Source: The White House
2:06 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, folks. My name is Joe Biden. (Laughter.)
Q Welcome to the briefing room.
Q Welcome, Mr. President.
Q We’ve been waiting for you.
THE PRESIDENT: Welcome to the swimming pool.
Q Finally. This is — this is great.
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, look, folks, good afternoon. The past two days have gotten some — we’ve gotten very good news about the American economy.
Just yesterday, shipping carriers, after some discussion, and the International Longshoreman’s Union came to an agreement to keep their ports in the East Coast and Gulf ports open. We averted what could have become a major crisis for the country. And a tentative agreement, which includes record wage increases for dockworkers and shows the importance of collective bargaining and represents, I think, critical progress toward a strong contract.
I especially want to thank the carriers, the port operators, and the longshoreman’s union for reaching this agreement at a time when the nation has experienced such terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene. It was truly a service to the American people for all the parties to come together and to respond to our request to keep the ports open.
I was determined to — to avert a crisis at this moment, because it’s a critical moment. If we didn’t do this now, we’d have a real problem.
I also want to thank my White House team for the work — they worked around the clock to bring the parties together.
But, today, I — we got more incredible news. Although the strength of the American economy is a — it’s about the strength of the American economy. The new jobs report, as you all know and you’ve been reporting, created 250,000 jobs in September. The expectation was for 150,000 jobs in September, which is — far exceeds that number. Not only the previous two months — but not only that, the previous two months was revised up 150,000 — 75,000 jobs.
And from the very beginning, we were told time and again that the polices we were pursuing — we’d put forward weren’t –weren’t going to work, make things worse, including some of the other team who are still saying they’re going to make things worse. But we’ve proven them wrong.
You know, we were told our American — we’ve — we were told our American Rescue Plan was too big and it would crowd out private investment. We proved them wrong. It vaccinated a nation and got immediate economic relief to people in need.
When I came to office determined to end trickle-down economics and to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up — I know you’re tired of hearing me say that over and over again, but that was the policy; it remains the policy — because when you do that, everyone does well. When the middle class grows, the nation is stronger. And the nation is stronger when there is a strong union movement as well.
We were told it wouldn’t work, but I was also determined to do what was ignored for much too long. Presidents have been authorized since the ‘30s to be able to spend the money given by Congress — to spend the money on hiring American workers and using American product where they were available. And that’s what we did.
We were told that was going to be a big problem, but all the money we — I was authorized to spend by the Congress has gone to building a mi- — to — gone to hiring American workers and using American products. We were told it wasn’t going to be — I — we were told that was going to be a big problem, but it’s working.
We were also told that our historic laws to invest in America and all Americans would crowd out private-sector investment. Well, that was proven wrong too.
We’ve attracted nearly $1 trillion since we’ve come to office in private-sector investment from domestic and foreign companies investing in America — in America. And not this stuff with sh- — shipping jobs overseas for cheaper labor and bringing back a product to America. We’re building it here and sending it overseas. And look at the results across the board.
Unemployment is back down 4- — to 4.1 percent. And every month f- — that Vice President Harris and I have been in office, we’ve been — there’s been — we’ve created jobs every single month.
The nation has now created 16 million jobs since I’ve come to office, more jobs created in a single presidential term than at any time in American history.
Our GDP shows our economy grew at — at 10 percent under my administration. Unemployment reached the lowest level in 50 years.
We were also told inflation couldn’t come down without massive job losses or sending the economy into economic recession.
Once again, the outside experts were wrong. Inflation has come way down. Wages have gone up, growing faster than prices. The interest rates are down. A record 19 million new business applications have been filed for. The stock market continues to reach new heights.
We’ve got more work to do though to keep getting — keep — to keep getting prices down, like more affordable housing, extending what I’ve done for seniors and lowering prescription drug costs by letting Medicare negotiate the prices — make sure that’s available to everyone.
And, by the way, what we’ve done so far — just what we’ve brought down the prices for seniors under Medicare, it saved the taxpayers billions of dollars — billions of dollars. Saved the taxpayers billions of dollars. That’s important to note because they don’t have to pay the exorbitant and ratio- — irrational prices that these companies are charging.
The simple fact is we’ve gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world. And — but we got — we — we got more work to do. We’ve got more work to do to deal the — the things I’ve just mentioned. And we’re going to have to deal with unforeseen costs of what this — this hu- — this hurricane is going to cost. It’s going to cost a lot of money, and I’m going to probably have to ask the Congress before we leave for more money to deal with some of those problems, but that remains to be seen.
I’ll take a few questions before I turn it over to —
Q Mr. President —
THE PRESIDENT: You pick out the questions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, okay. Yes, sir. (Laughter.) Yes, sir.
