Karine Jean-Pierre White House Press Briefing on 10/23/24

All right. Good afternoon, everyone.

Good afternoon.

I have just one thing at the top, and then I’ll hand it over. So today, as part of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, First Lady Jill Biden announced $110 million in awards from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health for Health, ARPA-H, to accelerate transformative research and development in women’s healthcare. These new ARPA-H awardees will spur innovation and advance bold solutions to diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently.

(00:42)
In less than a year since the president and the First Lady launched the effort, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research has galvanized nearly $1 billion in funding for women’s health research. And now I’m going to turn it over to my NSC colleague, Admiral John Kirby, who will talk to you more about the news of North Korean soldiers traveling to Russia, today’s historic announcement of the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine, and other foreign policy matters. Admiral?

Thank you very much, Karine.

(01:17)
Good afternoon, everybody.

Good afternoon.

So just before I kick off on those issues, I do want to start by extending our thoughts to the victims of the horrible terrorist attack in Ankara, Turkey this morning. Our prayers are with all of those affected and their families, and of course, also the people of Turkey at this very difficult time. Now, Turkish authorities, as they said, are investigating this as a possible terrorist attack. And while we don’t yet know the motive or who is exactly behind it, we strongly condemn this act of violence.

(01:51)
Now, I think, as you have all heard earlier this morning, we have seen the public reporting indicating that North Korean soldiers are traveling to Russia to fight against Ukraine. We’re working closely with our allies and partners to gain a full understanding of this situation. But today, I’m prepared to share what we know at this stage. We assessed that between early to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.

(02:17)
We assess that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia. These soldiers then traveled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in Eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training. We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability.

(02:45)
After completing training, these soldiers could travel to Western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military. We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we’re certainly consulting with other allies, partners, and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move, and on how we might respond. I expect to have more to share on all of that in the coming days.

(03:12)
For the time being, we will continue to monitor this situation closely. But let’s be clear, if North Korean soldiers do enter into combat, this development would demonstrate Russia’s growing desperation in its war against Ukraine. Russia is suffering extraordinary casualties on the battlefield every single day, but President Putin appears intent on continuing this war. If Russia is, indeed, forced to turn to North Korea for manpower, this would be a sign of weakness, not strength, on the part of the Kremlin.

(03:43)
It would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, with security implications in Europe, as well as the Indo-Pacific. As we have said before, Russia’s cooperation with the North Korean military is in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, which prohibit the procurement of arms from North Korea and military arms training.

(04:07)
This move is likewise a violation of President Biden’s direction. The United States continues to surge security assistance to Ukraine. In just the past week, which I think you’ve seen, the United States has announced more than $800 million in security assistance to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs. Now, looking ahead, the United States is on track to provide Ukraine with hundreds of additional air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles, all of which will help keep Ukraine effective on the battlefield.

(04:46)
And in coming days, the United States will announce a significant sanctions tranche targeting the enablers of Russia’s war in Ukraine, located outside of Russia. The Ukrainian military continues to fight bravely and effectively, and President Biden is determined to provide Ukraine with the support that it needs to prevail.

(05:02)
To that end, the president announced today that of the $50 billion that the G7 committed to loan Ukraine back in June, the United States will provide a loan of $20 billion. The other 30 billion in loans will come from a combination of our G7 partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.

(05:23)
Now, this is unique. Never before has a multilateral coalition frozen the assets of an aggressor country, and then harnessed the value of those assets to fund the defense of the aggrieved party, all while respecting the rule of law and maintaining solidarity. These loans will support the people of Ukraine as they defend and rebuild their country. And it’s another example of how Mr. Putin’s War of Aggression has only unified and strengthened the resolve of G7 countries and our partners to defend shared values.

(05:52)
And yep, that’s it. Thank you. Sorry. I had an extra page in there, and I wasn’t sure where it was going.

Is the assessment that the presence of North Korean troops can have a meaningful trajectory on the war? And then secondly, you’ve said earlier, even, that shows a sign of desperation on the Russians. But does it also demonstrate North Korea’s commitment to this burgeoning alliance with Russia? And is that in and of itself a broadening and discouraging concern for America?

So on your first question, too soon to tell, Amar, what kind of an impact these troops can have on the battlefield, because we just don’t know enough about what the intention is in terms of using them. So I think that’s why I said at the top, we’re going to monitor this and watch it closely.

