d say ‘America is back,’ and then they would say, ‘But for how long?’” I mean, the world now has that answer. It was four years —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — and two days. Does the president feel like he has let down America’s allies and partners that now someone with a d- — very different world view than him —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — will now be in the Oval Office?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I’m not going to get into what the president-elect is going to do, not going to do. I’m not going to do that.
What I’m going to say is the president’s message is cont- — is going to continue to be the same. American leadership matters. How we conduct ourselves on the global stage matters.
You know, we are indispensable nation on the world stage. That is what the president believes. And that is something that he’s heard, to your point, when he was around the world. And he appreciates the cooperation that he’s received from our partners and our allies, when it — if you think about Ukraine and how he — we were able to make NATO stronger and get 50 — more than 50 countries behind Ukraine, when you think about what’s happening in the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East.
And so, cannot speak to what the next administration is going to do. I can only speak to what the president was proud that he was able to do over the last, you know, three-plus years, and that’s going to continue to be our focus, and that’s what we believe is the right thing to do on behalf of the American people.
Go ahead, Nancy.
Q Thank you. Does the president have any regrets about when he chose to leave the race or any regrets about deciding to run for a second term?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president is very proud of what he was able to accomplish. He was very proud in when he made that decision to hand over the torch, pass the torch to the vice president. He believed it was the right decision to make at that time. He believed that she was ready — she was ready to lead on day one and has been very proud on what he’s been able to deliver.
And as I was talking to Zeke — or answering Zeke’s question moments ago, what we saw two nights ago was certainly very much in line to what we’ve seen in other G7 countries in incumbencies, the role, the toll that the pandemic took, even though we were able to lead in the world when it comes to the economy. We saw what happened in other G7 countries, and so that is what we believe.
Look, there’s going to be a lot of punditry, a lot of election experts who are going to have their opinions, who are going to have their thoughts, but the president is very, very proud — very proud of what he’s been able to accomplish and incredibly impressed for what the vice president was able to do.
Q Has the president been hearing from foreign leaders about the outcome of this election, and have they expressed any concerns to th- — to him? What has his message been to them?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I can’t — I don’t have any — any calls to read out about the president speaking to foreign leaders. It’s only been two — two days, as I just mentioned, and so don’t have anything for you to — to read — to read out.
But it’s very much, you know, what I just said moments ago about his message to world leaders about how important it is to have our participation, American’s leadership on the world stage, and what that means. And we’ve been able to see that for the last three-plus years, whether it’s Ukraine, whether it’s the Middle East, whether it’s Indo-Pacific, a lot of that — making NATO stronger was certainly the president’s leadership. And that’s what other allies and partners — that’s what they rely on us on.
And so, we’re going to continue to do that. That’s going to be our focus the next 74 days. I just don’t have anything to read out.
But our message is: America is going to continue to be there. I can’t speak to what the administration — the next administration is going to do.
Q And the president said today that he’s going to assist with the transition.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Has the Trump transition team been responsive? Have they taken the steps that need to be taken so far in order to ensure an orderly transition?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, if you’re talking about the MOUs that the — the transition teams need to sign, as of now, the Trump-Vance transition team has not yet entered the agreements with the White House and the general services.
And our chief of staff — our chief of staff, Jeff Zients, reached out to the Trump-Vance cochairs, and so we’re going to leave that line of communications open. We’re going to be helpful here. We want to have an effective, efficient transition of power.
And so, we are ready — ready to provide that. As you know, the president invited the president-elect, Donald Trump, to come to the White House, and so once we lock that in, we certainly will share that with all of you.
But we’re ready. We’re ready to assist. We have been. We’ve been trying to be there and be ready to assist in any transition — with this pa- — obviously, this transition. And so, we’re going to reach out, have those conversation. And — and so, I’ll just leave it there.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. Does President Biden believe he could have won if he stayed in this race?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: President Biden believes that he made the right decision when he decided to step aside and immediately endorse the vice president, and you saw the party come behind her, support her. And he believed it was the right thing for the American people. He put himself aside.
This was not about him. This was about what was right for the American people, and that’s what he believes. He believes it was the right decision to make. And he’s very, incredibly proud.
Q And just to follow up on the previous questions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q The president said, when he stepped aside, that his number one priority was making sure that Vice President Harris would succeed him at the White House. That, of course, is not going to happen. So, does he have any regrets?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: In which way? Any regrets in —
Q How it all played out since —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I mean, I said this at the top. This was not the outcome that our team had wanted. So, are we disappointed? Yes, we are disappointed. It would be false for me to say that we were not.
But we also respect — we respect the outcome of the election. We rexpect [respect] what the Americans — American people voted for, wanted. And so, because of that, the president is also going to make sure there is a peaceful transfer of power, because that’s what the American people deserve.
And so, you know, not going to get into analysis here of — of specifics of what happened, but what we know is the results. And so, are we disappointed? Of course. Of course. But it is important to make sure that what the American people decided on, what it is that they wanted to see, that we respect that, and we’ll do that.
