On October 5, 2024, President Biden, aged 81, made his first appearance at a White House press briefing since taking office in 2021.
During the briefing on Friday, October 4, the President briefly touched upon the ongoing strike by dockworkers, employment data, and the request for additional funding from Congress to support rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen.
“We will have to deal with the unforeseen losses brought by this hurricane. It requires a significant amount of money, and before we depart, I must ask Congress to provide more funding to address some of these issues,” Biden said.
Hurricane Helen has ravaged the southeastern states, with the current death toll exceeding 215, including over 100 fatalities in western North Carolina alone.
The White House strongly refuted criticisms of inadequate disaster relief, emphasizing that the Biden administration has coordinated federal response efforts, including declaring an emergency and deploying 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support search and rescue operations.
More than 4,800 personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies have been deployed to the affected areas in North Carolina and neighboring states affected by Hurricane Helen.
The White House stated that FEMA has delivered over 8.5 million meals, over 7 million gallons of water, 150 generators, and over 220,000 tarps to assist in the relief efforts.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that as of Friday, the federal government had provided over $45 million in individual assistance to those affected by the storm, including a one-time payment of $750 to eligible applicants from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia by FEMA.
Biden also fielded several media questions during the briefing, with most focusing on the tense situation in the Middle East.
Regarding the recent missile attacks by Iran, Biden mentioned that the Israeli government has yet to decide on its response to the issue. “It’s under discussion,” he said. “The main thing we can do is work to rally other countries and our allies to prevent a full-scale war.”
Biden seemed to tactfully express opposition to Israeli strikes on Iranian energy facilities. “The Israelis have not decided how to proceed, that’s still under discussion,” Biden said. “If I were them, I would consider alternative options to hitting oil fields.”
When asked if he would reconsider his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, Biden jokingly said, “I’m back,” before leaving the press room.
According to Axios, in the 75 days since Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, there have been 43 days without any public activities scheduled for the President. Biden has only participated in one event assisting Vice President Harris’s campaign.
Since July 21, the President has only granted two interviews. The number of press conferences and media interviews held during his tenure is fewer than those held by former Presidents Trump and Obama.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated in a statement to Axios that this is part of the White House’s media strategy.