On Thursday, Karine Jean-Pierre held a White House press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:03 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:06 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:10 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:13 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:42 Hey, good afternoon, everyone.
00:43 Good afternoon.
00:45 Thank you.
00:47 Thursday afternoon.
00:48 So a couple of things, and then we'll go into the Q&A.
00:57 Do I sound like I have an echo?
00:59 Can we fix the sound?
01:02 Does that sound better?
01:04 OK.
01:05 All right, great.
01:06 So from Buffalo and Kansas City to Uvalde and Monterey Park,
01:11 we have seen the epidemic of gun violence
01:13 tearing apart communities nationwide,
01:16 leaving empty seats at dining room tables across the country.
01:20 The president and the vice president
01:21 have spent countless hours with families
01:24 who have lost loved ones to the senseless violence.
01:28 And they all say the same thing--
01:30 do something.
01:32 These same families and other survivors of gun violence
01:35 turned their pain into purpose.
01:37 They organized, demanded action.
01:40 And marched for their lives.
01:42 And thanks to their collective efforts,
01:45 President Biden signed the bipartisan Safer Communities
01:48 Act, the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years.
01:53 Today, we are building on that progress
01:55 and announcing a new rule that save lives
01:58 by requiring background checks for all gun dealers engaged
02:02 in the business of firearms dealing,
02:06 including for guns sold at gun shows and online.
02:09 This new rule implements the only significant expansion
02:12 of background check requirements since then-Senator Biden
02:17 helped shepherd the Brady Bill over the finish line in 1993.
02:22 Today's new action furthers the Biden-Harris administration's
02:25 historic efforts to stop the illegal flow of guns
02:29 and hold those who supply firearms
02:31 used in crime accountable.
02:33 But there's still much work to be done.
02:36 President Biden and Vice President Harris
02:38 continue to call on Congress to enact universal background
02:41 checks and finish the job.
02:44 Now, as you all have reported overnight,
02:46 Russia launched another large round
02:49 of aerial assaults against Ukraine's energy grid
02:53 as Vladimir Putin's continue to try
02:56 to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people
02:59 and plunge them into darkness.
03:01 Russia struck the largest power plant in Kiev,
03:04 a blast, as well as a power facilities
03:06 in five other regions across Ukraine.
03:09 As President Zelensky said in the recent days,
03:13 Ukraine needs more air defenses and interceptors
03:16 to protect its people and critical infrastructure
03:19 against Russian missiles and Iranian-supplied drones.
03:23 We need the House of Representatives --
03:27 Republicans specifically, obviously,
03:29 but the House of Representatives --
03:31 to take urgent action to pass the bipartisan
03:33 national security supplemental bill
03:35 so we can send Ukraine more air defenses.
03:38 And let me correct myself.
03:39 It's actually the House of Representatives.
03:40 We need the Speaker to put that bill on the floor
03:45 because we know we would get overwhelming support
03:48 from Republicans and Democrats, obviously.
03:50 So we need to see that bill put on the floor.
03:52 That was passed overwhelmingly in the Senate.
03:55 The strikes in Ukraine over the past 24 hours
03:58 are another terrible reminder that Ukraine's need is critical.
04:04 And now, turning over to Gaza,
04:05 I wanted to provide an update on our efforts to do all we can
04:08 to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance
04:11 reaching Gaza and ease the humanitarian suffering.
04:15 As you know, when President Biden last spoke
04:17 with Prime Minister Netanyahu just last week,
04:20 he was clear that Israel must announce and implement
04:23 a series of specific, concrete, measurable steps
04:26 to address humanitarian suffering.
04:28 The past few days have shown some promise.
04:32 Israel made the commitment to open the Ashdod Port
04:35 for the direct delivery of assistance into Gaza,
04:37 to open a new crossing for a new route for assistance
04:41 to reach north Gaza,
04:42 and to significantly increase deliveries from Jordan
04:45 directly into Gaza.
04:48 And over the past few days, over 1,000 trucks
04:52 loaded with humanitarian aid have gotten into Gaza,
04:55 and with over 300 trucks going into Gaza yesterday --
04:59 just yesterday alone.
05:00 That's good progress, but it's still not enough,
05:03 and we hope to see the progress continue and accelerate.
05:07 This afternoon, President Biden will welcome President Marcos
05:10 of the Philippines to the White House for his second meeting
05:13 at the White House in as many years.
05:16 I know the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan,
05:19 spoke to this on Monday,
05:20 but I will reiterate what he laid out as well,
05:23 which is that the President later will host
05:27 the first-ever Trilateral Leaders Summit
05:29 between the United States, Japan, and Philippines.
05:32 During President Biden's meeting with President Marcos,
05:35 the two Presidents will mark the unprecedented strength
05:37 of the alliance between the United States
05:39 and the Philippines.
05:41 The leaders will discuss initiatives
05:42 to enhance economic and energy security,
05:44 bolster maritime cooperation, invest in critical infrastructure,
05:48 and deepen people-to-people ties.
05:51 And President Biden will reinforce
05:52 the ironclad U.S. alliance commitments to the Philippines.
05:57 Following the meeting, the President will host
05:58 the historic Trilateral Leaders Summit.
06:01 As leading maritime democracies, the United States, Japan,
06:05 and the Philippines share a joint vision
06:07 for the future of the Indo-Pacific.
06:10 And with this leader-level trilateral,
06:13 we are taking our cooperation to new heights.
06:16 Our National Security Advisors met in Tokyo last June
06:20 to initiate our trilateral cooperation.
06:22 And officials from across our three governments
06:24 have met on topics as varied as economic security
06:27 and maritime cooperation.
06:29 Today, the leaders will announce new initiatives
06:31 to accelerate and surge high-quality infrastructure
06:34 investments in the Philippines, enhance energy security,
06:38 deepen maritime cooperation, and strengthen partnerships
06:41 on technology and cybersecurity.
06:43 Our three countries embark on this new era
06:46 of trilateral cooperation as trusted, equal partners,
06:50 guided by shared values, and an unwavering commitment
06:53 to a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
06:56 With that, Darlene, it's good to see you.
06:58 Good to see you, too.
06:59 Thank you.
07:00 To jump off of what you were saying in your topper
07:03 about Gaza, the USAID Administrator Samantha Power
07:07 has said that she accepts as credible reports
07:10 that famine is already underway in northern Gaza.
07:14 Does the President and the White House share that assessment?