Q And what are the president’s top priorities in the next 70 or so days? When Trump comes in, he could undo quite a bit of what President Biden has put in place through executive action.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things. Again, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals here about what the president-elect is going to do or not do. I can tell you a couple of our focus — things that we’re going to focus on in the upcoming 74 days. And we’re going to make sure that we keep the government open. We’re going to deliver assistance for communities devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other recent disasters. We’re going to pass the NDAA. That’s important. And we’re also going to make sure that we confirm well-qua- — -qualified judicial nominees. That’s going to be a — certainly our focus in the next 74 days.
And I’m just not going to get into the next administration, what it is that they’re going to do or not do. I can speak to what our focus is going to be.
Go ahead, Jeff.
Q Karine, in 2020, President Trump did not invite then-President-Elect Biden to come to the White House. President Biden has elected now President-Elect Trump to come.
I’m curious if that was a hard decision for him, given that he didn’t have that —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — offer four years ago.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, you mean a — a decis- — hard decision for him to make — the president — President Biden to make right now?
Q To invite him now.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, you’ve covered the president for a long time. I think you covered him when he was vice president. You know — you know Joe Biden, right? You know that this is a person that cares about the American people, that respects the office. And if anything, he’s — he has shown that not just the three-plus years; he has shown that as senator, as vice president.
And so, it is not surprising to me that he would do the right thing on behalf of the American people. This is not about the president-elect, right? This is about the American people. They deserve — they deserve a peaceful transfer of power. That’s what this president understands and wants to make sure that we execute — the Biden-Harris administration.
And so, that is what you saw. That’s what you’re going to see. That’s what you heard from him. You heard that from the vice president as well, yesterday, when she was at Howard. And that’s what you’re going to see over the next 74 days.
So, it is — I think it is in line with who this president is and how he sees the importance of respecting the American people and how it is important to make sure we have — we truly, truly have a peaceful transfer of p- — of power. And him being the president, the current president, the onus is on him to make sure that happens.
Q There has been a lot of criticism in the last couple days directly addressed at President Biden for some of the questions that have already been asked: running in the first place or not stepping aside faster. Some of that criticism has also been directed at his team and the advisers around him for advising him to do what he did. Can you address that criticism?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: To — to do what he did, meaning?
Q Running again, not stepping aside faster, and showing what some people say — quoting folks here — an “arrogance” of believing he was the only one who could beat Donald Trump.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean — well, you said something at the end that I do want to — (laughs) — just kind of reiterate and remind —
Q Please.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — remind folks, and it was a good reminder to me, which is, like, look, the president — this is the president who has been the only person has been able to beat Donald Trump. I mean, that is true. In 2020, he was able to do that. There were more than 20 candidates who tried to beat him, and they — he was the one that has been able to do that.
I talked about what happened in the midterms, how it was historical for a new administration in more than 60 years to have been able to have that type of outcome, from the 2022 midterms, when everybody said it would be a red wave.
What I will also say is that he’s incredibly proud of the campaign that this vice president ran — incredibly proud of her. And when he did decide to step aside, he immediately endorsed her, and the party unified behind her. They did.
Q Yeah, you said that. My — my question is just if you can or want —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — to address the criticism that’s being directed at him for this loss.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There’s going to be a lot of people who are going to say a lot of things. There’s going to be election experts who are going to look under the hood in the next couple of days and weeks and months, as I’ve said already, and they’re going to have their opinion on this race.
What I can say is that — and this is something the president says all the time — you get knocked down, you get back up. And the president said this moments again [ago]. You know, this is a defeat, but we are not defeated. And the president believes he made the right decision on behalf of the American people, on behalf of this country, to step aside.
And we saw what happened in 2022 after the midterms. We saw where we were at that time. And this is how elections are. This is. It ebbs and flows. You win. You lose. And this is where we are today.
What we’re going to focus on is respecting the American people and how we move forward in the next 74 days.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. You talked about the influence that the 2022 midterms had on the president’s thinking to decide to run for reelection, but around that time in 2023, polls showed that roughly 80 percent of Americans believed at that time that the president was too old to serve another term. Did he believe those voters were wrong?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What he believed is what 14 million voters decided in the primary: to make him and the vice president — obviously, she was on the ticket — the nominee. That’s what happened. Fourteen million for — for this current — past primary. Fourteen million Americans decided that. So, they made their decision on who they wanted. They did. That was decided.
Now, as we know, in July, the president made a decision to step aside, and he immediately, again, decided to, without thought — without, you know, second-guessing, endorse the vice president. So, you had 14 million Americans who made that decision in the primary.
Q But around that time in 2023, the president’s team also very firmly encouraged other rising stars — luminaries in the party, people who had participated in the primaries in the 2020 cycle — to rally behind the president and not to consider their own ambitions. Was that the wrong call?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get into conversations. I — I’m not going to get into that reporting. It is not unusual for people to rally behind the — the leader of the party — in this case, is Do- — pardon me — in this case, is Joe — Joe Biden for the Democratic Party. It is not unusual for that to happen.