(06:52)
To your second question, yeah, absolutely. As we’ve also said, yes, I’ve called this a sign of desperation and a sign of weakness. And it’s not like Mr. Putin is being very honest with the Russian people about what he’s doing here. I mean, Mr. Peskov, his spokesman just the other day denied knowing anything about it. But we’ve also talked many, many times about the burgeoning and growing defense relationship between North Korea and Russia, and how reckless and dangerous we think that is, not only for the people of Ukraine… And clearly, we’ll watch to see what this development means for them… But also for the Indo-Pacific region.

And Nadia?

Thank you. With the U.S. diplomats in the region, Mr. Hochstein in Lebanon, and the Secretary of State in Saudi Arabia now before Israel, do you believe there is a chance now for the ceasefire to be back on the table? And do you believe that with the demise of Mr. Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah, you have better chances or worse chances for somebody to negotiate with?

The ceasefire you’re talking about, I’m assuming, is with Gaza?

Well, both. I mean, you have Lebanon and you have Gaza implementation 1701, and in Gaza.

I mean, look, the short answer to your question, Nadia, is yes, and we wouldn’t be engaged in these diplomatic efforts if we didn’t think there was still an opportunity here to get a ceasefire for Gaza that brings the hostages home and increases the humanitarian assistance, and certainly a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

(08:22)
And as for the implication that the deaths of the two leaders, Nasrallah and Sinwar, as President Biden said last week, that does open up, we believe, should open up an opportunity to try to get there. But I don’t want to sound too sanguine here. I’ll let Secretary Blinken speak for his travels. He’s still on the road. He talked about it a little bit today, that they had good, constructive conversations, specifically with respect to Gaza, while he was in Israel. But there’s still a lot of work before us.

Okay, and one more, quickly. The number of being civilians killed in Gaza was 779 in the last 20 days, especially in Jabalia. And the total number is 100,000 between the dead and the wounded. 90% of Gaza is destroyed. Does the US still believe that Israel’s strategy in Gaza is working, and do you still support it?

We still support Israel’s right and responsibility to defend itself against these threats, including the continued threat of Hamas. And we still urge Israel to be ever mindful of civilian casualties and the damage to civilian infrastructure. And we’re going to continue to work with them to that end.

Has the US made an assessment about the type of weapons training, or what type of training the North Korean soldiers are undergoing in Russia that could potentially be used in Ukraine? And does this represent a new type of an agreement, in terms of an information-sharing agreement between the North Koreans and the Russians?

I don’t believe we have a very specific assessment at this time of the exact nature of all the training. There’s three sites that we assess right now that this first tranche of about 3000 are being trained. I think I could go so far as to say that at least in general terms, it’s basic combat training and familiarization. I think I could go as far as that, and no further. But as I also said, we’re going to monitor this and watch this closely. And obviously, if we have more information that we can share with you, we certainly will.

(10:39)
To your second question about information-sharing, as I’ve said before in answer to Amar, we have been watching this relationship grow and deepen now for many, many months. And the question that we’re asking ourselves and we don’t have an answer for right now, is what does Kim Jong Un think he’s getting out of this?

(11:01)
And so you talked about information-sharing. I mean, maybe that’s part of this. Maybe it’s technology, maybe it’s capabilities. We don’t have a good sense of that. But that’s so concerning to us is not only the concern for the impact on the war in Ukraine, but the impact that this could have in the Indo-Pacific with Kim Jong Un benefiting to some degree.

Can you talk about that just briefly? How significant is this for the U.S. allies in the region and the U.S. as well?

It could be significant. Again, we don’t know enough right now. So when you say region, I think you mean Indo-Pacific. Until we have a better sense of what the North Koreans at least believe they’re getting out of this, as opposed to what they actually get, it’s hard to know and to put a metric on exactly what the impact is in the Indo-Pacific. But it is concerning. It’s been concerning. And certainly, this development, this willingness of Kim to literally put skin in the game here, soldiers in Russia for the potential deployment… And we haven’t seen them deployed, but for the potential deployment… Certainly would connote an expectation that he thinks he’s getting something out of this.

You mentioned that the U.S. is discussing how we would possibly respond. What are the possibilities for how the U.S. could respond to this?

Well, for one thing, we’re going to continue to surge security assistance, as I just mentioned in my topper. And you’re going to continue to see the president has made it clear that we’re going to continue to provide security assistance all the way up to the end of his administration, for sure. So you’re going to see that continue to flow, and we’re talking to allies and partners about what the right next steps ought to be. I’m not at liberty today to go through any specific options, but we’re going to have those conversations. And we have been.

And China’s a critical trading partner to North Korea. What’s the U.S. assessment for how China is looking at all of this?

