Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route New York, NY

Aboard Air Force One
En Route New York, New York

5:28 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. So, tomorrow, the president and the vice president will visit all three sites of the September 11th terrorist attacks to honor the 2,977 lives lost and to support the families and loved ones who still feel the pain of that horrible day.

In the morning, the president and the vice president will participate in a 9/11 commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero. And then they will tr- - they will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to participate in a Flight 93 wreath-laying ceremony in the afternoon. In the evening, the president and the vice president will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon.

We can only - only imagine the heartbreak and the pain that the 9/11 families and survivors have felt every day for the past 23 years, and we will always remember and honor those who were stolen - who were stolen from us way too soon. We

will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that an attack like this never happens again, and we will remain vigilant against all threats to the homeland and - and take action as necessary to keep Americans safe.

Today, a new report shows that nearly 50 million people have had coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. That's one in seven Americans who have benefited from the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they can get the care they need when they need it.

Still, Republicans in Congress remain committed to taking us backwards by repealing the Affordable Care Act and taking that peace of mind away. In fact, they voted more than 50 times to repeal the law.

The Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever, and Affordable Care Act coverage is more affordable than ever. That's because President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked tirelessly to protect and build on the ACA. Now more Americans have health insurance than ever before, and Americans are saving an average of $800 per year on their premiums. The president and Vice President Harris remain focused on building on this progress.

And finally, the White House mourns the passing of James Earl Jones. His remarkable talents will not be forgotten. As President Biden said, "Through iconic characters, film, stage, commercials, radio, and more, his voice carried a sense of grace and dignity that commanded respect and demanded to be heard. His roles made us stop, stayed - stayed with us, and inspired us to reflect on everything from race and power, good and evil, to our place in the world."

The president and the first lady send their love and condolences to his family and everyone he inspired.

Darlene.

Q Thank you. Two questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q Earlier today, Congress awarded its highest honor to the 13 service members that were killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal. Is there anything that you'd like to add from the White House side? I know they - some of them already received Purple Hearts. But is there anything you want to - want to add?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, these Gold Star families have given more to our country than any family should be asked to give. Like the president said last month on the anniversary of that - of that tragic attack, and I quote, "These 13 Americans and the many more that were wounded were patriots in the highest sense."

I don't know if you remember this, but the president did sign the bill into law, posthumously awarding a Congressional Gold Medal in December of 2021. And the president and the first lady grieve with the families and respect them and wish them to know that we will continue to do everything we can to support them and to honor both their sacrifice and f- - and that of their fallen loved ones.

We with - we will, with all sincerity, meet this most sacred of obligations and continue to honor the sacrifices their loved ones made.

Q And on 9/11. Why is it important for both the president and the vice president to be at all three stops tomorrow?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As I stated a little bit at the top, when I was talking about yesterday and what - it was tomorrow - pardon me, tomorrow - and what that day is going to look like, they want to honor the 2,977 lives that were lost on that tragic day and support the families and also their loved ones who are still - still feeling a horrible pain.

And so, they wanted to do that. They're - on this particular year, they're doing it together. And so, they want to make sure that they continue to lift up - as you remember, you know, one of the things that was said is that we will never forget, and this is definitely - when you think about 9/11, it's a moment, it's a day, obviously, 23 years ago, we will never forget.

Q Does it have anything to do with the fact that she is now a candidate for president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get into politics. Tomorrow is not about politics. It's - it's about remembering those lives that were lost. And I'm just going to leave it there.

Q Thanks.

Q Did the president and vice president speak today? I know he mentioned, as he was leaving -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, the president mentioned that, as you know, as he was leaving the White House today. On the South Lawn, he spoke to - he spoke to your colleagues, reporters on the South Lawn. And he mentioned that he - he spoke to the vice president earlier today; they had a conversation. Obviously, I'm not going to get into - into that conversation. It was a - into any private conversation that the president has.

But obviously, he wishes her luck. He's very proud of her. And I remind you all, one of the things that the president has said - said recently is that the best decision that he made was making then-Senator Kamala Harris his running mate, and he believes that t- - to this day.

Q Karine -

Q Did he give her any advice?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)

Q Karine, the president also spoke to -

Q That was a real question. Sorry.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, it's a real question. No, no, I - no, it's a real question. I just am not going to d- - dive into their conversation. But it's a real question.

Q Has she asked him for advice?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get into it. I would - I would refer you to her campaign, anything that - that relates to her.

But go ahead.

Q So, the president said that the acc- - the shooting of the Turkish-American woman in the West Bank in Beita was apparently an accident and involved a ricocheting bullet. Do you have any further details? And there's been some question about why the president hasn't reached out to the family. Has he done that in the meantime?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, I'm going to start with your last question first. I don't have a - a call to read out to you o- - at this time.

But to your first question, he was referring - the first part of your question, he was referring to what the initial Israeli investigation concluded. And I think Secretary Blinken, while he was in - he's in London, and he talked about this earlier this morning.

They released the findings today and briefed the U.S. government. They've also announced a criminal investigation into the incident. And so, we will continue to stay in close contact with the Israeli and also the Palestin- - Palestinian authorities as we learn more about the circumta- - -stances that led - led to this - to this - to this death, this tragic death.

Q As a potential -

Q Blinken's -

Q - government shutdown looms, does the White House just have any, you know, comment, update kind of on maybe where things stand? Just can you provide any update on - you know, has Biden spoken with any congressional leaders on - on what's going on or -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I think I talked a little bit about this. As far as the White House, OM- - OMB and the Legis- - Leg Affairs Office has been in - in communication with senior - senior le- - well, House and - House and Senate leaders on this parti- - on this particular question that you asked me, on the need to - to pass a short-term CR to keep the government open without eroding our national defense, undermining our veterans and seniors, abandoning communities struck - struck by disaster, or threatening deva- - devastating - devastating across-the-board cuts to programs Americans count on.