I’m not going to relitigate or get into what was said, not said. I actually don’t have any information on that. What I can say is what the president decided to do, what this — the president believed, and what the president is going to continue to do is put the American people first. That is the most important thing for him.
Q And —
Q In the back, Karine.
Q — does the president have worries about what the country and what this office will look like after January 20th?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the president is going to certainly, again, respect what majority of Americans decided. They decided they wanted Donald Trump to be president, and he’s going to respect that.
I don’t want to get into hypotheticals about what’s going to happen in the next mi- — administration, not happen in — in the next administration.
We are proud — the president is incredibly proud of what he has been able to do for the American people, and that’s going to continue to be his focus.
I talked about the legisla- — -lative focuses that we’re going to have in the next 74 days, and he wants to continue to implement those historic legislations — now laws — that he was able to get done.
And, you know, the next administration is going to inherit a strong economy, which he’s very proud about.
But I think, for now, I’m going to leave it there.
Q And does the president hope to meet with the president-elect before leaving to go to South America, where he’ll meet with world leaders?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you, it’ll be in the near future. We have to — we’re going to work that out. Our — certainly, his staff is going to work with the staff of the president-elect to find a time that works for both. I can’t say the timing just yet. Certainly, you all will know when that occurs. But I can say for sure it will be in the near future.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. So, does the president believe that he could have beat Donald Trump?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What the president believes is that he did the right thing for the American people. I’m not — I’m just — I’m not going to get into, you know, what could have, would have. He believe he did the right thing.
He believe that the vice president ran a — a — really, a great campaign. He’s incredibly proud of what she’s been able to do and how she was u- — able to unify the party and how she stepped up and was able to get — to — to get running with a — with a impressive campaign.
And so, that’s what he believed. He thought it was the right thing to do. And here’s the thing: The party u- — unified behi- — behind her. And I think that’s what is important. He did the right — he believe he did the right thing.
Q So, Republicans have threatened to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Mm-hmm.
Q Does the White House have any plans to take any actions to safeguard some of the measures, such as, you know, clean energy investments, for instance?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things. I do want to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act. That is a popular piece of legislation, obviously, that became law. That is, when you think about climate change, the most comprehensive law to be passed to deal with climate change.
I talked about beating Big Pharma. When you think about Medicare now being able to negotiate and, not only that, you’re — obviously, to negotiate to lower cost.
I mean, there is so much that came out — that comes out of the Inflation Reduction Act. Only Democrats voted for i- — for it. You have heard us warn about Congress trying to repeal that. And it is popular. We saw what happened when they tried to repeal the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, which became popular and helped tens of millions of people get health care.
And so, that should be a warning for them. That should be a warning for them not to go after something that actually helps the American people, that actually delivers on key, key priorities, and that is actually popular.
So, I’ll — I’ll leave it there.
Go ahead, Jon.
Q Thanks, Karine. One of the issues debated, discussed quite a bit during the course of the campaign was the issue of reproductive rights. Is the White House, the president concerned that with a Republican in the White House, Republicans controlling the Senate, a super conservative majority on the Supreme Court, at the very least —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — we don’t know what’s going to happen in the House — that reproductive freedoms for women will be rolled back?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, that is something that we have said consistently that we are concerned about. I believe three national bans on abortion were introduced in Congress. This is something that Republican elected officials continue to go after — the rights for women to make decision on their own body, very difficult decision, a decision that should be kept between a woman, her family, and her doctor.
And so, you know, it is incredibly concerning. And we’re talking about women across the country whose health could be at risk. And so, what I can say is the president and the vice president is going to continue to stand with majority of Americans on calling on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade. That’s what we want to see.
Are we concerned? Yes, we’re concerned. Nothing changes about our concern about that post-election.
And they’ve — Republicans in Congress have made themselves very, very clear. And so, we’re going to do everything that we can when — we have — we have taken steps to protect women and this decision — important, critical decisions that they have to make. And so, that will certainly continue.
Q You said the vice president ran a great campaign, and yet she underperformed in every state compared with President Biden when he ran in 2020. Why do you suppose that was?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m not going to do punditry from here. That is not something that I’m going to do. I’m not going to dive into the data. Not going to do that.
There’s going to be plenty of time for election experts to look under the hood, to tinker around in it, figure out what happened. I’ll leave that to de- — them to — to deal with.
But I would say she ran an impressive campaign. Some of you reported that. What she was able to do, it was impressive — how she — the — with which — the amount of money she was able to raise, how she was able to put together a campaign around her — right? — a campaign that, obviously, the president built and was happy to hand that over to her, and she stepped up to the moment.
Now there’s going to be a lot that’s being — that’s going to be discussed about what happened, the data, exactly what occurred. And so, I’m going to leave that to them.
