President Joe Biden made an unexpected appearance in the White House press briefing room on Friday, marking his first press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room since taking office.
“My name is Joe Biden,” he joked before beginning the briefing.
The president commended the agreement reached between workers and port operators that ended a three-day strike at U.S. ports and highlighted the stronger-than-expected job gains in September. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 254,000 new jobs, surpassing the projected 140,000.
“We’ve proven them wrong,” Biden said, referencing earlier economic forecasts.
Biden also addressed the need for additional funding to cover the costs related to 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 noted.
Questions from reporters primarily focused on escalating tensions in the Middle East. Biden said the Israeli government had not yet decided on its response to Iran’s recent missile attack.
“That’s under discussion,” he said, adding, “The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies” to prevent a full-scale war.
He acknowledged the difficulty in dealing with proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, describing them as “irrational.”
On Oct. 1, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, targeting air bases and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv. Israel, with U.S. support, successfully defended against the attack. The Israeli government has vowed retaliation, but it remains unclear if this will involve targeting Iran’s leadership or its nuclear program.
A war between Iran and Israel could potentially pull the U.S. into conflict, which might influence the November election.
“I don’t believe there’s going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it,” Biden said after visiting Florida and Georgia on Oct. 3. He added, “But there’s a lot, a lot to do yet.”
When asked whether the U.S. would send troops to support Israel, Biden replied, “We’ve already helped Israel. We’ll continue to. We’re going to protect Israel.”
Biden, 81, has been criticized for not holding more press briefings. Media reports have highlighted that he has held fewer news conferences and interviews than his predecessors, Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
When asked if he would reconsider his decision to drop out of the 2024 race, Biden quipped, “I’m back in,” before exiting the room.