So, we're coordinating with our Democratic leaders on this, on - on a short-term CR. This is - and you've heard us say this many times before. This is the part of their job that is, you know, the easy part of their job. They can get this done, keep the government open, do it in a bipartisan way. They've done it before.

The president is always in regular touch with - with congressional members on the Hill. I don't have anything to read out to you, but as you can - as you just heard from me, his senior leadership, including OMB, is in constant communication with House and Senate leadership.

And so, those conversations are going to continue. But they should do their job. They should do the basic part of their job, which is keep the government open.

Q Can we go back to 9/11 for just a second?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q So, after 9/11, there was a huge increase in crimes - hate crimes against people who were Muslim or were conceived or perceived to be Muslim.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q You have been working on an Islamophobia strategy, which I keep asking about.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know you do.

Q (Laughs.) What's the status on that? And are you - you know, we are seeing now, in this current environment, where there's so much tension around Gaza, both the rise in antisemitism but also a really notable increase in crimes against, you know, not just Muslims but anti-Palestinian hate crimes. Chicago -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So -

Q Like in Chicago -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - I think there was, like, a 200 percent increase -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - in those incidents in Chicago, which is the largest Palestinian American community.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, to your question about Islamophobia strategy, I just don't have any news to make or anything to share at this time. We've been very clear: Any form of hate, hate speech, violence has no place - no place in our country, no place in any community.

And we are always ready to condemn that. And - and the president has, the vice president has - not just these past three and a half years, throughout their career. And we'll continue to do so.

And you're right. There's a sharp increase in antisemitism. We see an uptick in Islamophobia as well and this kind of violent rhetoric, hate speech against communities. And it's not okay. It's not okay. And we - we need to stop - it needs to stop.

That's why the president has had a national antisemit- - an anti - antisemitism strategy that we talked about, that we've laid out over the past year or so and - and also, obviously, anti-Islamophobia strategy as well.

And so, I don't have anything new to share on that - no news to make. But we are going to continue to condemn any form - any form of hate speech, any - you know, any violence that we see. It's no place in our - in our politics and certainly no place in this - in - in this country at all.

Q Can I follow up on Andrea's earlier question -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - about Israel? The president said the bullet appeared to ricochet off the ground. How does a bullet ricochet off the ground, hit someone in the head? And secondly, there have been calls for an independent investigation -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - into this. Where does - does the president support that? Is that going to happen?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I'm not going to go beyond what the president said. He laid out the initial - he was talking about the initial part of the investigation. And so, we've been very clear that we - we wanted to see an investigation.

I'll - a couple of things that I really - I think gets into - into your question. Blinken called on the Israeli security forces to make fundamental changes to the way that they operate in the West Bank. That is something that we heard from Blinken earlier today. He also called it not - not acceptable.

And I think this is a really important quote here: "No one - no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just to purely express their views." "The Israeli - the Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes in their rules of engagement."

So, this is something I think that was incredibly powerful. And he had a moment - the secretary had a moment to actually address this. And so, certainly would refer you to those comment.

And so, I would just reiterate from here: The shooting that led to her death is unacceptable. It is unacceptable. And - and Israel - Israel has taken responsibility for this incident and opened a criminal investigation, which is important to note. And so, this is a welcome step. And so, we want to continue to see those steps moving forward.

Q Karine, now, I'm just confused.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q I mean, if it - if they've opened a criminal investigation -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - and Blinken is calling for changes in what they're doing -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q - then how was it apparently an accident?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get ahead of it. I'm really - I - I - there's initial investi- - initial readout of the investigation. That's what we were speaking to. That's what was shared.

And then I don't have anything to share beyond what you heard from Blinken, beyond what you heard from the president. And - and we've been just very, very clear about more changes need to be made.

And so, there's a criminal investigation, which is different than the investigation that the Israeli - Israeli government is - is calling on - is doing - I shouldn't say calling on, but is doing. And so, that's what we want to continue to see.

Q And so, you know, are there any ramifications if this was -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not -

Q You know, Blinken is calling for changes.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q The U.S. government has repeatedly said it does not believe that the U- - that Israel is engaging in war crimes. You know, are these - does this change anything for you in terms of conditioning military aid or - or any kind of message?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, there's an investigation going. We're going to let that process go - continue. There is no changes in our policy -

Q Does -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: - and how we move.

Q Does the president find the Israeli investigation credible? Like, his comments leaving the South Lawn makes it sound like -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It was an initial - it was an initial report on the investigation. I don't have anything else to share. You heard from Secretary Blinken. And what we know is what happened to this young person, this young woman, was unacceptable - unacceptable. And I think that Blinken's comments earlier today was incredibly powerful and forceful and I think lays out exactly how - obviously, how this president feels and where we stand with this today.

Q Does the president plan to speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu anytime soon, or what does -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president and - and the prime minister have spoken many times over the past several months. Certainly, they will continue to do so.

I don't have a call to read out to you. And when they - because they've known each other for decades, when they speak, they have an honest and frank conversation. That's because they have that relationship. Don't have anything else to - to read out.

Q Does he plan to call the family now -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We've got to sit down, guys.

Q - now that the investigation -

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't -

Q Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have anything to read out on a call.

Q Thank you.

Q Is he at all - how does he feel about the debate going on tonight without him? Does he feel unhappy he's not there or happy he's not there?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think I would refer you back to what the president said in the Oval Office and - and when he talked about passing the torch and the moment being now and how proud he was to do that and to pass it to the vice president. I just don't have anything else beyond that.

Thank you. We've got to sit down.

Q Thanks, Karine.

5:43 P.M. EDT

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