But what I will say, and I think this is just a data point that I’ve been talking about, about what we’ve seen in G7 countries, what we’ve seen with incumbencies after the pandemic, because what the — the disruptions that the pandemic caused. Even though we did what we — we did everything that we could to have policies to get us out of the pandemic and leading the world on the economic front, there were political toll. Right? The pandemic led to some political tolls for incumbencies.
That’s just a data point that I’m sharing with all of you that has been consistent to what we’ve seen with G7 countries. And so, I’ll — I’ll just leave it there.
Go ahead, Karen.
Q Thanks, Karine. We’ve heard the president say recently, in the summer, that the — former President Trump’s vision for America is “dark” and that it’s “not who we are.” But given the results on Tuesday night, does he think he misjudged where the country is right now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the country spoke. They did. Majority of the country spoke. They were very clear on where they wanted to see the direction of this country, and we’re going to respect that. We are. We’re going to respect that.
But to your question about what the president said, the president always believes it is important to be honest. He sees it as an obligation, to be honest to the American people. And that’s what you heard from the president tha- — said there.
But, again, American people made a decision. We’re going to respect that. We’re going to have a peaceful transfer of power. That is something the president is going to lead — right? — he’s going to lead by example. That’s what you’re going to continue to see in the next 74 days.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. Picking up on that just a little bit. Earlier, you said that the White House’s view, when it came to reproductive rights, did not change —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — from pre- and post-election. The president repeatedly referred to Donald Trump as a “threat to democracy” over and over again. And this morning, though, he said, “We’re all going to be okay.” So, was that just political rhetoric?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean — I mean, if you know the president, you know that him saying, “We’re all going to be okay” — he’s an optimist, right? He believes when you get knocked down, you get back up.
We are — we — we — we lost, but we’re not defeated, right? We — we suffered a defeat, but we’re not defeated. And that is the president’s optimistic nature.
And it’s very similar to the question that I just got from Karen. The president believes, as — as you asked me about the threat to democracy — believes in being — an obligation to be honest to the American people.
And we cannot forget, it wasn’t — just really quickly, it wasn’t just the president who was saying this, right? I mean, you ha- — the former president, now the president-elect, said there wa- — talked about an “enemy within,” right? He talked about mistreating Americans who disagree with him, about “terminating” the Constitution.
And you heard from his former — former chief of staff, John Kelly, and, let’s not forget, the — the former Defense Secretary, Mark Esper. We heard from them and what they had to say. So, we weren’t the only ones saying that.
And the president does believe that he needs to be honest — has an obligation to be honest to the American people.
Now we’re in a situation where the American people have spoken, and we’re going to respect the outcome of the election two days ago, because we have to respect the — the — our election system. It’s important to do that.
And at the same time, he’s — he’s still a leader. He wants to make sure that he shows optimism, right? He wants to make sure that people understand that there is a tomorrow, right? There is going to be another opportunity to have your voices heard.
And so, that is very much quintessential Joe Biden, I think, if you — if you have followed him and — and really reported on him for the past several years.
Q To be clear, does he still believe that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think that the president was very clear, what he stated, and it was very honest.
And what we are trying to do — and I get your question. What we are trying to do is respect what the American people decided. We’re — we’re not trying to cause any divisions here. We’re trying to be very respectful of what the American people —
But, again, when he spoke, he wanted to be honest with the American people and share what he believed. And it wasn’t just him.
But right now, we want to move forward. We want to make sure there’s a tra- — a peaceful transfer of power. That’s what the American people deserve.
Q On another topic, do the election results ramp up the urgency to get more aid to Ukraine?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I think in September the president talked about surging aid to Ukraine. And we talked — and you’ve been hearing us — to kind of announce aid to Uk- — to Ukraine over the past several — several weeks, if not months. And so — and so, that’s not going to change. We’re going to surge and get that out there to Ukraine. We understand how important it is to make sure they have what they need.
And so, that hasn’t changed. That is no different. And so, we’re going to — surging that aid to Ukraine, we’re going to continue to make sure that they have the — the strongest — everything that they need on the — on the battlefield to push back against Russia’s aggression. So, that certainly doesn’t change.
And we have taken action to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and enhance their battlefield capabilities. And so, we are committed. We continue to be committed. But we’ve been surging that aid for some time — like I said, when the president made an announcement back on the — September 26th. And so, that’s going to continue, for sure.
Q And then one last one, if I may.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Yeah, sure.
Q Senator Bernie Sanders, he says that — he has suggested that party leadership abandoned the working class. What’s the White House response to that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I — obviously, we respect Senator Sanders. He’s been a partner with us in all — many of the important, historic pieces of legislation that we were able to get passed. Certainly, the senator has been a partner with us.
Here’s what I will say to that — is the president has been called the — the most pro-union president when it comes to working class — right? — pro-union. If you think about unions, we’re talking about the working class, right?
And he’s done everything that he could to make sure that we created jobs where you don’t need a college degree — right? — think about the bipartisan infrastructure act, you think about the CHIPS and Science Act — those legislation created jobs, are going to create thousands of jobs where you literally can make a — could get a six-figure salary a year and not have to have a college education.