Go ahead, Josh.
Q Thanks again for doing this, Mr. President. Two questions. The first, Florida Senator Marco Rubio described today’s jobs report as having “fake numbers.” What do you make of that? And how worried are you that many Americans are hearing that the jobs numbers aren’t real?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, I’m going to be very careful here. If you notice anything the MAGA Republicans don’t like, they call “fake.” Anything. The job numbers are what the job numbers are. They’re real. They’re sincere. They’re — what we are.
But — and, by the way, just look at how the EU talks about us, how they’d like to have an economy like ours. Let’s talk about the rest of the world looks at us and what we’re doing.
So, I — well, I don’t want to get going.
Q And — and then, secondly, could you clarify some of your comments yesterday with regard to strikes on Iranian oil facilities? What did you mean by them, given some of the reactions we’re seeing in the market?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, look, the Israelis have not concluded how they’re — what they’re going to do in terms of a strike. That’s under discussion. I think there are — if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Weijia.
Q Thank you, Karine. Thank you so much, Mr. President, for being here.
This week, Senator Chris Murphy said, “It’s certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the election,” which is what you have been calling for for so long, “potentially to try to influence the result.”
Do you agree? Do you have any worries that Netanyahu may be trying to influence the election, and that’s why he has not agreed to a diplomatic solution?
THE PRESIDENT: No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that.
And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.
Q You’ve said many times recently that you want to speak to him, that you plan to —
THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn’t say “plan to.” I didn’t say “want to.”
Q You don’t want to?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn’t say that. You’re making it sound like I’m seeking an inv- — speak- — I’m assuming when they make their judgment of how they’re going to respond, we will then have a discussion.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Selina.
Q Thank you.
Q Thank you, Mr. President, for being here. What are you advising the Israelis to do in terms of their retaliation to Iran? And at this point, you still haven’t spoken to Netanyahu. Is it fair to say that you have little personal influence over what he decides to do?
THE PRESIDENT: No. Look, our — our teams are in contact 12 hours a day. They’re constantly in contact. I’ve already had my presidential daily brief. We’ve already had interface between our military, our — the diplomats. It’s in constant contact.
They are trying to figure out — this is High Holidays as well. They’re not going to make a decision immediately. And so, we’re going to wait to see what they — when they want to talk.
Q But over the past few months, they’ve consistently defied your administration’s own advice. So, do you believe that the Israelis are going to listen to the advice you’re giving them?
THE PRESIDENT: What I know is the plan that I put together received the support of the U.N. Security Council and the vast majority of our allies around the world as a way to bring this to an end.
One of — look, the Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them not just from the Iranians but from the — everyone from Hezbollah to the Houthis to — anyway. And — but the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.
Q So, how should they respond? You expressed concerns about attacks on Iranian oil facilities. How should they respond?
THE PRESIDENT: That’s between me and them.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. We got to move on. Go ahead, Tam.
Q The election is a month away. One, I’d like to know how you’re feeling about how this election is going. And then, also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful?
THE PRESIDENT: Two separate questions.
Q Very much.
THE PRESIDENT: I’m confident it’ll be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful.
The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election were very dangerous.
If you notice — I — I noticed that the vice-presidential Republican candidate did not say he’d accept the outcome of the election. And they haven’t even accepted the outcome of the last election. So, I’m — I’m concerned about what they’re — what they’re going to do.
Q Are you making any preparations? Getting security briefings related to domestic security?
THE PRESIDENT: I always get those briefings.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. We got to move on. Go ahead, Akayla. And we have — do a couple more.
Q Hi. Hi, Mr. President. When are you considering imposing sanctions on Iran? And would you include oil in those sanctions?
THE PRESIDENT: That’s som- — that’s be- — that’s under consideration right now, the whole thing. I’m not going to discuss that out loud.
Q And just on your comments yesterday on the port strike. You said by “the grace of God,” it’s going to hold. Is there any reason you think that this —
THE PRESIDENT: Well, there’s more to do.
Q — this temporary suspension —
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a month from now, and there’s more to do in terms of everything from the whole notion of me- — me- — excuse me — mechanization of the ports and the like. There’s more to more to re- — more to resolve.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Danny.
Q Thanks, Karine. Thank you, Mr. President. Last night, you said that there’s still a lot to do to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East. I mean, firstly, aren’t we pretty close to that definition already? And — and, secondly, what — what can you really do to stop that happening?
THE PRESIDNET: There’s a lot we are doing. The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies into participating, like the French are, in — in Lebanon and other places to tamp this down. And — but when you have proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis and — it’s a — it’s a hard thing to determine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Toluse.