07:17 And if so, you were talking about the progress is good,
07:21 but more needs to be done.
07:22 What more can be done?
07:23 Exactly.
07:24 The progress is good.
07:25 More needs to be done.
07:26 We talked about the commitment that Israel had.
07:28 The Prime Minister gave to the President just last week.
07:32 And I talked about the port, and I
07:34 talked about the new border crossings in northern Gaza.
07:37 We need to see that open up, that move forward.
07:40 But we've seen some progress, right?
07:42 The opening of more routes and also more trucks,
07:45 as I just laid out.
07:46 We've seen more than 1,000 trucks in the last three days.
07:49 Look specifically to Samantha Power's and her comments.
07:52 Our understanding is that the latest
07:53 reporting from the integrated food security phase
07:58 classification indicates that the famine is imminent in Gaza.
08:01 And that's why we're trying to do everything
08:03 that we can to uptick, obviously, the humanitarian aid.
08:06 We know how dire the situation is in Gaza,
08:09 so we are certainly deeply concerned about these reports.
08:12 And so we've been working around the clock, around the clock,
08:15 to get more of that aid into Gaza.
08:18 And so we're going to continue to do this.
08:20 We're going to continue to push Israel to increase the flow
08:24 that is getting into Gaza.
08:25 And like I said, I've laid out their commitments.
08:28 There are two other ways that we want
08:29 to see their commitment continue,
08:32 which is that port that I just mentioned at the top
08:34 and just moments ago, and so also the routes in northern
08:40 Gaza.
08:41 So there's more work to be done.
08:43 But again, 1,000 trucks over the last three days
08:45 is an improvement.
08:46 It's good promise.
08:47 We need to see more.
08:49 Second, was there any reaction from the President
08:52 to OJ Simpson's death?
08:53 Do you know if they ever crossed paths?
08:56 If so, how, when?
08:57 So I'll say this.
08:58 Our thoughts are with his families
09:01 during this difficult time, obviously,
09:02 with his family and loved ones.
09:04 And I'll say this.
09:05 I know that they have asked for some privacy,
09:08 and so we're going to respect that.
09:10 I'll just leave it there.
09:13 Iran is threatening a significant attack
09:15 against Israel.
09:17 With all of the US assets in the region,
09:19 will the US provide assistance in thwarting this attack?
09:22 How is the US preparing to respond?
09:24 So look, you heard from the President directly yesterday.
09:26 He mentioned this at the top of his press conference
09:29 and laid out our concerns, certainly,
09:32 about these threats that are being made.
09:34 And he made very clear as well that America's support
09:37 for Israel's security is ironclad,
09:39 especially against these threats that's coming from Iran
09:42 and their proxies.
09:43 And so the President made that clear as well
09:45 when he spoke to President Netanyahu just last week,
09:48 as I mentioned moments ago.
09:49 I want to be really careful.
09:50 I'm not going to get into operational procedures
09:53 from here.
09:54 Beyond that, we've made ourselves very, very clear.
09:56 The President made himself very clear just yesterday.
09:59 And so I just don't have anything else to add beyond
10:01 that.
10:02 But we certainly have done joint strikes
10:03 against Iranian proxies in the recent weeks and months.
10:06 Should we be braced for joint strikes against --
10:09 in response to an Iranian strike against Israel?
10:11 I want to be super mindful.
10:12 I don't want to get into hypotheticals here.
10:14 What we have made very clear --
10:16 obviously, we've seen the threats coming from Iran,
10:19 and so we have made ourselves very clear
10:22 where we stand in supporting Israel's security.
10:25 That is ironclad.
10:26 That does not change.
10:28 I'm just not going to get into details
10:30 about our operational procedures from here.
10:32 >> The Press: Just one more on this.
10:33 General Karela is in the Middle East.
10:34 He's making a stop in Israel.
10:35 He's reportedly there to help coordinate with Israel
10:38 ahead of this expected attack.
10:40 What does that coordination look like?
10:43 What does that mean exactly?
10:44 >> Ms. Jean-Pierre, I will refer you to CETCOM.
10:46 Go ahead, Jeff.
10:47 >> The Press: Karine, just to follow up on that topic,
10:49 has Iran been in touch via intermediaries with Washington
10:53 to indicate that when it responds to Israel's attack
10:57 on its embassy --
10:59 on its Syrian embassy, that it will not escalate?
11:01 >> So, obviously, we don't want this conflict to spread.
11:04 We've been very clear about that.
11:06 And we've been very clear that --
11:09 to Iran that we're not involved in the Damascus strike, right?
11:13 We've been also very clear.
11:15 I'm not going to get into public back and forth.
11:17 We communicated to Iran that the U.S.
11:19 had no involvement in the strike,
11:21 as I just mentioned, that happened in Damascus.
11:23 And we warned Iran not to use this attack as a pretext
11:27 to escalate further in the region
11:28 or attack U.S. facilities or personnel.
11:31 I'm going to be super mindful not to speak beyond that
11:35 from here or elaborate further.
11:37 But we've been very clear.
11:38 >> The Press: Can you say whether Iran has responded
11:40 to your or the U.S.'s --
11:42 >> I'm just not going to get into public
11:44 back and forth from here.
11:45 >> The Press: And following up on something
11:46 that the President said yesterday
11:47 with regard to Julian Assange,
11:49 he indicated that the U.S. is considering a deal.
11:53 To what extent does the White House
11:56 and the President weigh in with DOJ on this,
11:58 considering that it's a DOJ-led issue?
12:03 >> So, from here, from the podium,
12:05 I'm not going to go beyond what the President said.
12:07 I'm going to refer you to the Department of Justice.
12:09 I'm just going to be super mindful from the podium.
12:10 >> The Press: But you're not going in.
12:11 >> I know. I'm going to be super mindful from the podium.
12:14 I'm just not going to go beyond what the President said
12:17 yesterday. I'll refer you to the Department of Justice.
12:19 >> The Press: I have questions on two topics, Crain.
12:22 First, on abortion. Vice President Harris
12:24 is going to Arizona tomorrow to talk about the need
12:27 for abortion access in the state.
12:28 I know the President's own views on this topic
12:30 have been evolving over the recent decades.
12:33 Should we expect him to be talking in public
12:37 about this issue?
12:38 >> So, I want to be super mindful.
12:40 The public tomorrow's event is a campaign event,
12:43 so I'm going to let the campaign speak
12:45 to the Vice President's engagement.
