Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route Chicago, IL

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Chicago, Illinois

2:44 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Jen, welcome back.

Q    Hi.  Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What!  It’s good to see you.

Q    You too.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s like full circle now.  (Laughs.)

All right.  So, we’re on our way to Chicago, where President Biden will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. 

Since this is a campaign event, I would refer to you — refer you all to them for more details, but I will say more broadly that the president looks forward to addressing his party and the nation. 

This is a fulfilling moment for him.  He is eager to talk about the historic results he has delivered for the country alongside Vice President Harris.

You can expect President Biden to continue to talk about his — this administration’s accomplishments for working families and about the difference between an agenda that would move the for- — the country forward and one that would move it backward.

With that, go ahead, Aamer.  Good to see you as well.

Q    Yeah, it’s good to see you.

So, just one quick question.  I know you can’t say much on the speech, but is he do- —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Is — is it done?  (Laughter.)  Is he done writing it?  Are they still working on it up there or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look — yeah.  Look, the president is certainly going to continue to fine-tune the speech, if you will.  He had an opportunity to work on it this past weekend with Mike Donilon and — and Vinay Reddy.  And so, he’s very much looking forward to this moment. 

As I just said, it is a fulfilling moment for him, and he’s excited.  He’s excited. 

Q    Can you say anything else about what he’s going to do in Chicago?  Is he going to meet with other party leaders, Vice President Harris?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, he’s going to spend time continuing to prep for a big night.  It’s a big night, as you all know.  I don’t have anything beyond that. 

The first lady, obviously, is traveling with him, with some family members.  It’s a big night.  He’s looking forward to it.  He’s looking forward to addressing the Democratic Party and — and obviously the nation.  It’s a big night. 

Q    Can you say what family members are traveling with?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I will not say what family members are traveling, but obviously he — the first lady and the family  — family are — are going to be joining him tonight.  And so, it’s a big night. 

He’s very — he’s very excited.  He’s looking forward to it.  As I stated, he’s going to talk about his vision for the country, what he’s done the last couple of years, and how — you know, how he sees the country moving backward, his policy, his agenda for moving back- — for moving forward and not backwards. 

Q    How long a speech will it be?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s a surprise.  It’s a surprise.  (Laughter.)

Q    Why?  It’s a surprise?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Tune in, tune in.  It’s a surprise.  It’s a surprise.

Q    What — what do you know about — what do you know about the Gaza ceasefire talks?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, let’s see.  A couple of things.

As you — I don’t know if you guys got to see Secretary Blinken took a couple of questions.  Here’s what I’ll say.  There’s always a lot of public posturing in negotiations, and I’m not going to — to weigh in on that, just like I am not going to discuss the details of the negotiations, obviously, not from in the air on Air Force One.

As the president said last week, teams continue to techni- — to technical work, and senior officials will convene again in Cairo before the end of the week.

As — and as you’ve seen, as I just mentioned, Secretary Blinken is in the region to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and also to continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement. 

He took some questions today, so certainly I would refer you to — to his comments. 

Q    What would the president’s message to Hamas be about accepting the — the terms of the ceasefire?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things.  I’d point out that — and this is not about the remarks.  This is more so more broadly.  I’d point out that built into this deal is extraordinary and immediate relief for the people of Gaza, the fighting stops, humanitarian aid surges in and throughout Gaza, rubble is removed, essential services restored. 

Hamas saying it wants to deprive the Gazans of the relief so it can continue to hold hostages is not an acceptable position, including for our fellows — our fellow mediators. 

So, we will continue to work on this, working our way toward a deal, and tune out some of the public noise that’s out there.  It’s time for this deal to be closed, and what’s on the table now is aimed to get there. 

Q    Karine — Karine —

Q    And if there is a deal, will he come back to D.C. to discuss that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, right now, we’re working to get this deal.  That’s our — that’s our commitment.  That’s our focus.  We’ve been doing that — his team — the president’s team has been doing that for 24/7 around the clock, leaning in. 