And the president created 16 million jobs in the past more than three-plus years. And it is because wages went up, right? Unemployment has gone down. And he believes everybody deserves a shot. You hear him say that: Everybody deserves a shot. And building an economy from the bottom up, middle out, making sure that we are continuing to grow the middle class — I think you see that in his policies.
And so, you know, respectfully disagree with the senator. And I think you can talk to unions; you could see the jobs that we’ve been able to create to disprove that. And this is a president that cares, certainly, about the people who do get forgotten, the people who are not able to make ends meet. He understands what it’s like to sit around a kitchen table, trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for a medical bill, how are you going to pay for your kids’ school, how are you going to pay for groceries. And so does the vice president.
Go ahead, Ken.
Q President-elect Trump has heard from a number of world leaders since the election: Xi, Macron, Zelenskyy, Netanyahu. What is the level of concern that Trump may try to conduct foreign policy in this transition period and — and get in the way of some of the president’s foreign policy (inaudible)?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, it’s not unusual — right? — for a president-elect to hear from world leaders, especially after an election win. I — I don’t have anything beyond that. I’m not going to speculate beyond that. And so, I’m just going to — I’m just going to leave it there.
Q And does the president see this election as a setback to some of the efforts he’s been making to try to get the hostages released, to try to, you know, bring peace to — to Gaza?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, since you mentioned Gaza, we’re going to continue to work to get — to advance diplomatic efforts, obviously, to end the war in Gaza, and secure the release of all the hostages. That’s what we’re going to continue to do.
And as well as our efforts to get to a resolution in Lebanon that ensures citizens on both sides of the blue line can safely return home.
And so, that’s going to continue — next 74 days, that’s going to continue to be a focus, and that’s going to be — continue to be a commitment.
Q Does this make it harder, though?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, it’s — it’s asking for speculation. I — I’m not going to speculate. I — all I can speak to is what we’re committed to do and — but that doesn’t change. That certainly doesn’t change.
Go ahead, Tam.
Q Thank you. As you said, the Trump team hasn’t yet signed those memorandums —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — of understanding with GSA. Does that in any way impede your ability to help there be a smooth transition? Are there any practical implications in terms of what this White House is able to do?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. A couple of things. I’m glad you asked this. So, there are two memoranda — memoranda of understanding under the Presidential Transition Act. The first one is the MOU that’s with the GSA, which offers services like office space, equipment, and supplies.
And then the second MOU is with the White House, which con- — which outlines access to agency employees, facilitates [facilities], and information.
So, yesterday, the chief of staff here, Jeff Zients, reached out to Trump-Vance transition cochairs — that’s Howard Lutnick and also Linda McMahon — to make clear our intention to lead an orderl- — orderly transition and reiterate — reiterate the role the agreements play in — in initiating transition activities.
Zients — Jeff acknowledged the public comments in — in mid-October by cochairs that they intend to execute on the MOUs, which both parties in the past transition have agreed to. So, he stressed that the White House and the administration were ready — were ready to assist.
They said that they were going to. And so, we’ll — we’ll leave that to them.
Q What happens if they don’t get signed?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m not going to get into hypotheticals —
Q Are you holding back —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — from here.
Q — anything now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, we’re here to assist. We want to have a peaceful transition of power. We want to make sure they have what they need.
I laid out — there’s a purp- — there’s a reason I wanted to lay out the two MOUs for folks to understand.
And, look, they said they have an intent to do so. We’re going to leave it to them. That is really a question for them to — to answer.
We are ready. We are prepared. We want this to work, and so we — we stand by that.
Q And we heard from the president today. However, he did not take questions. We’re hearing from you. We would like to hear from the president. It’s traditional for the president to come out. It would be much easier to ask him, for instance, how he feels about the election.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q Are you going to make that happen?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He will be looking forward to talking to all of you soon. And when that happens, we will let you know.
You’re talking about like a actual press conference?
Q Like an actual press conference.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. We have 74 days. We have 74 days.
Go ahead, Danny.
Q Thanks, Karine.
Q How about multiple?
Q Does — does President Biden — (laughter).
Yeah, so, does President Biden fear for Ukraine’s future after Donald Trump’s victory, given that he’s talked, you know, about cutting aid, about pushing through a peace deal?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, i- — I — and I’ve been pretty consistent the past couple of questions. I don’t want to speculate what the administration is going to do or not do. I’m going to focus on today. I’m going to focus on the next 74 days. That’s what I can speak to.
As you’ve seen, this president, our allies, and partners have rallied — have rallied behind Ukraine, stood up to Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, building a co- — coalition of more than 50 countries to make sure Ukraine had it — had what it needed on the battlefield. And we’re going to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to surge — surge assistance, support that they need to Ukraine so that they can — are able to defend their freedom and — and — and fight for their independence and protect themselves from Russia’s aggression.