12:46 >> The Press: Is tomorrow's a campaign event?
12:48 I thought it became official.
12:49 >> From what I understand, it's a campaign event.
12:51 So I would refer you to her team, at least, at the least.
12:54 But from my understanding, it's a campaign event.
12:56 So I'll leave that there.
12:58 But, you know, the President spoke to this.
13:01 He was shouted a question about what occurred in Arizona,
13:04 how devastating and how wrong the decision
13:08 to go back to 1864 to make it more difficult for women --
13:13 millions of women.
13:15 And, you know, he talked about that,
13:17 so I certainly will refer you to his comments.
13:21 The President has consistently been very clear
13:23 about where he stands. He stands for women's rights.
13:25 He stands for women to be able to make decisions
13:27 about their bodies, right?
13:29 He stands for reproductive freedom.
13:31 He put a statement out right after Arizona
13:34 made their decision.
13:35 So he's been very, you know, very steadfast and out front.
13:40 On this, you're going to hear from the Vice President,
13:41 so you'll hear directly from her.
13:43 We've been really clear.
13:44 And all of this, what we're seeing right now in states --
13:47 we have 21 states that have extreme bans,
13:51 21 states across the country.
13:53 And a lot of -- and that has been caused by the chaos
13:55 that we have seen from the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
13:59 And that's because, obviously, of the Dobbs decision.
14:01 It was a -- it weighs a constitutional right
14:03 for almost 50 years,
14:04 and that has been taken away from women.
14:06 And so it's caused chaos,
14:08 and we're going to continue to call that out.
14:10 We should be fighting for women's rights,
14:11 women's freedom, Americans' freedom.
14:13 And that's not what -- that's not where Republicans are.
14:17 -I know other colleagues have questions,
14:18 but I also just want to ask about the state dinner
14:20 because regulators in the Biden administration
14:22 have sued both Amazon and Apple,
14:24 alleging anti-competitive behavior
14:26 that has caused public harm.
14:28 So why were executives from those companies
14:30 invited to the dinner last night?
14:31 -Look, when it comes to the state dinner,
14:33 we invite an array of folks to come in.
14:36 And, obviously, you know, it's an important night of --
14:41 especially when another country comes.
14:43 It shows bipartisanship.
14:44 It shows the strength of that alliance
14:46 that the U.S. has with that particular country.
14:49 The list varies, you know, and we -- it's always --
14:54 it's always different types of people that come to the --
14:56 -The Justice Department said just less than a month ago
14:58 that Apple uses its control over the iPhone
15:01 to engage in a broad, sustained, and illegal course of conduct,
15:05 saying that that lawsuit should send a strong signal
15:08 to other companies.
15:08 What signal is the White House sending?
15:10 -I hear your question.
15:11 That's the Department of Justice to decide.
15:12 I do not -- -But the White House chose
15:14 to invite you to dinner.
15:15 -No, I'm not saying that the DOJ invited people
15:19 to the White House state dinner.
15:20 That's not what I'm saying.
15:20 I'm saying DOJ move forward with that particular case,
15:23 that particular legal action.
15:25 I can't speak to that.
15:27 We always invite an array of people.
15:29 We bring people from all corners of different industries
15:33 here to the White House.
15:35 That's what we do.
15:36 And I just don't have anything else further to share.
15:38 And we -- you know, I think it's important that we do that.
15:42 But I can't speak to a DOJ legal case.
15:44 They took -- -The President doesn't think
15:45 that those companies did anything wrong?
15:47 -That is a legal action being taken
15:48 by the Department of Justice.
15:50 I can't speak to that.
15:51 They have their reasons of moving forward on that.
15:53 I can't speak to that.
15:55 We invite a diverse group of people
15:58 when it comes to events, not just state dinners,
16:00 when it comes to events here,
16:01 from even different sides of the aisle.
16:04 That's what this President has done.
16:06 I can't speak to what DOJ and their legal action --
16:09 I just can't speak to that from here.
16:10 Go ahead. -Thank you, Corrine.
16:11 Picking up on abortion,
16:13 when the President was asked yesterday
16:15 what his message was to the people of Arizona
16:18 in light of the ruling, he said, "Elect me."
16:22 So can you elaborate on what he meant by that?
16:24 What can he do for those people?
16:27 -So, a couple of things.
16:28 I'm going to be careful,
16:29 because obviously he was talking about 2024.
16:32 I mean, look -- -Actually, he was talking
16:34 about the 20th century, as I recall.
16:37 -Yeah, okay.
16:39 So this extreme abortion ban, as we know,
16:42 that we see, was made possible because of the Supreme Court,
16:45 and we know what the last previous President said.
16:48 He said that he would make sure that Roe v.
16:53 Wade was no longer constitutional law,
16:56 and he made that happen,
16:58 which has led to chaos, to chaos across the board.
17:03 And so I want to be careful for talking
17:05 about an upcoming election,
17:06 so I'm not going to speak to that from here.
17:08 But we have seen what's happened in the last almost two years
17:11 since Roe v. Wade has been returned.
17:14 We've seen women having to be turned away from emergency
17:19 rooms, not being given life-saving needs
17:23 that they have to get in order for their lives
17:25 to be protected.
17:27 That's been turned away.
17:28 And so what this President has done
17:31 is he's taken executive actions, as I've talked about,
17:33 we've talked about.
17:34 He's created a task force.
17:36 He has done and taken action to do everything that he can
17:38 from the executive branch to protect women.
17:41 But we need more to be done.
17:42 We need more to be done.
17:44 And so, you know, we have to get Congress to act
17:47 to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land,
17:49 and so that is where we are right now.
17:51 But this is --
17:52 this is chaos was started by the overturning of Roe v. Wade,
17:56 and we've seen where extreme Republican elected officials
17:59 have been on this issue. We've seen that.
18:01 And so that is something that we're going to continue
18:04 to make very clear to Americans.
18:06 But I'm not going to speak to the upcoming election from here.
18:08 >> Okay. And also, on an interview
18:11 that the President recently did, he said,
18:13 "I think what he's doing is a mistake.
18:16 I don't agree with his approach,"
18:18 talking about Netanyahu.
18:19 Can you clarify what is the mistake?
18:23 >> So, we've talked about how the President
18:27 spoke to President --
18:29 Prime Minister Netanyahu just last week.
18:30 They had a 30-minute conversation.
18:32 It was direct.
18:34 They have known each other for some time.