We don’t know how President Xi and the Chinese are looking at this. One would think that if you take their comments at face value about desiring stability and security in the region, particularly

… on the Korean Peninsula one would think that they’re also deeply concerned by this development, but you can expect that we’ll be communicating with the Chinese about this and certainly sharing our perspectives to the degree we can and gleaning theirs.

And local South Korean press is reporting that according to intelligence, these North Korean troops lack understanding of modern warfare such as drone attacks. And it’s anticipated there will be a high number of casualties when deployed to the front lines.

Too soon to know. I mean, we don’t really know what they’re going to be used for, if they’re going to deploy, where they’re going to deploy, and to what purpose. I can tell you one thing, though. If they do deploy to fight against Ukraine, they’re fair game. They’re fair targets. And the Ukrainian military will defend themselves against North Korean soldiers the same way they’re defending themselves against Russian soldiers. And so the possibility that there could be dead and wounded North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine is absolutely real if they get deployed.

Go ahead, M.J.

Just to clarify something you said earlier about what Kim Jong Un possibly gets out of this. As far as you know, has he gotten anything in return?

Well, I mean, from this particular move, I can’t speak to that, M.J. I don’t think we have seen any specific quid pro quo with respect to this provision of troops, but we know that he and Mr. Putin have, again, been growing in their defense relationship. And we know Mr. Putin has been able to purchase North Korean artillery. He’s been able to get North Korean ballistic missiles, which he has used against Ukraine. And in return, we have seen, at the very least, some technology sharing with North Korea. But what this particular development means going forward, we just don’t know. We’re going to have to watch that.

And do you know if this came about because Putin specifically first asked for help or whether it’s that Kim Jong Un offered the help first?

Don’t know. Don’t know what precipitated it, but I think it’s important to remember that in the three plus years that he’s been fighting in and around Ukraine, Mr. Putin and his military has suffered 530, 000 casualties. And as we’re speaking today, he’s losing casualties alone that’s killed and wounded 1,000 to 1,200 per day. Now 530,000 is a lot. I mean, in the American Civil War, there were 620,000 killed. Just to put this into some perspective, this is three years fighting in Ukraine. 530 casualties is a lot. And he hasn’t been fully transparent with the Russian people about this, and he hasn’t been transparent at all with the Russian people about this particular move, about bringing in North Korean soldiers so that he has to farm out the fighting to a foreign country, I think, speaks volumes about how much his military is suffering and how uncertain he believes, how untenable he believes his situation is.

And I guess just if you had to guess, what would the training even look like given the language barrier and once these North Korean soldiers are deployed, what would the command structure even look like.

It’s a great question. I wish we had an answer to it. You’re not wrong to highlight the language barrier. I mean, these aren’t even similar languages and they’re going to have to overcome that. It’s not like they have a long productive history of working together as two militaries even at all. So that’s going to be a challenge. Command and control is going to be a challenge, and this is not a challenge that the Russians have even solved amongst themselves. They’re still having command and control challenges, logistics and sustainment, getting things to the battlefield, keeping their troops in the field. They haven’t solved that for their own soldiers, so they’re going to have to figure that out here, too, if, in fact, they deploy. We haven’t seen that. So there are some pretty big challenges they’re going to have to overcome.

And I had a quick non-Ukraine question. Do you think that Donald Trump meets the definition of fascist?

That-

We got to move on.

I’m going to-

Go ahead, Michael.

Yeah. I’m not going to talk about that stuff.

John, there’s concern among Democrats on the Hill that Donald Trump’s team has not entered into these critical transition agreements with the White House that could potentially, in their words, endanger national security. Is that a concern of yours?

Well look, with the caveat that I’ll … I’m going to defer to Karine on anything to do with the election and the transition. That’s really for her. All I’ll say is that no matter how things play out in the election, the National Security Council under Mr. Sullivan’s leadership is and will make sure we’re ready for proper transition handover.

And there are intelligence officials who have warned that foreign adversaries might be looking to stoke violence in the next 13 days ahead of the election.

I saw the DNI assessment, yeah.

What are you doing in preparation?

Well, we’re working hard across the interagency, as you might expect we would, to share information not only inside at the federal level, but working very hard to make sure we’ve got good handshakes and information sharing at state and local levels as well. That’s the last thing we want, of course, is to see any violence or protest activity that leads to intimidation and that kind of thing. So we’re working hard, again, with local and state officials.

Need to start wrapping it up. Go ahead, sir.

Thank you. So would the North Korea’s possible engagement in combat in Ukraine trigger a bolder move from the White House by decision to lift the restrictions on usage of American weapons?