That is what we’re committed to. That’s what we’re going to continue to do. I’m just not going to stand here and speak to what the administration is going to do or not going to do — the upcoming administration.
Q Can I just — well, I’m going to ask you to speculate one more time —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — about something else.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Sure.
Q On a — on a related note, I mean, Vladimir Putin said today he was ready to talk to Donald Trump. Would that be a good idea?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m just not going to speak to that. I mean, he — again, he’s the president-elect. That’s what the American people decided. I can speak to what we’re going to do the next 74 days, our continued commitment to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to — to beat back Putin’s aggression. And that’s what I’m going to speak to.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. I had two questions on pardons. The first: Does the president intend to pardon any administration officials or people that Trump has threatened with any sort of legal actions? He’s got 74 days, as — as you mentioned.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, I know pardons is going to be a big part of the questions that I get here over the next several weeks and a couple of — couple of months that we have. I don’t have anything to share or any thought process on pardons. Once we have something to share, we certainly will share that.
Q Secondly, his son, Hunter, is also up for being sentenced next month. Does the president have any intention of pardoning him?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q You mentioned two MOUs.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Can you give us a flavor of what might be subsequent MOUs that might be coming up?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I was talking about the transition and how — there’s two MOUs that are related to the Transition Act —
Q Right. Right. Are there any more?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — Transition Presidential Act [Presidential Transition Act], and that’s what I was speaking to. I — I don’t have anything else beyond that. This is part of the Transition Pre- — Presidential Act, and that’s what I was speaking of. I just wanted to make sure that there was an understanding that there’s two MOUs. I — I don’t have anything beyond that.
Okay. Go ahead.
Q Is the president still planning to attend APEC and the G20 Summits next week?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: S- —
Q And — and, if so, given there’s such little time in office, what does he aim to do there — to accomplish there?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, he is planning to attend both conferences, if you will. He’s going to be going to Peru and — and Brazil to attend those conferences, respectfully. We will have more to share. I don’t have anything beyond that, but I can confirm that the president will be attending.
Go ahead, Anita, in the back.
Q Thank you. Two foreign policy questions. First of all, you know, what are your top foreign p- — policy objectives in the next 74 days, especially vis-á-vis the Americans being held in Gaza and an end to the war in Ukraine? Are you — what are you doing to work to — if you can’t solve these problems —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — in the next 74 days, to hand this one to the next administration?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president is going to continue — as — as more broadly, speaking of — in more general terms, speaking of the president’s focus on foreign policy, he’s going to continue to push forward with the progress that we’ve made over the three-plus years, and that’s been on an array of important issues, whether I — I’ve been talking about Ukraine — whether it’s continuing to strengthen — strengthen our alliances and partnership, standing with Ukraine, making sure they have what they need on the — on the ground to beat back against Putin’s aggression, tackling challenges we face in the range from Indo-Pacific to the Middle East. So, that will continue to be the president’s focus on foreign policy matters certainly that are important to the American people.
I spoke to Gaza already when I was asked a question about Gaza. We’re going to have those diplomatic conversations. We want to make sure that we bring the hostages home — that is, all the hostages. That is a focus. And let’s not forget Lebanon as well. We want to make sure there’s a resolution there.
And so, that’s a lot. That is nothing new to what the president has been focused on for the past several months or — or past three-plus years. And so, we’re going to continue to do that.
Q And you’re — you’re cool with the next administration maybe finalizing the deal and getting the credit for that if you line it up?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, it — that’s — it’s — look, this is about what’s right for the American people. You know? This is ri- — I mean, I just said moments ago the president is very proud to be handing over the strongest economy. The next administration is going to inherit a strong economy, and the president is proud about that. He’s proud that he’s been able to do the work so that the next administration will inherit that.
And so, look, we’re going to focus on what we can do right now in the next 74 days. And everything that this president does, every focus that he has is on the American people, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.
Q And then, at APEC and at the G20, what is the president’s message to China and the other 19 members of the G20, especially vis-á-vis —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — climate change, which, you know, President Trump has a very different policy on?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. And we’ll have more to share on what the goals and what the message is going to be when the president travels next week. I was able to confirm that he’ll be attending those two conferences. We’ll have more to share for you all, but I think we’ve been very clear on our messaging when it comes to the Indo-Pacific, when it comes to China. I think we’ve been very clear on that. But we will certainly have more to share.
Go ahead, Gerren.
Q Thanks, Karine. Considering the outcome of the election, what is the White House’s message to Black and brown communities, LGBTQ Americans who are fearful of the vulnerabilities of a Trump administration, given some policy proposals like eliminating DEI mechanisms, banning LGBTQ, bans in health care and in classrooms?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q And how is the — is the president thinking about ways he can advance or preserve civil rights, his agenda —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — in these final days?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president and the vice president, as you know, have put civil rights as one of the top issues in their administration, and we have taken action to make sure that people who are — who have — who are vulnerable and did not have protections or — or needed additional protections, we made sure that we did everything that we can with this administration so that people in those vulnerable communities feel protected. And that’s something that the president and the vice president believe in, are very proud of, and continue to do.