18:36 They've spoken over more than a dozen times since October 7th,
18:40 the tragic, tragic attack that we've seen from Hamas,
18:43 a terrorist organization.
18:45 And they said October 7th --
18:47 they said October 7th would be something
18:48 that they want to see over and over again.
18:50 So, they've had those conversations.
18:52 Look, the President has been very clear.
18:53 I started out this briefing
18:55 talking about how humanitarian aid has increased,
18:58 and that's because of conversation --
18:59 the conversation that the President had
19:01 with the Prime Minister. That's important.
19:03 We need to make sure that civilians are protected.
19:06 We need to make sure that humanitarian aid workers
19:08 are protected. The President has said that.
19:11 That is what our focus is going to continue to be,
19:14 as well as making sure that this hostage deal gets done,
19:17 working around the clock to get that completed
19:19 so we can get hostages home to their loved ones.
19:22 The President has always been very honest and direct
19:25 with leaders, including the Prime Minister.
19:29 >> The Press: So, just one more quick one.
19:31 Does the President believe Netanyahu's approach,
19:34 as you sort of just laid out there,
19:35 is to blame for the famine that we are now seeing in Gaza?
19:39 >> Ms. Jean-Pierre: What I will say is,
19:42 that is not what the President is saying.
19:44 The President has been very clear
19:46 that more needs to be done to protect innocent civilians.
19:50 More work needs to be done to make sure
19:53 that humanitarian aid workers who are doing incredible work,
19:56 who are being incredibly brave, are protected.
19:59 And so, that is what we're speaking to.
20:01 And unfortunately, we've seen more than 200
20:04 of humanitarian aid workers die.
20:07 And that is something we do not want to continue to see.
20:10 That's why the President had this conversation
20:12 with the Prime Minister last week --
20:14 a 30-minute direct conversation with the Prime Minister
20:17 on what needs to be done
20:18 to continue to protect innocent civilians.
20:22 That's why we're having a conversation
20:24 about the Rafah operations. Right?
20:26 And our two sides are committed to moving forward
20:29 with those conversations. They've been --
20:31 we've seen some progress.
20:33 We're going to continue to have those conversations.
20:35 And Israel has made commitments.
20:37 The Prime Minister is --
20:38 made a commitment to the President.
20:40 We've seen an uptick of trucks --
20:42 more than 1,000 over the last three days.
20:45 That commitment is continuing. We want to see more.
20:47 That's good progress.
20:49 Go ahead, Justin.
20:50 >> Thanks, Karine. I also wanted to ask
20:51 about the Innovation interview.
20:53 The President said that he was examining ways
20:56 to potentially shut down the border.
20:58 That's a phrase that can mean lots of different things
21:02 to lots of different people. So, I'm wondering
21:04 if you could maybe explain what the President means
21:06 when he talks about shutting down the border.
21:08 >> So, I think the bottom line with all of this --
21:10 and I've said this many times --
21:12 the number one way to really deal
21:16 with what's happening at the border
21:17 is to move forward with the bipartisan agreement proposal
21:21 that came forward out of the Senate
21:23 and that obviously was rejected by Republicans
21:26 because of what the former President told Republicans.
21:28 That's what we want to see.
21:30 That's how we deal with the broken system --
21:32 the immigration system,
21:33 obviously being broken for decades now --
21:35 and dealing with the challenges at the border.
21:37 We're always going to look at executive actions.
21:39 We are and we have been.
21:41 But really, really, truly to move forward,
21:44 we have to make sure that we get this proposal done.
21:47 >> I understand that your preference
21:49 is obviously about legislation to Frankenstein back to life.
21:54 But since the President himself said
21:56 that you guys are looking at those executive actions,
21:59 can you talk --
22:00 is the sort of universe here
22:03 just trying to restrict asylum claims?
22:06 Is it changing processing times?
22:09 Or is it as extreme --
22:11 President Trump, when he talked about it,
22:12 talked about ending legal travel
22:14 or legal trade across the border.
22:16 >> I think -- here's what I can say.
22:17 We evaluate all options, right? We do.
22:19 We evaluate all options as it relates to executive actions.
22:24 We just have not made a decision on this yet.
22:26 But we believe -- the President believes it's important
22:29 to evaluate those options to see what's at our disposal
22:33 to move forward.
22:34 And we haven't made a decision,
22:35 but what we will continue to do
22:38 is because there is a proposal out there
22:39 that is bipartisan, that is --
22:41 would deal with what the challenges
22:43 that we're seeing at the border.
22:44 We think it's important.
22:45 It was supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
22:48 the Border Patrol Unions.
22:50 It is a bipartisan, again, proposal
22:53 that we think would be tough and fair.
22:55 We want to see Congress move forward with it.
22:57 And so we're going to continue to call for that.
23:00 But as it relates to what we're looking at,
23:02 we're always looking at options.
23:03 I just don't have anything --
23:04 we're always going to evaluate our options.
23:06 I just don't have anything to share.
23:07 We haven't made a decision.
23:08 >> The Press: Really quickly, the trilateral today
23:10 is open to the press,
23:12 but the bilateral beforehand is not.
23:14 I was wondering, first, of course,
23:16 to request that it be possible that we get in there.
23:19 But if not, if you could walk through
23:21 why the White House decided --
23:23 because normally those meetings are open.
23:24 >> Ambassador Rice: Yeah, no, it's a meeting between --
23:27 obviously between the two countries.
23:29 I think it's important to note it shows the strength
23:32 of the U.S. alliance and how important it is
23:34 for these two countries to speak with one another
23:38 and have this meeting.
23:39 Look, I will say this.
23:42 Their schedules -- both schedules were --
23:46 the President and the Philippines leader
23:49 have a very packed schedule,
23:51 and so we weren't able to make it into --
23:53 open that to the press.
23:54 But what is important is there is going to be a trilat,
23:57 which is a historic meeting that's happening later today.
24:00 And you'll have an opportunity --
24:02 obviously, that is open to the press,
24:04 and you'll have an opportunity there
24:05 to see the three leaders together.
24:07 Okay.
24:08 >> The Press: Two quick ones.
24:09 First, following up on Weijia, in the White House's view,
24:11 who is to blame for the famine or imminent famine
24:14 that we're witnessing right now in Gaza?
24:16 >> Ambassador Rice: Here's our focus --
24:17 and I get the question --
24:19 and the humanitarian situation in Gaza obviously is dire.
