WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance in the White House press briefing room on Friday to take questions from reporters.
This was his first press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House since taking office.
“My name is Joe Biden,” he said jokingly before starting the briefing.
The president praised the agreement reached between workers and port operators that ended a three-day strike in U.S. ports. He also touted the much larger-than-expected job gains in September.
“We’ve proven them wrong,” Biden said, referring to projections about the economy.
The president also reiterated the need for more funding to cover the costs associated with Hurricane Helene.
“It’s going to cost a lot of money. I have to ask Congress, before we leave, for more money to deal with some of those problems. But that remains to be seen,” he said.
Biden also answered questions, the majority of which focused on the tensions in the Middle East.
He said that the Israeli government hasn’t decided on how to respond to the recent missile attack by Iran.
“That’s under discussion,” he said.
“The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies,” to avoid a full-out war, he said.
“But when you have proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis, it’s a hard thing to determine.”
On Oct. 1, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles against Israel, targeting its air bases and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv. With the help of the United States and its partners, Israel was able to defeat the attack.
The Israeli government pledged to retaliate, although it’s unclear if it will target the Iranian leadership and its nuclear program. Israel has long viewed Tehran as the epicenter of all regional efforts that threaten its security.
A war between Iran and Israel could force the United States to fight with Tehran, which could influence the election in November.
“I don’t believe there’s going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it,” Biden told reporters after visiting Florida and Georgia on Oct. 3. “But there’s a lot, a lot to do yet.”
When asked the same day whether the United States would send U.S. troops to combat in support of Israel, Biden responded, “We’ve already helped Israel. We’ll continue to. We’re going to protect Israel.”
Biden, 81, has faced criticism for failing to appear at the White House press briefing room. Media reports have also pointed out that he has held fewer news conferences and media interviews than did Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama during their terms in office.
When asked if he would reconsider his decision to drop out of the 2024 race, Biden said jokingly, “I’m back in,” before heading for the door.