And when it comes to this election, I said this. We did not have the desired outcome. There are some people who are celebrating and some people who are heartbroken by this moment, and we understand that. But the reality is a majority of the American people voted, and so we’re going to respect that.
I don’t have anything — any new policies to speak to. But for those who are hurting, we see you. We hear you. We understand what you’re going through. But don’t have anything else to — to speak to.
Q Just one more question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q There are reports of racist text messages targeting Black Americans being sent across the country, particularly on college campuses — Ohio State, University of Alabama, Clemson University. These messages are claiming to be from Trump supporters, indicating that recipients have been selected to, quote, “pick cotton” on plantations.
These messages were quickly condemned by campus and civil rights leaders, but is the White House tracking this? And what concern does the White House have about the outcome of the election leading to heightened hate speech?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, look, I have not spoken to the team here about that reporting. It — it does sound concerning, obviously. I would have to go back and get a better sense of what is indeed happening and what, you know, the — the facts are.
You know, just going to the broader question, it is important for every community to feel safe, to feel protected. That is something that this president has done and the vice president has done over the three and a half years. We understand how vulnerable communities can feel, and it is important that we do that.
And I think that’s why, in the next 74 days, the president wants to lead by example. That’s why we keep talking about a peaceful transfer of power. That’s why we keep talking about the importance of the election system and the results, because he believes it’s important to, again, lead by example, as president of the United States. And that’s what we’re going to do here.
Again, I can’t speak to the reportings directly. If it in- — indeed is what’s happening, it is concerning. And so, let me talk to the team and get you a fuller — a fuller answer.
AIDE: Karine, you have time for a couple more.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Go ahead.
Q Thank you. What will Kamala focus on in the next 74 days? And will she spoke with J.D. Vance?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, wait. I’m sorry. You’re talking about the vice president?
Q Yes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, I think we t- — I talked about what the administration, which obviously includes the vice president, what we’re going to focus on the next 74 days. I will have more to share with you about a potential meeting with the vice president and the incoming vice president, J.D. Vance. Don’t have anything to share with you at this time.
Go ahead, Brian, in the back.
Q Thanks a lot, Karine. You know, Donald Trump had classified documents at Mar-a-Lago that he did not secure. Does the president have concerns about classified information being given to Donald Trump in the next 74 days as part of the transition, that Donald Trump will not take steps to protect that — those (inaudible)?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m going to leave it to ODNI to speak to whatever information — classified information. I’m not going to get into speculation from here and just — just leave it there for — for now.
Q I had one other —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh —
Q — one other follow-up.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, sure.
Q When Pre- — when President Biden invites Trump to the White House, will he also invite the other living presidents? Will he invite Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — to be here as well?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have anything beyond President Biden inviting the president-elect when they spoke recently. I don’t have anything more.
Obviously, when that meeting lands in the very near future, we will share that. The teams are working on it. I just don’t have anything beyond — beyond the president inviting the president-elect.
Go ahead, Phil.
Q Thank you. First, a quick follow-up. Just — does the president still stand by his description of the former president, now president-elect, as an existential threat to democracy?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have anything else to share beyond what I’ve said. The president believes — when he said it at the time, he believes he had an obligation to be honest with the American people. I laid out what people who — former staffers of the former president said. We’re talking about John Kelly, former chief of staff. We’re talking about the former Defense secretary. They were very clear.
And we also heard words that the president-elect said: “enemy within,” going after people who disagree with him.
And so, the president is always, always going to be very honest with the American people. I don’t have anything else to share beyond that.
Look, we are — we are being very clear here, right? The outcome was not what we wanted. And the American people have made a decision, and we want to respect — we want to respect the decision that the American people have made. And we are going to make sure that the American people get what they deserve, which is a peaceful transfer of power.
And we’re going to focus — continue to focus on issues that matter — we believe that matter to the American people in the next 74 days.
Q So, it sounds like his assessment hasn’t changed.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He was being honest. He has an obligation, and he was being honest with the American people. And he will continue to do so.
Q A question about the peaceful transition.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.
Q What is President Biden’s message to career civil servants who will carry over into the next administration? Does President Biden believe that they should be fully cooperative as the next president seeks to put his agenda into action?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Fully cooperative?
Q Not slow things down.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, n- — absolutely.
Q Republicans have —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, I mean, look, we’re saying —
Q — voiced a lot of frustration —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’re saying that we want a good — a peaceful transition. We want an ef- — effective, efficient transition. That’s what we’re saying. And that’s in the president’s administration.
Career, political — we want to make sure that that transition happens in an orderly way, and we’re not looking to slow down anything. We want it to happen — to happen. That’s what the American people deserve.
This is not political here, folks. This is not about politics. This is about the right thing to do for the American people. They’ve made a decision, and we’re respecting that.
Q Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. No problem.