24:27 And that is why the President is doing everything that he can
24:29 to get more humanitarian aid in.
24:33 And that's what our focus is going to be.
24:35 Our focus --
24:35 >> The Press: Was it a mistake not to push Benjamin Netanyahu
24:38 sooner to open Ashdod and Eretz Crossing,
24:40 which would have allowed the prevention of what
24:42 Samantha Power agrees is famine in northern Gaza?
24:44 >> Ambassador Rice: Well, here's the thing.
24:46 For every time the President has spoken to the Prime Minister,
24:49 there's -- part of that conversation
24:52 has been to do more in humanitarian aid.
24:55 >> The Press: So why did it change now?
24:57 >> Ambassador Rice: It didn't change.
24:57 It is a -- it was a continued --
24:59 it was the conversation that --
25:00 >> The Press: Why did Netanyahu respond differently now?
25:02 >> Ambassador Rice: That's a conversation for the Prime Minister.
25:04 >> The Press: There wasn't a potential
25:05 that the U.S. would change policy,
25:06 as the President said.
25:08 >> Ambassador Rice: That is a question for the Prime Minister.
25:09 But what I want to make sure that is very clear here
25:12 is that we have seen a thousand trucks
25:14 go into Gaza over the last three days.
25:16 That is important.
25:18 They have -- the Prime Minister made commitments.
25:20 They're upholding their commitments.
25:21 We want to see more.
25:23 We've seen good progress.
25:24 And what we're seeing in Gaza,
25:26 obviously we have said over and over again,
25:29 that the situation --
25:30 the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire.
25:32 >> The Press: Can you help -- last question.
25:33 Can you help me understand one thing?
25:34 Yesterday, the President made very clear
25:36 that the U.S.'s commitment to Israel is, in his words --
25:39 he said it twice -- "ironclad."
25:41 How can the U.S.'s commitment to Israel be "ironclad"
25:45 when, in the statement released on behalf of the White House
25:48 last week after his conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu,
25:51 he said that the U.S. would reassess its policy
25:54 as it relates to Israel,
25:56 given the way it prosecutes the war in Gaza?
25:58 >> Ambassador Rice: So, the -- yeah.
26:00 >> The Press: Could that be ironclad and be reassessed?
26:01 >> Ambassador Rice: Look, this is an important relationship
26:04 that we have with Israel.
26:05 It is a -- they are our friends, and we have always said
26:11 that we are committed to make sure that Israel's security,
26:13 especially against these threats
26:15 that we're hearing from Iran, that they are protected.
26:19 And we -- and that is ironclad.
26:20 We've always been consistent there.
26:22 And we're going to continue to be very clear about that.
26:25 The President made sure to put that
26:28 at the top of his press conference
26:29 because he wanted to continue that message,
26:32 continue the message of making sure that, America,
26:35 we support Israel's security,
26:37 especially against these threats that we're hearing from Iran
26:41 and also their proxies.
26:43 And so, that hasn't changed. That hasn't changed.
26:45 >> Mr. Gibbs: Thank you, Christine.
26:46 >> Ambassador Rice: Okay.
26:48 >> The Press: Just another on Israel.
26:49 House Republicans are expected to bring up this resolution
26:51 that's critical of the President's work with Netanyahu.
26:55 They say in the resolution they oppose efforts
26:58 to place one-sided pressure on Israel with respect to Gaza,
27:02 including calls for an immediate ceasefire.
27:04 Does the White House have any view
27:05 on the resolution as it's constructed?
27:07 >> Ambassador Rice: So, we believe the entire premise
27:09 of the resolution is certainly flawed --
27:12 is flawed, as it claimed one-sided pressure
27:17 against Israel, which this administration
27:19 has supported militarily,
27:21 diplomatically, and in myriad of other ways,
27:24 both since October 7th and from our first day in office.
27:27 So, we oppose it,
27:28 and we call on members to vote against it.
27:31 >> The Press: And just one more.
27:32 The steelworkers union, David McCaul --
27:34 the leader, David McCaul, was at the dinner last night.
27:37 He obviously opposes this deal with Nikhat Steele.
27:41 Was he invited because of this pending deal?
27:45 Was it an opportunity to allow him to speak to the Japanese?
27:47 >> Ambassador Rice: I wouldn't make that connection.
27:48 I wouldn't make that connection.
27:50 Okay.
27:51 >> The Press: I just want to clarify
27:52 one of your earlier answers.
27:53 Did the administration send a direct warning
27:57 to Iran not to attack Israel?
27:59 >> Ambassador Rice: We've been very clear.
28:00 We've been -- I mean, you heard from the President, right,
28:03 and laid out our commitment to Israel
28:05 and make sure Israel's security -- that continues.
28:08 And so, we've had those conversations.
28:10 I'm just not going to go into back-and-forth publicly.
28:12 >> The Press: The reason that I think it's important to know
28:14 is because you just shared earlier that the U.S.
28:18 was quick to tell Iran directly
28:20 that we had nothing to do with the strike in Damascus.
28:22 The President hasn't minced words
28:24 on his feelings about Netanyahu.
28:27 But we haven't gotten a very clear answer
28:29 on whether it was communicated directly to Iran,
28:33 "Don't attack our ally."
28:34 >> Ambassador Rice: I just said we communicated to Iran.
28:37 I just said that. I said we're not going to go
28:38 into a public back-and-forth on this.
28:41 But I said we communicated to Iran.
28:43 And we said had no involvement --
28:45 that's what I said, right -- on the strike in Damascus.
28:47 And warned Iran. We warned Iran.
28:50 So, I said that at the top, and I'll say -- okay.
28:53 >> The Press: On the issue of inflation,
28:55 there was a report in Politico on Tuesday
28:58 that the former Chief of Staff, Ron Klain,
29:01 was teeing off on the President's --
29:04 talking about bridges all the time
29:07 when he's out on the campaign trail
29:08 and not talking enough about the prices that people are paying.
29:12 We didn't get any statement today on the PPI index.
29:19 Why aren't we hearing more from the White House
29:23 about the issues that people are facing at grocery stores
29:26 and paying rent?
29:28 >> Ambassador Rice: I mean, the State of the Union,
29:29 the President made very clear about what he understands
29:32 what the Americans are facing.
29:34 And he's talked at almost every event
29:38 that he's had crisscrossing the country
29:40 after the State of the Union about lowering costs,
29:43 how important it is, and how there's more work to do.