THE PRESIDENT: I’ve got to go, kid.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. I know. (Laughter.) He’s telling me, “I got to go.”
THE PRESIDENT: I said I’d take a couple questions. (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right.
Q We’ll take (inaudible) —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re the la- — you’re the last one, Toluse.
THE PRESIDENT: I think she’s decreasing her credibility. (Laughter.)
Q First — first time in four years; you have to take some more.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Toluse, you’re going to be the last one.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for — for spending some time here with us. There have obviously been a number of crises that the country has been facing over the past several days with the hurricane, with port strike, with the situation in the Middle East. Can you talk about how your vice president, who is running for the presidency, has worked on these crises and what role she has played over the past several
days?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, she’s — I’m in constant contact with her. She’s aware of where — we all — we’re singing from the same song sheet. We — she helped pass the l- — all the laws that are being employed now. She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass. And so, she’s been — and her — her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, sir. Thank you, sir.
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s up to you, sir. (Laughs.)
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Totally up to you, sir.
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. All right. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, Nandita. Nandita.
Sir — sir — no. No. Sir — I didn’t call on you, sir. I didn’t call on you. Nandita.
Q Pope Francis is calling for a day of —
Q Thank you. Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Nandita.
Q — prayer —
Q Mr. President —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go, Nandita.
Q — and fasting. What’s —
Q Mr. President —
THE PRESIDENT: On Pope Francis —
Q Yeah.
THE PRESIDENT: — calling for a day of prayer and fasting —
Q A day of prayer and fasting this Monday, October 7th. You reaction, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I will prayer and fast.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. That’s —
(Cross-talk.)
Q Mr. President, what is acceptable to you in terms of Israel’s response? How long are you okay with Israel bombing Lebanon? What is acceptable to you?
Q Mr. President —
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, guys. That’s it. Thank you, everybody.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
(Cross-talk.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you, every- — thank you, sir.
Q Mr. President, on Ukraine. Have you made a decision on long-range weapons?
Q Do you re- — want to reconsider dropping out of the race?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m back in. (Laughter.)
Q What made you want to come here today, Mr. President?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, everybody.
Q Thank — thank you, Mr. President.
Q Thank you.
Q Please come back.
Q Thank you, Karine.
Q Karine, can we do that again?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. (Laughter.)
You hear- — you heard I was already told that. (Laughs.)
Q So, that’s why we were late?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, are we always on — any — always on time? (Laughter.) I — I could call myself out for that.
All right, everybody. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. President.
Okay. So, this week, the United States has faced a — a number of competing challenges, from tensions in the Middle East, to a port strike that threatened our nation’s supply chains, to a historic hurricane that washed away entire communities.
Moments like these underscore the importance of American leadership and resolve, and they show what is possible when we come together.
Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we were able to successfully protect our allies, ensure the viability of critical supplies, stand up for good-paying union jobs, and get resources to people impacted by the storm in North Carolina and beyond.
In the Middle East, the president showed that our ironclad support for Israelis’ security is not just a talking point; it saves lives. Prior to Iran’s attack on Israel, the president convened his national security team in the Situation Room to monitor developments in real time, ensure we were prepared to assist in Israelis’ defense, and protect U.S. personnel in the region.
Under the president’s leadership, the United States successfully defended Israel an- — from Iran’s missiles, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel.
On the home front, the president and his team brought union workers, ocean carriers, and port operators to the table to — successfully to resolve a strike that threatened U.S. supply chains and the economic progress this president has made to lower prices for the American people.
And in the Southwest United States — Southeast, pardon me, United States, the administration pre-positioned 1,500 federal personnel, along with critical resources like food, water, and fuel, to ensure that communities in the path of Hurricane Helene were prepared ahead of the storm.
Now, we are getting more resources into the hardest-hit communities every day, and we have provided over $45 million directly to individuals and families to help them recover.
And a wide range of bipartisan officials, including the governors of every affected state, are working together with us and have praised the federal response.
These response- — responses underscore why leadership matters. The president’s leadership in this moment helps to save lives, pra- — protect critical alliances, and ensure that our economy remains strong. But more importantly, it proves that nothing is beyond America’s capacity when we do it together.
And really quickly, because I know you all a- — asked for this. This is the week ahead. Next week, the president will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to discuss his administration’s work to replace lead pipes in the state and across the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This law is investing historic resources into our communities and creating good-paying jobs.
The president will also be traveling to Philadelphia for a campaign engagement.
He will also travel to Germany and Angola to underscore the enduring strength and importance of two strategic bilateral relationships in addressing a comprehensive range of global stra- — challenges. The value of strong alliances and partnerships in the defense of freedom and democracy has never resonated more in Europe, Africa, and beyond.