I don’t have any schedule updates to share with you.  As you know, though, the president has been very much engaged talking to leaders of the region — whether it’s Egypt, whether it’s Jordan and — and others — trying to get this done.  He spoke to some of our European partners, as you know, and allies recently.  And his team is on — there’s members of his team that are on the ground wanting to get this done. 

This is about ending — ending the war, getting to a ceasefire, getting that humanitarian aid in.  And let’s not forget, there are — there are hostages there, but also American hostages, and he wants to get them home to their loved ones.

Q    Karine — Karine, what (inaudible) with foreign leaders today anticipating any —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t — so, I don’t have any — any — any readout for you on any conversations.  If there is one, certainly we’ll do what we’ve been doing the past several weeks, several months — is read out those conversations.  I don’t have anything for you today. 

Q    Karine, what would be the president’s message to the thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters that are gathering in Chicago to protest his speech?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, a couple things.  And you’ve heard us say this.  We certainly support peaceful protests.  We understand this is a difficult time for many, many different communities out there.  And so, it is — it is everyone’s right to peacefully protest. 

We will condemn any violence.  That’s not what we want to see. 

But this goes into what I just said.  You have a president, you have an administration — his administration, you have partners in the region who are coming together trying to get to a ceasefire deal, trying to end this war.  And that’s what we want to see.  That’s what we want to see moving forward.  This is about moving forward, not backwards. 

And so, we want to get to that.  We want to get hostages home.  We want to get humanitarian aid — continue humanitarian aid into — into Gaza.  And, you know, it is — it is important to end this war, as the president has said over and over and again. 

And that’s our policy.  And that’s what you’re going to continue to hear from the Biden-Harris administra- —

Q    (Inaudible.)  Does the president think that the uncommitted group should get any type of speaking slot at the convention?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I — I’m not going to get into that.  That’s a — certainly a DNC political campaign.  I just can’t get into that. 

What we will say is peacefully protest.  Obviously, people have the right to do that.  And we will certainly condemn any form of violence. 

And what we want to see is what — our focus right now is this hostage deal.  It is imperative.  It’s important to get that done.  And that’s what you’ve seen from this president and this administration over the past — certainly, in — over the past several weeks, but it’s been some time.  We’ve been focused on doing just that.

Q    Why is he spending so little time in Chicago?  Is this an intention to sort of just get out of the way of Vice President Harris?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, he’s looking forward to — to tonight.  He’s looking forward to fulfilling that commitment.  Right?  The — he’s in a — in a great mood.  He’s excited to do this — address not just the Democratic Party and the nation — and he’s also going to pass that torch — right? — to Vice President for the week, and that’s what you’re — you’ve heard him say that for the past several weeks. 

And so, that’s what you’re going to see him do: Pass that — pass over the convention to her.  And so, he’s looking forward to tonight.  It’s going to be a great night. 

(Cross-talk.)

Q    I’m sorry.  Just briefly.  He’s going to California to vacation after this.  There’s al- — obviously always a lot going on, but there’s a lot of foreign policy issues.  Is he just trying to lay low for the vice president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — well, look, I — I mean, look, number one, he’s going to spend time with his family.  I think that’s important for any families to do.  Presidents are never on vacation.  He’s a president wherever he is.  He’s certainly going to continue to be doing the work, going to be very much focused and getting updates — for example, what’s happening in the Middle East; foreign policy, more bradly — more broadly, and also domestic.  

So, he’ll continue to get those updates.  He’s ver- — very much continuing to be the president, the commander in chief.  And so, that’s what you can expect.

Q    On the speech.  How closely has he consulted with the vice president on what he’s going to say, on what she wants him to say — that kind of thing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I honestly don’t have anything more to share beyond saying that he worked on this speech with Mike Donilon, Vinay Reddy, who are folks who — who work with him on his remarks.  He’s going to continue to — to prep.  He’s going to continue to fine-tune the speech.  I just don’t have anything beyond that. 

Q    And then, what are you guys looking for not just what he’s doing this coming week but in the fall?  Campaigning for her — will he be on the campaign trail?  Will he be traveling?   What’s — what does — does he have anything on his bucket list he wants to get done?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I know you guys ask me about his legacy all the time, but I think if you look at the last two weeks, you see what he’s been able to get done. 