Yeah. Again, number one, we’re monitoring this closely and that’s where we are right now. I came and gave you a very honest assessment of exactly where we are and we just don’t know if these troops are going to be deployed against Ukraine in combat and if so, where, when, and how. So number one, we’re monitoring this closely. I don’t have any policy decisions or options to speak to today. I can tell you the last thing I’ll say is that there’s been no change to the President’s policy when it comes to what we’re providing Ukraine and how they’re using it.

Go ahead, Jacqui.

John, why not? Why not green-light the long-range missiles for Ukraine’s use, which is Zelenskyy’s number one ask as you are sounding the alarm about what could have far-reaching implications if North Korean soldiers go into Ukraine?

Well, for one thing, Jacqui, we don’t exactly know what these guys are going to do.

What else could they be there for?

We don’t know what they’re going to do. We don’t know if they’re going to deploy into combat or not. We don’t know if they do and what strength, we certainly don’t have a sense of what capability they might be able to bring to the field with them.

Doesn’t this seem, though, like-

Hang on, now. Just a second.

… we were, a couple years ago, they were staged … you had Russian troops staged on the Ukrainian border and this administration was saying, “We don’t know if they’re going to go in. We don’t want to impose any sanctions.” We didn’t do it ahead of time.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Why is there not a consequence first?

Well, first of all, let’s not rewrite history, Jacqui. We were the first country to go out publicly and say, “Here’s what we think the Russians are going to do. Here’s the timeline.”

But didn’t do anything about it.

That is not true, Jacqui.

There was no preemptive sanction. Nothing.

Jacqui, that is not true. It’s true we didn’t levy sanctions originally because we were hoping that the threat of sanctions might deter or dissuade Mr. Putin. You lay sanctions on before the man makes a decision and then he might as well just go ahead and do it.

Well, he did it anyway.

And we did levy sanctions on him. Heavy sanctions, not just us, but around the world.

(20:53)
Number two, we mobilized support for Ukraine even before Mr. Putin decided to step across that line. And no country, no country has done more than the United States to make sure Ukraine is ready. So-

So why not do something-

… let’s not-

… to prevent-

Wait, wait.

… this from happening?

Jacqui, let me finish the second question. Then we’ll get your third one.

(21:10)
So let’s not rewrite history. The United States didn’t sit idly by here. We’ve been Ukraine’s staunchest and most prolific supporter in terms of security assistance. And as for the policy decision, the president remains and we all remain in direct contact with our Ukrainian counterparts. We’re talking to them over what they need. As I said, we’ve just announced $800 million more and there’ll be more coming in security assistance. I just don’t have any policy changes to speak to today.

But why would you not put a restriction on the type of target that can be hit rather than the distance from a border that obviously Russia doesn’t recognize? And you’ve got training happening with North Korean troops, I would assume, on the types of military installations that would be fair game if that decision was made.

Yeah, we’ll see what the Russians and North Koreans decide to do here. As I said earlier, if these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets.

All right, Jacqui, we got to go.

(22:15)
Aurelia.

Yeah. Thank you. John, would you still describe the Israeli operation in Lebanon as targeted?

I’m sorry. I do-

The Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Would you still describe them as targeted?

Again, I’m not going to get into scorecarding each and every strike that the Israelis take. I’ll just say a couple of things. They have a right to defend themselves. There are legitimate threats that Hezbollah still poses to the Israeli people. I mean, rockets and missiles are still being fired at Israeli cities, so let’s not forget what Hezbollah continues to be able to do. That’s number one.

(22:45)
Number two, we have said many, many times that we don’t support daily strikes into heavily populated areas, and that remains the case today. We still pose daily strikes into densely populated areas.

But they still are coming — the strikes.

And we have had those conversations. Secretary Blinken has had that exact conversation when he was in Israel for the last couple of days. We’ll continue to press the Israelis on that.

Yes.

All right. So the interest from the frozen assets, does it apply only to the European Union or also the US assets?

It’s for all the frozen assets.

Also in the US?

I believe so. I believe so.

Because this morning, I heard Daleep Singh said just European Union, so I wasn’t sure.

Okay. You know what? Let me take the question. I can’t even balance my checkbook at home.

Go ahead.

Thank you. I wanted to ask about Kursk specifically with the North Korean troops in Russia. Russia and North Korea had this mutual security pact. If they were to use North Korean troops against Ukrainians in Kursk, would it be legitimate to try to reclaim sovereign territory or would that be seen as an escalation of the war against Ukraine?

Again, I don’t want to get ahead of where we are right now and hypothesize what these troops may or may not be doing, and if the Russians are going to deploy them, where they’re going to deploy them, whether it’ll be inside Russia or inside Ukraine. Let me just please go back to what I said before. If these North Korean troops are employed against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets.

