January 06, 2025
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route Kenner, LA
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Kenner, Louisiana
3:45 P.M. EST
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sorry for the wait. Oh, it’s chilly back here.
Q Yeah, it’s cold.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, I have a — a long — a long couple things at the — a few things at the top, so it’s a little long. So, please bear with me. Hopefully we’ll answer some of your questions.
We are on our way to New Orleans, where the president and the first lady will attend an Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace and Healing hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans at the Cathedral-Bas- — Basilica of St. Louis King of France. While there, they will grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack that took place in New Orleans on January 1st. This time with families will be a private meeting prior to the vigil.
Immediately following this horrific attack, President Biden directed his team to provide every resource possible to support the state and local law enforcement response as well as the victims and their families. The president and his administration have been in contact with the governor of Louisiana, the mayor of New — New Orleans, and other state and local officials to ensure they have the support they need and deserve.
The FBI, DOJ, DHS, and Department of Defense are coordinating on all aspects of the investigation. The FBI is operating a command post in its New Orleans office with federal, state, and local personnel, including the deployment of additional special agents, analysts, and bomb technicians to assist in the investigation and coordinate with local authorities.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA, has also announced that small businesses and private nonprofit organizations in Louisiana may now apply for federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by this attack.
Today, the president is committing additional federal resources to help the city of New Orleans prepare for upcoming major events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. The Mardi Gras parades and certain related events occurring in New Orleans from February 1st [21st] to March 4th have been upgraded to a Special Event Assessment Rating of 1. The Super Bowl event has also been upgraded to the same assessment rating.
The Biden-Harris administration has determined that these significant events require extensive federal interagency support, and we will use every tool available to fill — to fill local capability shortfalls to assure safe and secure events. Federal assistance could include explosive detection canine teams, cyber risk assessments, venue screening and field intelligence teams, and air security and tactical operations support, in addition to the support already provided by state and local governments.
There’s no higher — higher priority to the president than the safety and security of the American people. He will continue to ensure we do everything possible to get to the bottom of this horrific event while also ensuring that this community has the resources they need in the wake of this tragedy.
And finally, today, President Biden took action to protect the — the entire U.S. East Coast; the eastern Gulf of Mexico; the Pacific off — off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California; and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from oil for — from future oil and natural gas leasing.
So, let’s be clear here. The — the area President Biden is protecting has relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas and do not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing drilling.
As President Biden said in his statement, from California to Florida, Republican and Democratic governors, members of Congress, and coastal communities have worked and called for greater protection of our ocean and coastlines from the harms that offshore oil and natural gas drilling can bring.
From day one, President Biden has led and delivered on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in our country’s history. And over the last four years, the president has conserved more than 670 million acres of America’s land, water — waters and more — more than any other president in history.
With that, Colleen. Hi.
Q Hi. Okay. A couple things real quick. On the meeting with the families today. Will he also meet with any first responders or law enforcement officials, or is it just for families?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, he’s — we’re hoping to also be able to say thank you to some first responders.
As you know, first responders always put their lives on the line when it comes to certainly events like this, but almost every day.
And so, we’ll certainly have more to share. We’ll have some pool notes for all of you as we get on the ground. But that is — that is the hope.
Q Okay. And then on the offshore drilling.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Can you talk a little bit about the timing? Because, you know, the president is leaving office in a couple of weeks. The incoming president has been very clear that he doesn’t want any of this type of — these restrictions. So, you know, why now? Why not earlier, when there was more of an opportunity to push it out longer?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I think in — also, in the topper, I mentioned what the president has done, and over the last four years, he’s protected, I think, more than 46 million land and water. Con- — you know, making sure we’re conserving that.
So, this is — this has been a priority for the president over the past four years, and you see the success and what he’s been able to do.
So, the withdrawals have no expiration date and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in areas withdrawn. And, as I said, the — the area the president is protecting has relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas and do not justify environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from any loose le- — new leasing and drilling.
And so, look, the climate crisis continues. It continues to be a threat to communities across the country. And we are transitioning now to clean energy economy, as this has been a priority for this president.
And so, we want to make sure that we protect these coasts for our children, for our grandchildren. And so, that is what you’re seeing the president doing.
So, previous administration also moved to protect off coast of Florida — off coasts of Florida, Georgia, South C- — South Carolina from drilling. So, this is something that we’ve actually seen from the past administration, which is — obviously, was the Trump administration.
Q One more.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, sure.
Q On the — on January 6th. So, I just wondered, the president’s op-ed in the Washington Post today talked a lot about the need to remember.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, and not — not — and to not rewrite history.
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q I guess I wanted to ask: He doesn’t mention Trump by name at all in — in the op-ed. And I wondered if that was intentional. You know, and if we’re talking about remembering, should we also be thinking about the — the incoming president’s — you know, whatever role he may have played in January 6th?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I think — you know, I read through — obviously, I saw the — the op-ed before it was published, and I got to — I read it a couple more times today. And it’s incredibly powerful what the president was able to share.
Remember, he was speaking directly to the American people and wanted to make sure that we don’t forget this moment, we don’t forget what happened four years ago, and that history should not be rewritten.