When you talk about the — the medication under Medicare — 10 of them — talked about lowering those — those costs.  You saw the president and the vice president in Maryland, in Prince George’s, talk about that. 

You saw him bringing hostages home, which is something that he’s been very committed to the American people.  You see him talking — ta- — trying to get that — that hostage deal in the Middle East. 

There’s so much more and work to be done.  We talk about how he wants to continue to get — to continue to — to lower costs for the American people. 

So, what I can ex- — say to you post — certainly, post his time spending with the family, he’ll — he’ll expect — you can expect aggressive implementation of historic legislation; actions, as I just mentioned, to lower costs; and a packed foreign policy agenda. 

In the months ahead, the president will have an extensive domestic travel, traveling across the country, crisscrossing the country.  As I’ve said before, and I think you’ve seen this from him, he loves talking directly to the American people, and you can see — you’ll — you can expect the president to be out there in a robust way over the next several months.

Q    Karine, is he wistful at all that it’s not him accepting the nomination this week?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  Come — no, not at all.  Look, it’s a great — it’s going to be a great night.  This is an important moment for him.  It is going to be an important moment for the country, not just the Democratic nation — I mean Democratic Party, sorry — the nation, not just the Democratic Party. 

And he has always talked about being a transition president.  You heard him say that in the Oval Office.  You heard him kind of write that down in a letter to the American people after he decided to step aside.  And so, this is a continuation of that, and he’s going to make the case of the moment that we’re in.

I’m not going to get ahead of the president, but this is going to be a great night.  He’s looking forward to it.  He’s in great spirits, and — and I think what you’ll see is a president who has put his — kind of his personal agenda aside in putting the country first.  And that’s who he’s always been throughout his career, more than 50 years.

And so, I think — I think the American people are going to be very much looking forward, obviously, to what he’s going to say and, I think, continuing to be proud of this president, as we all are.

Q    Karine, would you say that — that what he’s doing tonight is going to set the tone for what’s ahead, where he is going to be visible but not too visible, not getting in the way too much, you know? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)  I mean, I just said — I just said after the — you know, after — going into September, he’s going to be crisscrossing the country, doing domestic events.  I talked about a foreign policy agenda.  So, you’re going to see him.  I — I mean, obviously, y- — he’s speaking tonight.  He’s going to pass the convention over to the vice president.  And certainly that sets the tone first night, day one.  So, obviously, his remarks is going to set the tone for the week.

And — but you’re going to see him.  I mean, he’s going to be out there.  He’s going to be out there —

Q    More than he has been for the past month?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I — yes, I could — definitely expect that.  And, as I said, he’s going to be doing extensive

domestic travel.  The American people are going to see their president and continue to see their president.  And it doesn’t matter if it’s a red state, blue state.  He’s out there, a president for everyone.  And he’s going to make the case — going to continue to make the case.

Q    Karine, just on Russia and Ukraine. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    What’s the current thinking in the administration as — as far as the gamble that Ukraine has taken?  While they’ve seized a bunch of land, picked up POWs that Zelenskyy says could be used for future trades, they’re also losing territory in the east.  Can they — can they hold the — can they hold the land that they’ve kept?  And i- — do you — does the administration believe this is the right gamble to take?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I’m not going to get into — and this is something that we’ve been very consistent.  I’m not going to get into the military operations of the Ukrainians.  It’s not something I’m going to do from here.  We’ve been consistent in that.  And so, I’m going to let them speak — speak to — speak to their operations — their military operations.

What I’ve s- — I’m going to say what I’ve said before — is that we are not engaged in any aspect of the planning or preparation of this operation.  That is something, again, for them to speak to.

What you have seen from this administration, this president, and also more than 50 countries that this president has been able to galvanize b- — behind the Ukrainians is to make sure that they can continue to bravely defend their democracy, defend their sovereign territory.  And that is what we’re going to continue to — to make sure that they’re able to do.