All right. Jiang, you have the last one.

Thank you very much. [inaudible 00:24:22] questions.

Well, you’re about to jump out of your seat.

Thank you, John.

This seems like a fair day for Jiang.

That’s true. Truly.

On same topic, on North Korea, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee recently sent a letter to President Biden requesting a briefing regarding the seriousness of North Korea’s troops deployment and the neglect of the Korean Peninsula issue. What is the White House’s response to this?

Well, we’ll respond. We’ll respond as appropriate to the chairman, and we won’t do that from the podium here in the briefing room. We’ll do it appropriately with him and his staff. I’ll just say, and hopefully my being here today and my statement at the top should reflect how seriously we’re taking this issue and how closely we’re going to monitor it. We recognize the potential danger here and we’re going to be talking to allies and partners, including the Ukrainians about what the proper next steps are going to be. But as for our response to the Chairman, I’ll let that stand in legislative channels.

Last quick one. Your colleague said at the State Department briefing that the United States does not reflect other country’s intelligence analyses. So what is your assessment of intelligence cooperation with allies at this-

What did my colleague at the State Department say?

Said at the briefing that the United States does not reflect other countries’ intelligence analyses.

… intelligence analyst thinks?

About the North Korean troops?

About the North Korean troops.

I just shared with you, today’s opening statement was a downgrade of US intelligence of what we’re seeing. And I think you can see similarities between what I said today and what our South Korean counterparts have said. Ukrainian intelligence has released information very, very similar. And again, today isn’t the end of this conversation. It’s quite frankly the beginning of the conversation that we’re going to be having with allies and partners, including through the intelligence community.

Thank you so much, Admiral.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Toulouse.

Thank you.

Thank you. Sorry, guys. Give me one second. Let’s let Toulouse take… I know he’s been waiting patiently on the sideline. We don’t have much time because I have to be in the Oval in about 20 minutes, but go ahead.

Sure. Can I ask you about the McDonald’s outbreak, the E. coli outbreak?

Yeah.

And this follows a couple of big ones that we’ve seen over the summer, including Boar’s Head. I think there’s another nationwide one. Is the President tracking this? And more importantly, how confident should Americans feel about the food supply right now?

So, what I would say is the administration’s top priority, its top priority is to make sure that Americans are safe. And so we are taking this very seriously. We’re monitoring the situation. CDC as it relates to McDonald’s specifically is working to determine the source of the outbreak as we speak, as you asked me about the E. coli outbreak. And so what I would suggest is that families they need to and they must follow the latest CDC guidance. Obviously we’re aware, the President is also aware. And going back to this particular outbreak with McDonald’s, I understand that the company has halted sales of product to protect customers. And CDC is certainly in touch with local authorities to prevent infection. So look, we’re always concerned when we hear these types of situations, right, outbreaks. And the President wants to make sure that the American people are safe, so it is certainly a priority for us. And CDC is on top of this, and looking into it.

Just one more. Any reaction to Jill Stein asserting the US and the UK have blocked a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine?

I have not seen those reporting. I’m not going to respond to a political candidate for this-

It’s a factual thing. It’s-

I am not even seeing the comments that you are mentioning to me, so I can’t give you an honest response from here. Go ahead, MJ.

Karine, what did the President mean when he said last night about Donald Trump, “We got to lock him up.”?

So look, and the President spoke about this very clearly as well in his statement, and he said he meant lock him out politically, politically lock him out. That’s what he said, and that’s what we have to do. That was the part of his quote that he said night while he was in New Hampshire. Look, let’s not forget this is a President that has never shied away from being very clear and laying down what is at stake in this election. I’m going to be really mindful in not speaking about 2024 election, that’s just less than two weeks away, but just speaking to what the President said last night, he made very clear yesterday that he was referring to defeating Donald Trump. That is what he was talking about. He said politically, politically lock him out. That is what he was referring to.

Well, he first said twice, “Lock him up.” So, you’re saying when he said, “Lock him up,” he meant defeat Donald Trump?

Well, it’s not what I’m saying. It’s what he said. He said, to the-

[inaudible 00:29:48] clarify, but he initially said, “Lock him up.”

Right. Exactly. He clarified himself. He wanted to make sure that things were put into context. He wanted to make sure that, while not just New Hampshire, folks that were there were going to see it, but also the Americans who are watching and pay attention to what the President is saying. He wanted to put it into context. And he himself, this is not me, this is the President himself, going back to explain, to explain to say that he was talking about politically, politically locking him out.