President Biden has made revitalizing our international alliances and partnerships a key priority, recognizing that today’s challenges require global perspectives and shared responses.
Those are the details I am able to share with — for now, but certainly, we will have more in the upcoming days.
And finally, n- — finally, we have Lael Bran- — Brai- — Brainard — (laughs) — our national economic adviser to the president. She’s going to provide more information on how the president helped reopen our ports, as well as the strong job market economy report that we saw today, showing that more than 250,000 jobs this — this September under the president — President Biden.
MS. BRAINARD: Well, thanks, Karine. And it’s good to see everybody today.
It is a good day for American workers and families. We saw more than 250,000 new jobs created in the month of September. We saw unemployment back down to 4.1 percent at a time when inflation is back down to pre-pandemic levels.
The East Coast and Gulf ports are opening back up, and dockworkers are getting back to work on the basis of a strong tentative agreement on wages and a contract extension between the International Longshoreman’s Association and the United St- — States Maritime Alliance.
Just a week ago, the negotiation had totally stalled out. The union and employers had not spoken to each other for months. The last time a wage offer had been put on the table was in the middle of 2023.
The president and the vice president directed us to get the parties back to the table to reach a good deal. We worked around the clock to help them find common ground.
And the president was clear throughout that process on three things: We needed to get the union and the employers back to the table on the basis of a strong progress on wages so nothing would get in the way of hurricane recovery; Taft-Hartley was off the table because collective bargaining works; and workers should share in the large profits of the ocean carriers, particularly after those dockworkers sacrificed so much to keep goods moving for the American public during the pandemic.
And as a result of the hard work that I undertook along with Secretary Buttigieg, [Acting] Secretary Su, a number of people in the White House. We are seeing dockworkers get a fair share of the industry’s record returns. We’re seeing ports opening so consumers and businesses can get what they need. And we don’t expect to see any effects on our economy or for consumers, businesses, and farmers because we have strong supply chains that we built in the wake of the pandemic.
The president and the vice president have consistently supported the collective bargaining process. When employers and workers come to the table, they find a good outcome.
That’s a vastly different approach from previous administrations that might have busted unions and rolled back worker protections.
And finally, I would simply say that the data that we’re seeing, the data we saw last week confirms that our economy is delivering for workers.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. I’m going to take a couple of questions.
Go ahead, Selina.
Q Thank you so much for being here. Would you say at this point that the U.S. has achieved a soft landing? And if not, at what point will we be there?
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah, I would say that, look, we have seen unemployment — the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years, and we have seen inflation come back down to pre-pandemic levels.
That is exactly the kind of growth that you would want to see. Growth has actually been revised up. It’s been above 3 percent over the last year, and we’re continuing to see very resilient consumers. So, yes, that’s exactly the kind of Goldilocks results that you would want to see.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Josh.
Q Thanks again for doing this. If I could ask about an otherwise strong jobs report. You still have manufacturing employment dip by 7,000. What do you think is happening in the manufacturing sector right now? Is this response to higher rates, or are you seeing something else going on?
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah, so I think if you look more broadly across the administration, you have seen manufacturing jobs growing by more than 700,000, in contrast to the previous administration that actually saw manufacturing job losses even before the pandemic.
And I think the right way to think about this — because we have so much new investment dollars from the Investing in America agenda, the right way to think about it is to look at construction and manufacturing jobs together. And there, what we’ve seen is continued growth.
That construction workforce is hard at work with factory construction that is multiples of the previous administrations. That construction of factories is going to turn into the manufacturing jobs of the future.
So, we see that investment in today’s economy, whether it be in chip manufacturing or clean energy, that is going to result in tomorrow’s manufacturing jobs.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine.
Just after the last Fed rate cut, do you think the administration has won its fight against inflation?
MS. BRAINARD: So, I would say, if you look at the data on inflation, it is now back down to pre-pandemic levels. Don’t forget, nobody said that could happen with a strong labor market. I think people just really need to go back and see some of the predictions. Nobody thought we could have the strongest recovery in our peer economies — strongest on jobs, strongest on growth — and get inflation down as fast as we did.
And so, that just shows that the president’s investments and the focus on supply chains has really worked.
Q And then just a follow-up on the consumer confidence
numbers. I mean, there was, you know, an upward revision in August, but now it’s down in September. I’m just sort of wondering if you can comment on that.
