President Joe Biden surprised reporters Friday by appearing in the White House briefing room for the first time in his presidency.
As Friday’s briefing ran past its scheduled time, the door to the James S. Brady press briefing room opened to expose the 81-year-old president carrying a clipboard.
Gasps were heard in the room as several journalists greeted him.
“My name is Joe Biden,” the president said. “Welcome to the pool.”
the meeting room was famously built on The White House indoor pool ordered by President Richard Nixon to house television cameras.
The president answered questions, but it was his response upon leaving that drew the most attention.
A journalist shouted as he left: “Do you want to reconsider dropping out of the race?”
“I’m back inside,” he said smiling and then walked through the door.
President Joe Biden surprised reporters by appearing at Friday’s press conference at the White House, marking the first time he has addressed reporters in the room.
“I’m back,” President Joe Biden joked when a reporter asked him as he left the briefing room if he regretted dropping out of the presidential race.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (left) hugs President Joe Biden (right) during his surprise appearance at Friday’s briefing.
The message he intended to give – sometimes showing his stutter – was to highlight new employment figures showing the unemployment rate falling to 4.1 per cent and a pause in the dockworkers’ strike.
Although many of the questions he was asked had to do with an impending war in the Middle East.
Biden suggested that an Israeli attack on Iranian oil fields would not be ideal as a response to the rocket attack on Tel Aviv earlier this week.
“If I were in your place, I would be thinking about an alternative to attacks on the oil fields,” the president said.
He was also asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pushing for a ceasefire agreement to interfere in the US election, as some Democrats have claimed.
‘No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none,’ Biden responded. And I think Bibi should remember that whether she is trying to influence the election or not. I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.
Biden downplayed the fact that he had not spoken personally to Netanyahu since the Iranian attack, explaining that “our teams are in contact 12 hours a day.”
“What I know is that the plan I put together was supported by the UN Security Council and the vast majority of our allies around the world, as a way to put an end to this,” the president said.
He stated that Israel has “every right to respond to the ferocious attacks against them.”
“But the fact is, they have to be much more careful in dealing with civilian casualties,” Biden said.
Biden – and now Vice President Kamala Harris – have seen diminished support among Arab Americans for the way Israel has conducted the war in Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
The president also did not say how he advised Israel to respond to the Iranian rocket attack.
“That’s between me and them,” he said.
He also threw some jokes at his political opponents.
When asked about Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s assessment that the positive jobs numbers were “fake,” the president responded: “If you look, anything that MAGA Republicans don’t like, they call it fake.”
“Whatever,” he reiterated. “Employment figures are what employment figures are.”
Looking ahead to the election, which is just a month and a day away, Biden said he was “confident that it will be free and fair.”
“I don’t know if it will be peaceful,” he warned. “The things that Trump has said and the things he said last time, when he didn’t like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous.”
Biden also noted that former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, “did not say he would accept the outcome of the election.”
“They haven’t even accepted the result of the last election,” Biden added.
He also responded, “I always get those briefings” when asked if he would receive national security briefings before Nov. 5.
“I gotta go, kid,” Biden said, as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called a Washington Post reporter. “I said I’d take a couple of questions,” he said, smiling, as reporters continued waving their hands.
Jean-Pierre assured the president that this would be the last.
He then answered a question about Harris’ role.
‘I am in constant contact with her. She is aware. We are singing from the same sheet of music. “He helped pass all the laws that are being implemented now and was an important piece in everything we have done,” Biden responded.
After that, almost every journalist in the room tried to shout a question at the president.
The White House correspondent for the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network managed to catch the president’s attention, much to the chagrin of Jean-Pierre, who constantly scolds him for interruptions.
The journalist said Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting to mark the first anniversary on Monday of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
“I will pray and fast,” Biden responded.
Reuters’ Nandita Bose, whom Jean-Pierre had called, then asked the president how long he considered it acceptable for Israel to bomb Lebanon.
‘What is acceptable to you?’ she asked.
Biden simply smiled and said “thank you,” before walking out with his portfolio, teasing that he was back in the race on his way out.