Is the President aware of John Kelly’s assertion that Donald Trump meets the definition of a fascist and that Trump wanted the kinds of generals Hitler had?

Look, you have heard from this President over and over again about the threats to democracy, and the President has spoken about that. You’ve heard from the former President himself saying that he’s going to be a dictator on day one. This is him, not us. This is him. And it’s not just us, the White House saying this, you’ve heard it from officials, former officials that worked for the former President say this as well. So, do we agree? I know that the vice president just spoke about this. Do we agree about that determination? Yes, we do. We do. Let’s not forget, I will point you to January 6th. What we saw on January 6th, 2,000 people were told to go to the Capitol to undo a free and fair election by the former President.

(31:24)
It was a dark, dark day in our democracy and a dangerous one. We have people who died because of what happened on January 6th, and we cannot forget that. We cannot forget that. And I will add this that, and I can’t believe I even have to say this, but our nation’s veterans are heroes. They are heroes. They’re not losers or suckers. They are heroes. And to be praising Adolf Hitler is dangerous, and it’s also disgusting.

So, just to be clear, when you said, “We do agree,” President Biden believes that Donald Trump is a fascist?

Yes. We have said. He said himself, the former President has said he’s going to be a dictator on day one. We cannot ignore that. We cannot. And we cannot ignore or forget what happened on January 6th, 2021. That is real. Real people were affected by this. Law enforcement who were trying to protect, protect the capitol, protect elected officials in the capitol, congressional members, senators, House members, their lives were ruined because of that day, because 2,000 people, again, 2,000 people were told by the former President to go there to find the former Vice President to stop a free and fair election. That is what happened. Some of you, some of your colleagues were there, reported it and saw it for yourselves. We cannot forget that. Ken.

You talked about the context of the President’s comments yesterday. I want to put them in the fuller context as well, that the President went to New Hampshire to make a policy argument against Republicans on the issue of prescription drugs, but the majority… more of his comments yesterday were really some of the most dire warnings we’ve heard from this President yet about a return to a Donald Trump presidency and what it would mean for this country. He talked about world leaders pulling him aside saying, “He can’t win.” He talked about the concern, what it would mean for future generations of America. How concerned is the President at this point about the state of the race? Is he worried that Trump is on a path to victory?

So look, I’m not going to talk about the state of the race. You heard from the President. You just laid out very clearly about what the President talked about yesterday in New Hampshire. He laid out what his thoughts were. He laid out what the stakes are for this country. And this is somebody who cares clearly very deeply about the future of this country. And so I’m not going to get into what he thinks about the race in this current moment. That is not something that I’m here to do. I am no longer a political pundit. I am the White House Press Secretary. I speak for the President, but obviously I cannot speak to the 2024 election. And you did talk about something else, when you talked about what he wanted to do on the official side. And I would read you some quotes here, some headlines that we saw in New Hampshire today from New Hampshire press, which I think is really important.

(34:27)
“Biden, Sanders tout prescription drug cost savings at New Hampshire event.” Another one, “Biden and Bernie Sanders highlight lower prescription drug costs in New Hampshire stop.” That is important. The President wanted to go to New Hampshire to talk about what he and the Vice President have been able to do in more than three and a half years; lowering prescription drugs, beating Big Pharma. He talked about the Inflation Reduction Act. By the way, no Republican voted for that. Now it is popular with Democrats and Republicans, and this is something that is going to change people’s lives. And so that’s what he was there for. He talked about… Let’s not forget other things they’ve been able to do, whether it’s the bipartisan gun violence protection, being able to do that in a bipartisan way, and dealing with COVID that put our economy in a downturn.

(35:12)
And this President has been able to empower… empowering the economy and we are now leading as a country in the world when it comes to the economy. So, I think he was able to do both things. I think he was able to speak his mind on the political nature of where we are right now, which obviously he spoke to. And I think people in New Hampshire got a sense of what the President is trying to do on behalf of them in talking about lowering costs. We saw that in New Hampshire papers, so it broke through and I think that’s important.

You were with the President last week in Germany when he says he had these conversations with world leaders expressing their dire concern about the election here. What has been his response to those world leaders about that?

I’m not going to get into private diplomatic conversations, and I will just leave it there.

I’ll ask you, NBC News is reporting that the Vice President is likely to spend election night here in Washington, perhaps at her alma mater of Howard University. Do we have an understanding yet of where the President will be and how he plans to vote?

As soon as you all know, we certainly will share that with all of you. I will say is that the President is certainly looking forward to casting his ballot in Delaware. And so once we have the full information on what his day’s going to look like or what the last couple of days leading up to November 5th will look like, we certainly will share that with all of you. Karen.

