During a chaotic Oval Office photo op with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden briefly addressed the press, amidst a cacophony of shouting reporters and press wranglers. The president’s comments came a day after Netanyahu’s address to Congress and days after Biden announced he would not seek a second term, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
As Biden concluded his short remarks, reporters’ questions became increasingly garbled, but Biden was seen shaking his head “no” in response to a query from The Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese about whether his health influenced his decision to step down. The president’s gesture indicated a denial of the health factor in his decision, as confirmed by a pool report.
Netanyahu, who was present for the meeting, praised Biden’s long-standing support for Israel, stating, “From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel. I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead.”
BIDEN: Welcome back, we have a lot to talk about
NETANYAHU: I want to thank you for 50 years of public service. I look forward to discussing it.
BIDEN: I look forward to it as well. Thank you all for being here.
[Screaming begins]
AIDE: Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/30nspM99w3
— August Takala (@RudyTakala) July 25, 2024
In his brief address, Biden recalled his first meeting with former Prime Minister Golda Meir, although his remarks were difficult to hear due to the noisy environment.
Biden’s decision to forgo a second term was articulated in his national address on Wednesday night. He did not mention health issues in his speech, instead focusing on the need to unite the Democratic Party and save democracy. Biden emphasized, “I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing — nothing — can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.” He concluded that the best path forward was to “pass the torch to a new generation” to unite the nation.
Flagging this from a previous pool report:
Your pooler asked the president if he dropped out of the race because of his health. He appeared to hear the question over the crosstalk and shook his head.Here are fuller quotes from the Oval Office, moments ago. It was very brief. Please check against the official transcript.
Netanyahu: “From a proud Jew Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel. And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead.”
The president was very hard to hear. He speaks very briefly of his first time meeting with Prime Minister Golda Meir.