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah, so I think the most recent Michigan sentiment numbers actually are showing strength. And, you know, if you look at what consumers are talking about, they’re talking about good jobs, good job opportunities. And we’ve seen a lot of people moving into new sectors with better wages, and there is now a lot more confidence that interest rates are coming down, inflation is down, and that’s going to enable consumers to feel more confident about investing in some of those bigger-ticket items.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Just a couple more.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you. On the jobs report, the data also showed that the employment picture in July and August was also brighter than previously thought. For Americans who are concerned about the rate that they may pay on their mortgage or their car that they might buy, what do you see that doing to the path of interest rates going forward?
MS. BRAINARD: You know, I think that we are now in a part of the recovery where inflation is back down, and that’s really what is going to determine whether interest rates continue to fall. And market interest rates have remained low. Mortgage rates have come all the way down close to 6 percent. We anticipate, because inflation is back down, that that will continue to show through to market rates.
Q And on the hurricane that ravaged the Southeast, what are your early indications of how that could impact economic growth and the jobs picture in November, with so many in that region out of work?
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah, so we do think normally with a hurricane of this size, with the devastation that it has caused in many communities, that it will affect the employment statistics for that month. But what we know is that, generally, you see the economy overall bouncing back very quickly and the growth numbers really becoming sort of strong pretty rapidly because of all that rebuilding activity that we are committed to.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Jacqui.
Q That was my —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, okay.
Q — on interest rates. Yeah. (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q How concerned are you right now about the instability
in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices?
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah, so, it is something that we track very closely. Obviously, prices at the pump right now, $3.18 on average — not that I track it closely, but that is today’s number — (laughter) — and below $3 in many states. We believe that global markets are well supplied, and continue to expect that in the U.S., we’ll continue to see those low gas prices.
And of course, we have really effective ways of addressing some of those geostrategic volatility. We’ve used it in the past. We have the capacity to use it again.
So, right now, markets are very well supplied, and we anticipate them to remain so.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, last question to — oh —
Q Yeah, I’ll —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I — I can go to Gerren too. (Laughs.) Go ahead.
Q Thanks. A federal judge in Missouri issued an injunction blocking the president’s student loan program hours after a judge in Georgia allowed it to advance. What is the White House’s message to this dizzying legal battle? And that was lifted up as an economic policy to, particularly, closing the racial wealth gap. And what is your message to Black and brown Americans who are really relying on this relief?
MS. BRAINARD: Yeah. So, student loan debt relief is so important for so many young people who are trying to build wealth, particularly for people who are first generation, to be able to invest in small businesses, to invest in starting a family, to invest in a house for the first time. So, we are going to continue to work to deliver that debt relief to so many students who deserve it.
I do want to say that we have 5 million Americans who have already received debt relief. And, you know, you can go on TikTok and other social media platforms and see their testimonials what a difference it makes in their lives. And that is why the president, vice president going to continue working so hard to deliver.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Awesome. Thank you so much, Lael.
MS. BRAINARD: Thank you.
Q More Americans are food insecure.
MS. BRAINARD: Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Q Could you address food insecurity?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appreciate it.
Q The numbers are rising —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you, thank you.
Q — according to the USDA. Food insecurity numbers?
Maybe, Karine, if you could address it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. Not — not right now.
Q Food insecurity?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m — I’m not talking to you, sir.
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m just not. It would be nice if you would be less disrespectful in the room.
Q I’m just asking questions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Inappropriately.
Okay. Go ahead, Josh. I don’t know if — maybe you guys are done with me. Maybe I can walk out. (Laughs.) You guys got — you guys got all the best. (Laughs.) You guys got all the best.
Go ahead, Josh.
Q So, if we were to, like, zoom out —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — President Biden came in here today.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q He’s going to be with Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey this week. Then he goes to Germany and Angola. He said he’s singing from the same song sheet as vice president Kamala Harris on the campaign. How does he see his public role in the next few weeks as we get closer to the election? What does — what’s he trying to achieve?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — look —
Q And how’s he thinking about it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think he’s doing his job as president, right? I think that’s the most important thing. I mean, I started off at the top, at least of this — this part of the program, where I said that we’ve had three major events happen this week. And what did the president do? What did the vice president do? They worked shoulder and shoulder to deal with these major events.
Now we see a deal with the port — a negotiated deal with the ports. Obviously, it — it — that collective bargaining is extended until January 15th, which is incredibly important, especially in the midst of a hurricane that we saw — this historic hurricane that we just saw — Hurricane Helene.
We s- — we see what’s happening in the Middle East. The president and the vice president continue to have diplomatic conversations, if you will, to deal — to de-escalate, to deal with what we’re seeing in — in that — in the region.
And the hurricane. You saw the — the vice president in — in Georgia; the president in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, himself, and also in North — also in Florida, pardon me.
And so, I think what you’re going to see is him continuing to do his job, working closely with the vice president.