Since we’re talking about scheduling, it is traditional for the President to hold a press conference after [inaudible 00:36:38].

Oh boy. I knew that was coming.

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

You weren’t here for the drop-by. Were you here for drop-by?

Yes, I was.

Oh.

It was great.

It was great.

We’d love to see him again.

Yes. You know what, he had a really good time. He enjoyed it.

Just an open invitation for your President to follow tradition and do a press conference after the election, which I think is standard and important.

I totally hear that, Tam, and I know it is a tradition. I don’t want to get ahead of what the schedule’s going to look like. As we know, in less than two weeks we will have an important election. Obviously I’m not speaking about that election specifically, but we want to share… we will share more as we get closer. And we certainly are tracking that tradition, and we’ll certainly have more to share.

Are we going to see him with the Vice President much in the next couple of weeks?

Look, I know you all have asked this question of him, you’ve asked this question of me. They have, as you know, campaigned together. They’ve done official events together in the past just couple of weeks. They speak regularly. And I would say the President… You’ve heard the President just tout how proud and how he thinks she will be a great leader on day one, which he also said in 2020, which is why he chose her as his running mate. And he has said as well this was the best decision that he’s made, and understands that she’s going to cut her own path. Said this himself just last week when he was in Philadelphia. Don’t have anything to share, again, on the schedule. I know this is all part of a scheduling question, and we certainly will have more to share as the days… As you know, one day is like an eternity in this space, as you know, and so less than two weeks feels like so far away. So, we will have more to share for sure. [inaudible 00:38:23].

I just want to follow up on MJ’s question.

Yeah.

So, did the President actually read former Marine General Kelly’s comments or listen to them, and do you know how he reacted after doing so?

Look, I just gave a really good, I think, a good sense of what the President has said about our reaction here from the White House. The President is aware of John Kelly’s comments, and I gave your reaction as the President’s White House Press Secretary. And what I’m saying to you today is something that the President has said over and over and over again and repeated, and let’s

Let’s not forget the words that we have heard from the former president, and it matters here because we’re talking about our democracy. We’re talking about what’s at stake here with our democracy, and when you have a former president saying that they will be a dictator on day one, that is something that we cannot forget. And so the president has spoken about this and given speeches on this, and that’s why I continue to point to January 6, 2021 because it’s something that we cannot forget, a dark day on our democracy. A dark day on our democracy because of what occurred.

Was the president surprised by any of the comments from [inaudible 00:39:42]?

No, not at all. I mean, again, the president has made comments and has spoken about this over and over again, so no, I will say no. Go ahead.

Thanks, Karine. Elon Musk has been campaigning with former president, Donald Trump, and he is offering $1 million to voters. I just was wondering, has the president expressed any concern to this interference by Elon Musk? And I don’t know if the administration maybe has any plans or has discussed maybe how to sort of maybe move forward with what Elon Musk is doing with $1 million.

So on this particular question. I’m going to have to refer you to the FEC. I just have to be, that one, that’s a place that I’m going to have to refer you. I can’t speak to it beyond that.

But has the president mentioned it at all, [inaudible 00:40:34] Elon Musk?

He’s aware of it. That I can tell you. I just can’t speak to it beyond that. I have to refer to the FEC. [inaudible 00:40:41].

You’ve taken questions today and obviously throughout the presidency, President Biden has talked a lot about democratic institutions. I’m just curious if between now and election day, the president’s going to speak more broadly about the confidence in the votes being counted accurately?

Well, the president’s talked about this. He believes in our institution, he believes in this will be a free and fair election. He’s talked about this. We have to give the American people, who some of them are voting right now, to make sure that they have the confidence in their vote and how important it is to cast their vote. I’m not going to go beyond that, but I think the president has been very clear about that.

But you don’t, we talked about schedules. There’s nothing, sort of like a big sort of, because he’s done these types of addresses on issues like this before, so I’m just curious if this is a time that he-

No, I hear you in that I hear you’re talking about the moment that we’re in and if the president’s going to speak about it in a more formal way in remarks in a speech. I don’t have anything to share with you. But he’s been very clear about having the confidence in our institutions and so I’ll leave it there. Okay.

Just want to ask you to briefly about congressional outreach for the 10 billion that would be military aid. Has the White House started that process, reaching out to members of Congress to get their buy-in to kind of help expedite this process?

I mean, we’re in regular touch with Congressional members about any type of initiative that we’re trying to push through, especially if it involves Congress obviously. I don’t have anything to read out to you at this time, but we are in regular conversation about a myriad of things when it comes to legislation, things that we’re trying to push forward. Again, certainly that is important to the American people. I just don’t have anything to share at this time.