29:45 You hear that. In New Hampshire and North Carolina,
29:47 he spoke about his work to lower healthcare costs.
29:50 In Las Vegas, he discussed his plan to build
29:53 and renovate 2 million homes to lower housing costs.
29:57 In Madison, he announced his student debt relief plan.
30:00 He also spoke with Senator Sanders just last week
30:03 about his progress lowering costs
30:04 for prescription drugs and inhalers.
30:06 This week, he spoke about plans to lower costs for childcare,
30:09 home healthcare, eldercare.
30:12 He talks about lowering costs almost every event.
30:14 I just laid out the events that he did in March
30:17 and in early April about how he's making sure
30:20 that the number-one economic concerns
30:22 that Americans have are lowering costs.
30:25 And just like Ron, Ron said this.
30:26 He said that the President has been --
30:28 he believes in what the President has been doing
30:30 in crisscrossing the country and talking about
30:33 the State of the Union and talking about
30:34 how we're going to continue to cut costs for Americans
30:38 and making sure that we do not give big tax giveaways
30:41 to corporations.
30:42 That's what Republicans are talking about.
30:44 They put out their budget, and their budget
30:47 is to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.
30:51 That's what they want to do.
30:52 And we're doing the opposite.
30:53 We're trying to protect that and lower costs for Americans.
30:56 -Is it at all inappropriate for the President
30:58 to be commenting on what the Fed might or might not do
31:01 with interest rate taxes?
31:03 -So, look, the President, unlike the last one,
31:07 has been very clear about giving the Fed the space
31:11 to make independent decisions about how they're going
31:14 to move forward on their monetary decisions.
31:17 The President has always been very clear about that,
31:19 and he'll continue to do so.
31:21 And in his comment yesterday, he was also clear.
31:23 He said, "We don't know what the Fed is going to do."
31:27 And he was simply reflecting
31:29 on public interpretation of recent data.
31:31 But he also said, "We do not know
31:32 what the Fed is going to do."
31:34 And we've always given them the space to make those decisions,
31:37 those monetary decisions, independently and make sure
31:40 that, again, they have the space to do that.
31:44 -There's been some discrepancies
31:45 between what Israel is saying in terms of the number of trucks
31:48 getting into Gaza that are full of aid
31:50 versus some other aid groups, including the United Nations.
31:53 So how is the White House
31:54 exactly measuring what good progress is?
31:57 -So, look, I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty here.
32:03 I will leave it up to them to speak to what they're seeing.
32:09 But we believe -- and we're talking about 1,000 trucks
32:11 in over three days.
32:12 That matters. 1,000 trucks.
32:14 -But a lot of big-win folks are saying
32:16 that some of those trucks are not completely full.
32:18 There are trucks that are half full that are being counted.
32:20 So what are the measurements here
32:22 in terms of what is effective aid delivery?
32:25 -I think when we are hearing more than 1,000 trucks
32:29 and we're seeing that --
32:30 I just said 300 trucks just yesterday -- that matters.
32:33 There's more access being allowed.
32:36 The trucks are being allowed to come in.
32:38 That matters.
32:39 And so, look, that's what we're continuing to see.
32:45 We believe that Israel is keeping their promise.
32:47 There's more work to be done, right?
32:48 We need to see the ports open.
32:50 We need to see that, as well.
32:53 But we're seeing progress here.
32:55 We're seeing progress.
32:56 -And in terms of the distribution,
32:57 once the trucks are in -- I mean, northern Gaza,
33:00 obviously experiencing a lot more famine
33:02 that's setting in, as was talked about earlier.
33:05 What is the White House tracking,
33:07 or how is the White House, if at all,
33:09 trying to facilitate some of the distribution?
33:11 And are there concerns about how it's getting to the regions
33:14 where it most needs to be?
33:15 -So, look, we're going to continue to have conversations
33:17 with the Israeli government on how this aid
33:21 is being distributed.
33:22 We want to make sure it is important.
33:24 Here's what is important.
33:25 It's important that the innocent people in Gaza,
33:28 the Palestinians, get that all-important aid.
33:32 We know what's going on there.
33:33 Obviously, it's dire.
33:35 And so we're going to continue to have
33:36 those diplomatic conversations,
33:38 be very straightforward with our Israel counterparts here.
33:42 But they made a promise.
33:44 We're seeing a difference here.
33:46 We're seeing aid getting in.
33:47 Of course it's not going to be enough, right?
33:49 Of course we need to see more progress.
33:52 Of course we know how dire the situation is in Israel --
33:56 and I'm sorry, in Gaza.
33:58 And so we're going to continue to have those conversations
34:00 with the Israel government.
34:01 Yeah.
34:02 -Yeah, thanks, Karim.
34:03 You said President Biden still hasn't made a decision
34:06 on taking executive action on the border.
34:08 Why is there a holdup on making a final decision on this?
34:12 What factors are being considered
34:14 before the White House makes a call on this matter?
34:17 -I mean, look, Joe, we spent a couple of months
34:19 working with the Senate, Republicans and Democrats,
34:22 to make sure that we came up with a bipartisan solution
34:26 to deal with the border, right,
34:28 to deal with the challenges at the border.
34:31 We believe that that was the best way.
34:32 We still believe that's the best way to move forward,
34:35 because it would be tough, it would be fair,
34:39 and it's gotten support from places
34:41 that you would never think, right?
34:43 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Border Patrol Union.
34:45 That's important.
34:46 And so we believe that is the best way to move forward here.
34:50 We're always going to evaluate other options
34:52 as it relates to executive action,
34:53 but we are going to continue to be clear here.
34:56 The best way to move forward
34:58 is to get that bipartisan proposal forward.
35:02 And for, you know, Republicans to not pick politics here,
35:06 to pick majority of the American people.
35:08 -I mean, is it a matter of there being concerns
35:10 about opening the administration up to litigation
35:13 on this with executive action?
35:15 -I mean, that's why we came up with the bipartisan proposal,
35:17 right, because we believe the way to actually deal
35:20 with this is legislation.
35:22 The way to actually deal with this
35:24 is to turn legislation into law, obviously.
35:27 And so that is the best way to move forward.
35:29 And no executive action is going to have
35:31 the full resources that we need to get this done.
35:37 To get this done.
35:38 We're going to evaluate all of our options,
35:40 as we've been saying,
35:41 but we have to continue to be really clear here.
35:44 Republicans need to act.
35:45 They need to move forward.