Look, before Hurricane Helene, President Biden was planning to campaign this week, and you heard — you heard me say he’s going to go to Pennsylvania. He’s going to go to Wisconsin next week. And so, we have — you know, we — we have — you all have covered how much of a whirlwind week this has been.
And so, the president is going to be president. He’s going to be commander in chief. And obviously, he’s going to be supporting his vice president.
I can’t speak specifically about the campaign because of — we do respect the Hatch Act here — at least for myself, as a federal employee, and many of us here.
And so, look, he’s going to continue to — to do the work that he’s doing. We saw strong jobs numbers. That’s one of the reasons he came out. He came out because he wanted to talk about that. He wanted to talk about what we have seen this week.
And so — and so, look, we’re going to continue to doing the work, and I think that’s what the American people want to see.
Go ahead, Selina.
Q Thanks, Karine. So, former President Donald Trump threatened to revoke the legal status of Haitian migrants.
What is the president’s reaction to that? This is something that the former president had tried to do during his own administration.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, here’s the fact. The fact is they are here legally, right? That is the fact. TPS, that’s what it gives you. And honestly, I wouldn’t take legal advice from the former president. I don’t know. That’s not something I would do.
Go ahead.
Q And how concerned is the administration about the economic impact of Hurricane Helene?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, as you can see, we have been working around the clock. The president directed his team very early on to work around the clock to make sure that the states who were — that were affected, the states that he’s visited and the vice president has visited over the past couple of days, got everything that they need. And we — and we did that by pre-positioning — pre-positioning some of the personnel — about 1,500 federal personnel — to do that.
What we are doing: We’re going to make sure — obviously, we’re going to always monitor any of the economic impact. But we’re going to continue to make sure that we are dealing — we are focused on lifesaving and life-sustaining efforts. That’s the focus that we’re going to have here.
And we’re going to continue to monitor. But obviously, reacting and providing the needs of the states right now, of the — of citizens who are living in those states is probably the most key and most important. And continue to call on Congress to move forward with additional funding.
As you know, in the CR there was a robust ask for funding — for disaster funding, and that didn’t make it in the bipartisan CR. And so, we got to get that done. And we’re going to continue to have conversations with Congress.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Nandita.
Q Karine, I tried asking the president this —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Nandita, I’ve called on you, like, three times today. (Laughter.) I know some folks in the back are just going to be like, “Yeah.”
Q I appreciate it. I appreciate it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So — yeah.
Q I tried asking President Biden —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I hear you, Kimberly. I hear you.
Go ahead.
Q What is acceptable to the U.S. in terms of Israel’s response, right? How long is the U.S. comfortable with Israel bombing Lebanon?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I know you guys are going to ask this question every which way, and I totally understand that. We are having conversations, discussions. We’re in contact with the Israelis on — on what’s next.
We have been very clear there will be consequences. You saw the joint statement with the G7. There’s going to be consequences. There’s going to be sanctions. And I’m not going to preview those sanctions from here.
But we have always said Israel has the right to defend itself. And we — and you saw just on Tuesday night — and not just Tuesday night, in April — how — how much we are prepared to defend and protect Israel, because that is our ironclad commitment.
I’m not going to get into pu- — into diplomatic conversations in — in the public here.
Q And there was a report that quotes U.S. officials saying the White House wants to take advantage of the massive blow to Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure to push for a new Lebanese president in the coming days. Can you comment on that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to comment on that. I’m not going to comment on sources or reporting out there. That is — that is not something I’m going to speak to, sourcing that I can’t even verify from here.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you. On the port strike reaching a tentative agreement. The White House and several officials were involved in — in the 90-day extension of those talks. I’m wondering what the significance of that timeline is and whether the election being five weeks away played any role in it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, this is about the right thing to do for workers. Many of those workers put their lives at risk during the pandemic. We have always said collective bargaining is — works. We believe it works. And we have seen — we have seen parties reach a fair agreement when you put — when you have — when they come in — come to the table and — in good faith and do that collective bargaining. This is what’s important.
It was important to this president to get this done. This is not about an election. This is about what is the right thing to do for the American people. This is the right thing to do for — for workers, again, who — who deserve higher wages, who deserve benefits.
And so, the president is proud to have been able to do that. His team — obviously, with his team, in the dir- — and he directed his team to do this. And so, now collective bargaining is going to continue, and we’ll see where we are in the next couple of — couple of months.
But this is not about politics for this president. He — and you have seen that in the last three and a half years when we’ve been in these types of situation where there was negotiation, and we have been very, very clear: collective bargaining and supporting workers.
Q On congressional funding. You mentioned some of the items that were lacking in the short-term funding bill that Republicans had put forth. I’m wondering if the president has spoken with any members of the Big Four in Congress to bring those concerns to them directly.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have any conversations to speak to that the president has had with members of Congress.