I don’t know how much — go ahead, sir.
Q Yeah. Are members of the Trump team traveling with the — the president and government officials to Lima to the APEC Summit?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m sorry, what’s the —
Q Are —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What’s the —
Q Are members of the Trump team traveling or are they going to be in Lima (inaudible) —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re — you’re going to have to ask the Trump — the Trump team on that. I can only speak for the president.
Q Karine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Go ahead, Jacqui.
Q Thank you, Karine. Just to follow up on the pardon question. Is a commutation also still off the table?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: For — who are you talk- —
Q For Hunter.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Who are you talking about?
Q Hunter.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh. I — no. No. I mean, we’re not — that’s not what we’re going to do.
Q You had said on Air Force One that the president would — would not consider a commutation of his son. Does that —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, that stands.
Q You’re saying that still stands?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, yeah. That stands.
Q Okay. Great.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, yeah.
Q And then I heard you earlier in the briefing talking about the pandemic’s role in the outcome of this election.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q And it sounds like that is being looked at internally as potentially one of the causes of this outcome.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q But Ritchie Torres, the congressman, tweeted, “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like ‘Defund the Police’ or ‘From the river to the sea’ or ‘Latinx.’”
Is the — is the administration, the campaign, the Democratic Party looking at the pandemic as the cause, rather than — is that easier than —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, let’s —
Q — looking in the mirror?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, so, look, let’s step back here. I think I’ve been and the president and the vice president has been pretty clear in understanding that the American people have spoken and respecting that. I think we have tried to be incredibly respectful of what happened two nights ago, and we’re going to continue to do that.
And I’m not going to speak to every person in the Democratic Party who has an opinion or a thought. I’m — I’m just not. It is not something that I’m going to do.
I talked about the political toll on incumbent parties around the world as a data point — right? — as something that we have seen pretty consistency — pretty consistently with G7 allies in this time.
And, obviously, one of the re- — one of the things that occurred was the pandemic. It did. It caused disruption. It caused the supply chain to be disrupted and led f- — and — and caused the economy to be turned upside down.
While we put policies — and we are, in fact, leading the world on the economy, it doesn’t stop — it doesn’t stop the fact that in- — there has been a political toll for incumbents.
That is something that I’m telling you as a data point to share, because we know that you guys would have questions. That’s a data point that I’m using.
And I’m also saying that there’s going to be election experts in the next days, weeks, months, who are going to — again, looking under the hood, kick the — kick the tires, trying to figure out exactly what happened two nights ago.
And so, they’re the pundits. They’re going to speak to that. They’re the experts.
And so, we’ll have more information as they look at the data. And so, we’ll let — we’ll — we’ll leave that to them.
And so, I’m offering you our perspective, our thoughts, how we’re going to move forward in the next 74 days.
And I — I think what Americans should be assured of is that this is a president that’s going to put the American people first. That’s what people can be assured for.
Q But is that examination happening at all inside, though? Because as — as Gabe mentioned —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Yeah.
Q — you know, this administration’s message to millions of Americans that they’re going to wake up the day after the election, if Trump won, and have their rights stripped away, that democracy would crumble, and the president said today, “We’re going to be okay.” So, how do — how do you square that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I can square that. I’m going to square that in a way that hopefully makes sense, because I’ve been answering this question multiple times.
The American people made the decision. There was an election two nights ago. There was. And it was a free and fair election, and we respect the election process. We do. And Americans spoke.
And so, the job of the president is to make sure we respect that. The job of the president is to make sure that we have a peaceful transfer of power. That is what the American people deserve, and that’s what we’re going to — it’s — it’s really — it’s not complicated. It’s truly, truly as simple as that — as simple as that.
The president called the president-elect, invited him to the White House. You know why? Because that’s customary. That is customary. That is what you do. If you respect what the American people decided, that’s what you do. And that’s what the pre- — the president is going to make sure that the Trump transition has what it needs, which — which is being led, obviously, by our chief of staff here.
Why? Because the president wants to lead by example. It’s not complicated. It really isn’t. And, you know, that’s important.
Q So, lead — “lead by example” is the message to people who are fearful based on what the messaging was about —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I —
Q — the stakes and what could happen?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, now you’re just twisting everything around, and that’s really unfair.
Q No, I’m asking you to be clear.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, it is — no, no, no, Jacqui, it’s unfair, because I’ve been standing here trying to be very respectful to what happened the last two nights — two nights ago — being respectful. I have been standing here saying that we respect the decision that the American people made. I’ve been standing here and saying that the president is going to put the American people first. I’ve been standing here talking about how the Ameri- — the president is going to make sure that they get what they deserve, which is a peaceful transfer of power.
I do not appreciate having my words twisted. That is — I have been very clear —
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — very, very, very clear about what the president wants to do, and the vice president. We want to make sure that we deliver for the American people. They deserve — they deserve a peaceful transfer of power, and that’s what you’re going to see.
Thanks, everybody.
3:07 P.M. EST