Just a quick 2024 question. You said the president’s going to vote. It’s a scheduling question. Will he vote-

You guys are very into schedules today. I know, into the POTUS schedule.

Early voting starts in Delaware obviously, this week. And will he vote early before election day?

As soon as we have something to share, I will certainly share that. I appreciate the effort here. I could say for sure, the president is looking forward to casting his ballot and when we have more to share about his schedule. I mean, the president can’t not just go vote and for you guys not to know, right? So you guys follow him wherever he is, which is good. Which is a good thing. Go ahead.

Thanks, Karine. The former president described the vice president as lazy as hell yesterday. She had a day when she was not on the campaign trail. I was going to give you an opportunity to respond to that?

I would check the source, pay real close attention to who’s saying that. That’s all I’ll say.

Okay. Another question about the vice president’s interview with NBC. She was asked about whether there should be any concessions on the issue of abortion and the situation-

Wait, say that one more time?

She was asked whether or not there should be concessions on the issue of abortion. The scenario being a potential divided government like we have now, whether or not she would be willing to offer concessions, things like religious freedom on the issue of abortion. And I wanted to see if-

Meaning when she’s in office?

Yes.

Oh, look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. That is something that certainly, when she is in office and becomes… And all of the things happen, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, she’s going to make her own decisions and decide what’s best for the American people. I can’t speak to that at this time. Not going to get into hypotheticals.

(44:02)
What you know and what you have seen from this president and this vice president is their commitment to continue to fight for women’s rights and continue to call on Congress to reinstate Roe v. Wade, make sure that legislation is put out there, voted on. And so he would sign that obviously, if that were to happen.

(44:25)
And so that is what they both have asked for. That is what we’ve been saying during this administration. And she has been obviously, a passionate fighter on that issue, understanding what this means to women, understanding what this means to people’s rights and freedoms and so has this president.

(44:45)
And so that’s what we’re going to continue to see. You just heard us, I forget, all the days come together, recently talk about how we’re expanding in the ACA for contraception because understanding how important that is to women and families or women and Americans who are trying to make decisions on their family or how to move forward, and they should have that right and that freedom.

(45:09)
And so again, that action shows you the commitment from, and I hope the American people, from the Biden-Harris administration What she’s going to do next, how she’s going to govern, that’s not for me to say.

Another question from the interviewer, she was asked whether or not sexism would come into play in this election. She said, “I don’t think of it that way.” Obviously the former president, Barack Obama said that he did believe that sexism was coming into play in this election. What does the president think about [inaudible 00:45:34]?

Oh, I’ll say this. Clearly the vice president spoke to this and this is her campaign and she’s going to say how she sees things. The president has always said and will continue to say that she is ready to lead on day one. And you don’t have to just look at her record with him as a critical partner over the last more than three and a half years as vice president, but as senator, as Attorney General, as district attorney, she is someone that has always fought for Americans, fought for people, whether it is citizens in California or more broadly, obviously.

(46:17)
And I think that’s what the American people, I know that’s what the American people want to see. They want to see a fighter, and that’s what the president sees in her. And again, just look at what we’ve been able to do in the more than three and a half years, when it comes to trying to beat back Covid and make sure that we all could come together in this room again without masks. And make sure that was a strategy to deal with this pandemic, turn the economy around because of this pandemic, make sure that schools were open, businesses were open.

(46:50)
Now we have a record number of people applying to open up small businesses. They’re doing that because they believe that the economy is working for them. Nobody wants to open a small business if they don’t think the economy is working for them.

(47:05)
Now, there’s always a lot more work to be done and we’re going to continue to do that work. You saw what the president did with Senator Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire and conquered New Hampshire, answering and laying out what the Inflation Reduction Act has been able to do, saving people a billion dollars because of that Inflation Reduction Act, which I may add, Republicans did not vote for it. They did not vote for it. I know I have to get, I’m getting the poll here. Good, John?

Thanks a lot, Karine. What’s the level of concern that the administration has about election interference, specifically from Russia?

I mean, we spoke to that. We’ve laid out, we made an announcement on what we were seeing from Russia and election interference. We sent a very clear message on that just a couple of weeks ago, so obviously that is something that continues to be a concern. We will speak loud and clear about that as we did just a couple of weeks ago. But we also want Americans to know that to trust the institution, and that’s what the president is going to continue to say and also continue to lay out the stakes, what’s at stakes. Okay. Thanks everybody. Hopefully see you on the road.