I mean, you saw him on the road. He was able — you saw him in a bipartisan way on the road in North Carolina, South Carolina, in Georgia, and — and Florida. And he — you saw him with Republican congressional members and governors and Republican — and Democratic congressional members and also governors. And you saw that bipartisanship.
I’m certainly not going to get into any private conversations that they have had. But we will continue to speak to congressional leadership and members about getting that extra funding. It is important. They need to act. They need to act.
AIDE: Karine, you (inaudible).
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q Hey, thanks, Karine. Can you talk about how President Biden will be marking Monday’s one-year anniversary of the October 7th attack on Israel?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, obviously, it’s going to be a painful — a painful day for — for many, including for — for all of us here. And so, we will have more to share on how we will be commemorating that devastating day that we saw a year ago. Don’t have anything to share at this time.
Q And — and, secondly, this was President Biden’s first time — correct? — to the press briefing room —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — since he’s —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.
Q What — why not —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And you’re welcome.
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re welcome. I know you’re — I know this —
Q I know. I know.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know the way — the way this question is going to go.
Q We appreciate it. I —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s going to be great. It’s going to be great. (Laughs.)
Q Let’s — let’s do it again.
Q I would have preferred a further question, but that’s all — that’s all right. (Laughter.) But real quick: Why not — why didn’t he come in the three and a half years before?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I —
Q Why —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, he came today. And you got to see him.
Q Yes. Yeah, but —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And you were here.
Q — you know, I mean, he had the opportunity —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Aw, man. Come on.
Q All right. All right.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Come on. He was here. He took your questions. And he —
Q It seemed like he wanted to stay a little bit longer.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — (laughter) —
Q Every Friday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He is — he is — every Friday? (Laughter.) Friday — Friday with the POTUS. Friday with the POTUS. We —
Q I’ll bring ice cream. Bring ice cream.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, no, you guys got to bring the ice cream. You guys got to bring the ice cream.
(Cross-talk.)
Okay. I’m going to do a couple more. Go ahead. I haven’t called on you. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. I want to go back to Haitians and the TPS. But first, you know, it was — it’s another week of misery in Haiti.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q There was this report from the World Food Programme describing acute hunger. What more can the U.S. do to improve the situation in Haiti? And conc- — if there’s no improvement, is it conceivable that the TPS for Haitians will never be lifted?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, on your last question, I’ll do that first — the last part of your question, I’ll do that first. I — we — I can’t predetermine what TPS status is going to be. It’s not something that I can do from here. Obviously, as you know, that is a decision with DHS and the State Department. They decide TPS and the best way to move forward. So, I’m not going to get into a hypothetical about that.
But as it relates to Haiti more broadly and to the question of instability and what’s happening, look, despite that — despite the instability that continues, the recent deployment, as you know, of MSS mission is a unique opportunity to build a foundation of security and bring hope to Haitians that deserve to live their lives free of violence.
And so, to that end, the United States has delivered well over $300 million to support the MSS mission, while urging the international to community — community to support that — that mission as well. The United States will continue to hold those undermining Haiti’s institutions and committing serious human rights abuses accountable. That is our commitment.
We are committed to doing our part both to address immediate security needs and invest in Haiti’s long-term successes. We stand with the people of Haiti and will continue supporting their aspirations of more security, certainly democratic and prosperous future. That is our commitment, and we’ll continue to support the mission.
Go ahead, Michael.
Q Thanks, Karine. It seems as if the president has spoken with pretty much every governor in the affected —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He has. He has. That was affected in the region.
Q But has he spoken with Governor DeSantis of Florida?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Touché. Good point. So — (laughter). Touché.
So — and I think we read out that he spoke to the governor of Tennessee on our way back from — back from our trip to Florida and Georgia yesterday.
I don’t have a — a conversation to read out with the Florida — the governor of Florida. But what I can say is that we have been in touch. Our team has been in touch with local officials on the ground. We are committed to providing what is needed in the state, obviously, to those who were affected in the state, and are committed — our commitment is clear. The president has always said it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or a blue state; he’s a president for all Americans. And that’s — continues to be, certainly, his commitment.
Go ahead.
AIDE: Last one.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. I’m getting — I’m getting pulled. But go ahead. Then I’ll come back to you.
Q Thank you, Karine. The president seemed to suggest that he is asking — or he seems to be suggesting that Israel should consider other alternatives, rather than attacking Iranian oil facilities. But should Israel make such an attack, how is the administration preparing for an Iranian retaliation on the Strait of Hormuz that would disrupt oil supply and disrupt oil prices globally?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, also as the president said, we continue to have these discussions. I’m not going to get into hypotheticals Israel — about Israel’s response to Tues- — Tuesday — Tuesday night attacks.