35:48 -Thank you.
35:49 Following up on my colleagues, Mija and Peter,
35:53 you said earlier that the President is doing everything
35:56 he can on getting humanitarian aid into Gaza.
36:01 I have to respectfully suggest that that's not true,
36:06 because it took until seven aid workers were killed last week
36:10 for the President to even suggest
36:13 that he would change US policy
36:16 and possibly condition defense aid
36:21 on the humanitarian situation in Israel.
36:23 So how can you stand there and say
36:26 the President is doing everything he can,
36:29 when for weeks and weeks and weeks now,
36:31 even as NGOs and aid groups warned that famine was imminent,
36:38 he continued to refuse to pull on that lever
36:42 and link defense aid to humanitarian aid?
36:46 -So, first of all, the President has done --
36:50 we've done airdrops.
36:51 We're going to do this, Pierre.
36:52 We've talked about, for the past several months,
36:55 how we need to do more and how we're going to uptake
36:57 our efforts to get that humanitarian aid into Gaza.
37:01 We understand what's going on.
37:02 We understand that the dire -- what the dire needs there are.
37:06 And so the President has -- we've announced,
37:08 "We're going to do this, Pierre."
37:10 Right? We've done this airdrops.
37:12 And so we have had the conversation
37:15 with the Prime Minister multiple times,
37:17 with the Israeli government,
37:19 almost every day, on what needs to be done.
37:22 And we've had those conversations with them.
37:25 And so now we are seeing an uptick.
37:27 That is important.
37:28 That is, indeed, what we want to see.
37:31 We've also been working on doing this hostage deal.
37:34 The President has been working around the clock.
37:36 So I take offense to what you're saying,
37:38 because it isn't true.
37:39 The President has been working on this hostage deal
37:42 for months now.
37:43 For months now.
37:44 No, wait, for months now.
37:46 And that is a way to make sure
37:48 that there's a temporary ceasefire
37:50 that could hopefully lead to something longer,
37:53 get those hostages home, and get humanitarian aid.
37:56 And so that is what we have been also focusing on,
38:00 really diligently, for the last --
38:01 -With all due respect, Kareem, with all due respect,
38:05 my question was on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
38:09 and the famine, which has been something that --
38:12 -But that's the same -- the hostage deal
38:14 includes humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.
38:18 That's what he's been working on,
38:19 this humanitarian aid to get into Gaza
38:21 and also get those hostages home.
38:24 -But why is it -- because it sounds like --
38:27 -But you're saying that we haven't done anything.
38:29 -No, no. -No, but it's what you're saying.
38:30 -You said the President has been doing all he can.
38:34 -He's been working 24/7, around the clock,
38:36 to do what he can. -I have no doubt.
38:38 But he has not, until recently, even suggested
38:44 that he would condition military aid,
38:47 which Israel needs, on them allowing food
38:51 and humanitarian aid into Gaza,
38:53 which the people of Gaza need.
38:55 That has been -- I hate to use the term -- a red line.
39:00 Every time I or any of my colleagues have asked him,
39:02 it's red-lining about it.
39:02 -And you've heard from the National Security Advisor,
39:04 I'm not gonna get into red lines from here.
39:06 Here's what I can say.
39:07 The hostage deal includes getting the humanitarian aid in.
39:10 We've been working on that.
39:11 We've been working on getting that hostage deal done.
39:13 We're gonna continue to do that.
39:14 You've heard us say that we've worked around the clock
39:17 to get those hostages home, which, by the way,
39:18 includes American hostages as well, and getting that aid in.
39:22 We know how dire the situation is in Gaza.
39:25 We are very aware of that.
39:27 And we've had conversations almost every day
39:30 with our counterparts in the Israeli government.
39:32 We've had conversations, more than a dozen,
39:34 with the Prime Minister.
39:36 And so it is important.
39:38 It is important to get that aid in.
39:40 We understand that.
39:42 We understand that.
39:43 And we're gonna have those conversations every day
39:45 to make sure that it continues.
39:47 -And one more unrelated.
39:50 Earlier this week, the former President met with Lord Cameron,
39:54 the British Foreign Secretary.
39:56 He has, in recent weeks, met with Viktor Orban,
40:01 leader of Hungary.
40:02 He has said he's spoken to Mohammed bin Salman,
40:04 the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia.
40:07 There is a long history of Republican presidential
40:12 candidates meddling in foreign policy
40:16 to undermine their Democratic opponents.
40:19 Without getting into hat-trick territory,
40:21 you know, telling people vote for or against someone,
40:24 is the administration concerned that this private citizen
40:31 could be working against US interests
40:34 in the interests of his own political ones?
40:37 -And you're talking about his meeting specifically with --
40:39 -With foreign leaders.
40:41 Lord Cameron, his talking with MBS,
40:44 Viktor Orban, and others, possibly.
40:47 -So, look, as it relates to other leaders
40:53 and those types of meetings,
40:55 specifically, let's talk about David Cameron.
40:59 The UK noted earlier this week it is common for officials
41:02 from other countries to meet
41:03 with representatives of different parties.
41:05 That includes the United States,
41:07 as we routinely meet with political leaders
41:09 of different parties, as well.
41:11 For instance, we hosted Israeli opposition leader
41:14 Yair Lapid yesterday at the beginning of the week.
41:19 And so it's not uncommon.
41:21 I'm going to be really careful here
41:22 because you're talking about a presidential candidate.
41:25 I'm going to be really mindful.
41:27 I used David Cameron as an example,
41:29 but I'm going to be really mindful
41:30 of not speaking beyond that.
41:33 -Thanks, great.
41:34 Governor Moore is apparently on the Hill today.
41:36 He was there earlier this week meeting with lawmakers.
41:39 Has he been down at the White House
41:40 to meet with officials to talk about funding for the bridge?
41:42 And can you give us an update on the President's conversations
41:45 with lawmakers to get that funding moving forward?
41:47 -So, look, we have said to Congress
41:50 that we want to continue to work with them
41:53 to make sure that the key bridge is back up
41:57 and that Baltimore gets what it needs,
42:00 certainly, to be whole again.
42:03 And obviously, we're getting that port open.
42:05 We've been in regular touch with Governor Moore.
42:08 You know the President was with him very recently.
42:11 And they have had continuous conversations
42:14 about what Baltimore needs.
42:15 The President said when he was in Baltimore,
42:17 "We will be with Baltimore and the state of Maryland
42:20 for as long as they need to get this done."