And, look, we say this all the time and I think the bottom line is this war can end if Mr. Putin would stop.  He’s the — he’s the aggressor here.  He’s the one that went into Ukraine, a sovereign territory.  A- — this — this war could end today if Mr. Putin would just do that.

Q    Karine.  (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Inaudible.)

Q    Sorry.  Given Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, and — has the administration given any more thought to allowing U.S.-provided weapons to strike deeper into Russia, given that this incursion by Ukraine is — is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to share about — about their military operation.  I — I just don’t have anything else to share about that.

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can say — wh- — hold on.  Well, it is their military operation.  It is that.  It is.  But it is their military operation.  And so — and they are defending their sovereign territory and aggression from Russia that we have seen for more than two years now.

What I will say is that our policy has not changed.  I just don’t have anything else to add to that.

Q    Republicans for Harris is going to have s- — a bit of a presence at the DNC.  Is this the kind of coalition that the White House has been hoping for?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to speak to that.  That is a campaign — certainly a campaign event, so I would let the campaign speak directly to that.

What I will say is this is a president who has always talked about bringing people together.  He’s always said that he’s the president — and I kind of just stated that moments ago — it doesn’t matter if you voted for him or if you didn’t, he is your president.  And he — and I said this, again, momen- — just to add to what I’ve said before moments ago — repeat, actually — which is he’s a president — it doesn’t matter if you live in a red state or a — a blue state, if you live in rural America, suburban America, urban America.  He is your — he is your president.

And I think — I think that’s important to note.  And that’s how he sees — how — how he sees the country moving forward.

Q    On that theme of togetherness.  Has the president expressed any desire to talk with Nancy Pelosi about just how things went down the last month?  I don’t think that they’ve talked since then.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, but I feel like every gaggle, every — every briefing —

Q    Well, (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no, no —

Q    — she’s talking —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no.  I’ve answered this question many — no, no.  No.  No, it j- — it comes up every time.

Look, he respects and appreciates his friendship with the former speaker.  And I think they both mutually have admiration for each other.  She has said that, and he has said that.  I don’t have any conversations to — to read out.

But they have known each other for decades at this point and, again, have great admiration for each other.  I just don’t have anything beyond — beyond what I’ve stated many times before and what I’m saying right now. 

And she would have to speak for herself, obviously, as she has been.

All right, guys.

Q    Where — where are they staying in Santa Ynez?  And is it — is it a donor’s home?  Or is this —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ll have more to share upon arrival.  We’ll have more to — more to share.  I don’t have anything right now, but we’ll have more to share.

All right, people.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, friends.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Jen, welcome back. 

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Welcome back to this side of things.

Q    Yeah. 

Q    She’s back.

Q    It’s good to be here, in some ways; not in others.  But —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s exciting.  It’s exciting.

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s going to be a great night.

Q    Yeah, no, I mean, I’m glad to — to be a part of the circus again.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What?  Circus?  (Laughter.)  What do you mean?  This is —

Q    The traveling —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — exciting times.

Q    I mean, it’s like a traveling caravan.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, it is so much fun.  Air Force One, baby.  Air Force One.

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thanks, everybody.  See you on the ground.

Q    If he does have meetings with anyone in Chicago, if people come to the hotel room, could we just get, like, a readout of —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ll do our best.  We’ll do our best.

Q    I know it’ll be chaotic, but it —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  We’ll do our best.

Q    — if people stop by to say hi.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ll do our best.

Q    You know, like a pool spray with President Obama, Vice President Harris —

Q    Pelosi —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, you know he came back here one time?  Forty-four.

Q    Yeah.

Q    Are you — are you here until the end?  Until January?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Do you guys not want me here?

Q    No, I want to know!  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean —

Q    I want to know.  I want to know.  I want the inside scoop on this.

Q    I kind of have a guess where you’re not going.  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  No, I’m here.  I’m here.  I’m here.  And I say this all the time: It’s a privilege and an honor to serve in this role.  And I would not be in this role if it wasn’t for President Biden and the first lady.  And so, I will continue to stay with them until the end.

All right, guys.

Q    Thanks, Karine.

3:02 P.M. EDT