What I will say is that we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do. That is something that we understand.
I’m just not going to prejudge. I’m not going to get ahead of anything, and the discussions to continue.
Q But can we say that the administration is preparing for that possibility?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m just not going to get — I’m not going to speculate. They’re still — I’m — I’m telling you, they’re — still haven’t decided what their next steps are going to be.
Q Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So that’s what I’m saying to you. That’s what we understand. I don’t have anything else beyond that.
Q And on Angola — on the President’s trip, Karine. Amnesty International is criticizing the administration’s, quote, “silence” on human rights violations in Angola ahead of the president’s visit, calling out the administration’s focus on private-sector investment to counter China. This is obviously in reference to the Lobito Corridor. Do you have a response?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I mean, I — we get this question — this type of question about human rights violations any time he meets, he travels and if that’s going to come up. The president, as you know, has never shied away from direct conversation about human rights and democracy in any conversation, and I could expect that he will do the same in this upcoming trip.
And so, I don’t have anything beyond that, but the president has never shied away from that. Never shied away.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. Does the administration have any concerns about how the — the aftermath of this storm could impact the vote, whether it’s talking to the Postal Service about mail-in ballots that may not be getting to people or impacting the infrastructure in these critical states?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we are go- — using every available resources to help this com- — the community respond. That’s what we’re going to do and recover from this disaster. That is our commitment. That’s what you’ve heard from this president. That’s what you heard from the FEMA administrator and so many others in the president’s administration, and certainly that means ensuring that Americans’ have — voices are heard this November. And so, that is our commitment. We want to make sure that people’s voices are heard.
And so, any specifics on where the infrastructure is and what that looks like, certainly, I would have to refer you to the state election officials on — on those and — and cybersecurity and infrastructure and all of those pieces — on what that looks like for them. But — but —
Q Have any of the states voiced concerns to the administration?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — well, I cannot speak to that. I have not heard of that.
But look, our commitment, again, is to make sure that the resources available so that community can respond to recovery and also get back on their feet and deal with this disaster. We want to make sure — we want to make sure that Americans’ voices are heard this — this November.
That is im- — important and so — but certainly that is something that state elected officials can speak to more directly, but we’re going to try and make sure they get back on — back on that.
And I haven’t called on you yet. Go ahead.
Q Thank you.
Q Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants. How is the White House responding to that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, it’s just categorically fla- — false. It is not true. It is a false statement. And look, the fact of the matter is — I think the Washington Post fact-checker did a piece and the headline recently, just moments ago, not too long ago, and the headline was “No, Biden didn’t take FEMA relief money to use — to use on migrants – but Trump did.”
I’ll leave it there.
Q And a quick follow-up —
Q Karine? Karine?
Q — on that? A follow on —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep. Yep. Yep.
Q Secretary Mayorkas had said earlier this week that he was concerned that FEMA didn’t have enough funding until the end — for the rest of the hurricane season. Now that President Biden has seen the damage firsthand in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia — we heard him say at the podium he may have to call Congress back from recess — what exactly is he waiting for to be able to make that call?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — look, here’s the thing: We put forth a pretty substantial, robust — I mentioned this moments ago — to be part of the CR. We were disappointed that it was not part of the CR. And if congressional Republicans were serious — if they were really, truly serious — about doing something for the communities that was impacted by Hurricane Helene, they would join us in calling for additional funding. This is what we’ve been doing. And so, if they’re serious, they would get to — to work and get that done.
Just like in the — with the border, if they were serious about the border, they wouldn’t vote against their own bipartisan proposal that they worked with us on — they’re against it now; they weren’t — they would move it forward. It would actually start fixing the broken system that we’re seeing right now.
And, you know, they can — if they really want to help us in dealing what we’re seeing, whether it’s at the border or getting more funding for disaster monies that’s going to be needed to get into the communities, they should be serious. Congressional Republicans need to get serious here, and they’re just not.
Go ahead, Akayla.
Q Thanks, Karine. Just a quick question on the port strike suspension. Is the White House going to continue to be in touch with ILA to sort of support those negotiations as they continue?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think, look, there’s congressional — congressional — collective bargaining continues. I think that’s really important. That’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what we want to continue to see. And so, we will be in touch as necessary.
But I think what’s important is they came up with an agreement. That’s because of this president’s leadership. And the way to get this done is getting col- — is continuing that collective bargaining, and we believe that certainly works.
Thanks, everybody. All right. Have a great weekend.
Q Thank you.
2:55 P.M. EDT
MIL OSI USA News –