42:23 Don't have a specific readout to share with you,
42:26 but we've been in regular communication.
42:28 Our Office of Leg Affairs has been in regular communication
42:30 with members of Congress.
42:32 Our Intergovernmental Affairs folks, Tom Perez,
42:35 has been leading on this issue as it relates to Baltimore
42:38 and the needs there.
42:39 And also, let's not forget, our Department of Labor
42:43 has been very involved as well,
42:44 making sure, you know, dealing with the economic situation
42:48 and how we can help on that front as well.
42:51 So, don't have anything to read out as far as conversations.
42:54 But we've been there for them.
42:56 -And is there any better sense now
42:59 that we're, you know, another week past this,
43:01 and the President's conversation last week
43:03 and the briefing he got there,
43:05 on an estimate of how much this is gonna cost?
43:07 -So, I don't have an estimate for you.
43:09 We're gonna talk to the Maryland delegation,
43:14 have those conversations.
43:15 Don't have an estimate for you to share.
43:17 Department of Transportation announced $60 million,
43:20 really, right after -- the week after the bridge collapsed.
43:26 And so, we know that's there to help.
43:29 Don't have a final estimation.
43:30 Obviously, we're gonna continue to talk to the delegation.
43:32 Okay, John. -Thanks, Karine.
43:34 Back in late December, President Biden,
43:37 in response to a question that I asked him,
43:39 said that he could not think of one reason for Presidents
43:43 to receive total immunity from prosecution.
43:47 Four months later, does the President
43:49 continue to have that same belief?
43:52 -Don't have anything beyond what the President shared with you.
43:54 -And in two weeks' time, a Supreme Court case will happen.
43:58 It's Donald J.
43:59 Trump versus the United States.
44:01 Earlier this week, there was an amicus brief
44:04 that was filed by more than a dozen retired generals
44:08 and appellates opposing this legal theory
44:11 that Donald Trump and his lawyers have,
44:14 that he does have total immunity from criminal prosecution.
44:18 Does the White House, the administration,
44:21 plan to file an amicus brief of their own
44:23 on this particular issue?
44:25 -I would refer you to Department of Justice.
44:26 -Is there any effort to have the former Presidents,
44:31 that you know of, to file an amicus brief,
44:35 taking one side or another on this particular issue?
44:39 -Say that one more time.
44:40 -Is there any effort that you are aware of,
44:43 of the former Presidents,
44:44 the predecessors of President Biden,
44:48 President George W.
44:49 Bush, President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama,
44:52 Jimmy Carter, to file a joint amicus brief,
44:56 either taking a position one way or another
44:58 on this particular matter?
45:00 -No.
45:01 -Yeah, thanks, Karine.
45:02 I'm going to ask you about inflation.
45:03 So, yesterday in the Rose Garden,
45:04 the President said that when he came into office,
45:07 inflation was skyrocketing,
45:08 but it was 1.
45:10 4% in January of 2021,
45:12 and that was the 11th consecutive month at that time,
45:15 under 2%.
45:16 So, was the President misleading Americans?
45:18 -So, when the President took office --
45:20 and you know this -- there was a pandemic.
45:21 It was closing down businesses, closing down schools.
45:24 And so it was drastically disrupting the supply chain.
45:28 Let's not forget about that.
45:30 And so that's what was going on.
45:33 And that caused inflation around the world to increase.
45:36 We know that.
45:37 And then further increasing inflation was the Russia's war,
45:42 Russia's war in Ukraine.
45:43 And, in fact, many other countries are even worse off
45:47 because of that,
45:48 because of what we've seen with Russia's war.
45:50 So, the President took historic action
45:52 to deal with the disruption of the supply chain.
45:55 Let's not forget what he did with the Strategic
45:56 Petroleum Reserve.
45:58 And so we have made progress in lowering costs.
46:00 We've made progress in dealing with inflation.
46:03 But that's what was happening when we walked in --
46:05 the pandemic, the disruption of the supply chain.
46:07 All of these things were happening
46:09 when the President took office.
46:10 -But the President didn't say the supply chain
46:12 was being disrupted.
46:13 He said inflation was skyrocketing.
46:15 -But that's what he was referring to, right?
46:17 That's what was going on.
46:18 Those were the things that were happening right before us.
46:21 The pandemic -- it was taking thousands of lives a day
46:24 when he took office.
46:25 Schools were closed -- majority of schools were closed.
46:28 Businesses were closing.
46:30 And we had a supply chain that was disrupted.
46:33 And so that's what the President was speaking to and laying out.
46:37 And then inflation down the road became even more --
46:42 increased even more because of the war
46:45 that Russia had taken on into Ukraine.
46:49 -But the Fed supply chain measure
46:51 actually went down in November at that time.
46:53 So is the President being honest about inflation?
46:57 -The President has said what --
47:00 he said what he saw when he took office.
47:03 The pandemic was happening, right?
47:05 It disrupted the supply chain.
47:06 We know -- you know what happens
47:08 when the supply chain is disrupted.
47:10 You know what that leads to.
47:12 And so that's what he was speaking to.
47:14 And not only that, we had to --
47:17 we also saw a war in Ukraine that Mr.
47:21 Putin -- an aggressive -- aggression that Mr.
47:24 Putin was putting into Ukraine set forth.
47:27 And so the President had to take historic action,
47:30 take aggressive action in dealing with the disruption
47:32 in the supply chain.
47:33 He had to -- he released the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
47:36 so that we can deal with the supply chain.
47:39 And he continued to take action to lower costs.
47:43 And that's what we've seen, whether it's healthcare costs,
47:45 whether it's dealing with junk fees,
47:47 whether it's prescription drugs, lowering those costs.
47:49 That's what the President took action in.
47:51 But we saw what was happening when the President took office.
47:53 We did.
47:54 Go ahead.
47:56 >> The Press: Thanks, Karine.
47:57 As you know, there's a tradition dating back
48:00 to the Truman administration
48:01 of offering intelligence briefings
48:04 to major party presidential nominees.
48:08 President Trump was declared the presumptive nominee on March 6th.
48:13 Has the White House offered intel briefings
48:16 to former President Trump?
48:17 And if so, how have they begun?
48:20 >> Ms. Jean-Pierre: I would refer you to the ODNI.
48:22 That's for them to speak to.
48:24 Thanks, everybody.
48:26 See you tomorrow.
48:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]