I think the American people know exactly what happened on that day. I think he wanted to — as the day is today, he wanted to make sure that we — he — his voice was out there.
He’s also very proud of what the vice president was able to do in certifying the election, which is, obviously — as she said herself in a very powerful video today that you all saw, talking about her duty and how she — this is — this is the norm and this is what we’re supposed to be doing.
And I think — you know, I think the president wanted to stick to the message of what today means. We can’t forget. And the president says this in his op-ed. This — certifying an election was the norm — was the norm. And we can’t forget, as a country, as a people, that — that moments like today should be incredibly respected, and how powerful and how important it is, especially as we speak to our democracy and a peaceful transition of power, which is what the president has been trying to do and has said that he was going to do and has been doing that since the day of — since the — since the day of the election, or the results of the election.
And so, I think that’s what you’re seeing. This peaceful — it’s not just about this being a norm, but also this continuing peaceful transfer of power.
Q Karine, does the — does the president or does the White House have a reaction to Prime Minister Trudeau’s announcement today about stepping aside?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things here. Prime Minister Trudeau has been a stalwart friend of the United States during his decade leading the Canadian government. We have worked closely together on the full range of issues facing our countries and the world as close allies, neighbors, and as members of the G7.
The president is grateful for the prime minister’s partnership on all of that and for his commitment to defending North America from the geopolitical threats of the 21st century and the work we have done together to sustain North America’s status as the world’s most economically competitive region.
As fellow democracies, we stand with the prime minister and the Canadian people as they select a new Liberal Party leader and organize a new government.
Q Do you — on a separate issue, the steel companies — U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel — have filed lawsuits over the decision by the president to block that merger. What’s his or what is the White House reaction to that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as — as we’ve done many times, as you know, Jeff, we just don’t speak to lawsuits. Obv- — you know, that is something that the Department of Justice will — will handle. I’m — I’m not going to give comments on it.
And I think the president’s statement from Friday — laying out his thought process and why he moved forward to blocking — to blocking that deal. And so, I just don’t have anything else to add behi- — be- — besides what the president laid out.
But as we normally do, we’re not going to speak to any lawsuits.
Q One question —
Q Karine, can you —
Q Sorry, just one last question. Sorry, sorry, sorry. On two things that Trump has — the president-elect has said in the last day or so. One, there’s a report out about his — his plans on tariffs. Wondering if this White House has any response or concerns about that.
And two, he made a tweet — or a statement today about making Canada the 51st state. Wondering if President Biden takes that seriously.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I’m not going to comment on everything that the president-elect is — is going to say.
As we know, we have about two weeks left in this administration. The president is going to focus on what we’re doing today — right? — what we’re going to be doing in the West Coast in California. We’re going to continue to show up for the American people, continuing to do the work on behalf of the American people.
I — I’m just not going to comment on everything that is said by the incoming president.
What the president believes in is what you’ve seen him do — when it comes to the economy, making sure that we don’t leave anybody behind, that we build an economy from the bottom up to — bo- — bottom to — bottom — top — from the bottom to the top and, obviously — and the middle out. And that is something that the president is going to is — has always believed in and — and believes that is the way we move forward with an economy.
He doesn’t believe in — in — in what Republicans have continued to say, which is giving a tax relief to — to the — to the richest, the billionaires and corporations. That’s not what the president believes. He wants to make sure that we give a little bit of breathing room to everyday Americans who are sitting around their kitchen table trying to make some really difficult decisions about how they’re going to move forward in their life.
And so, that’s our focus. I’m just not — with two weeks left, I’m not going to comment on everything that the president-elect is going to say.
Q Karine, earlier today, President-elect Trump, on Truth Social, said that the — that “Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as [as] possible.” I know you touched on the transition a little bit, you know, moments ago. But is there just anything you can say from, you know, the White House’s response to his comments?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, again, I’m not going to respond to everything that the president-elect says. What I can say is the president’s commitment — and I think — I think, hopefully, you all would agree with me — when the president, after the — the election, the president invited the president-elect to the White House. They met for two hours — definitely more than an hour and a half, more than 90 minutes — in the Oval Office. You guys — you all got to see them engage at the top for a f- — couple of minutes.
And that — for the president, that was something that he wanted to bring back — right? — which is a peaceful transfer of power — something, I would, you know, put out there and remind everybody, that he didn’t get four years ago.
And so, as you know, this is a president who is an institutionalist. He believes in our democracy. He believes on doing the right thing for this country, the right thing for the American people. And he believed in the peaceful transfer of power.
Our mandate has been — from this president — is to make sure that we provide an efficient transfer, a tran- — a transition to the next incoming administration. And it’s not about us; it’s not about this president. It’s about the American people.
In order — it is important to do that so that we can — so that the American people can have a continuing democracy that works for — for all of us.
Q And just one more, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Maybe this came out while — while you have been in the air, but Biden met with Venezuela’s president-elect this — this morning. Is there any — are there any details you — you can share from —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — from that meeting and how that went?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, there’s — if it hasn’t come out, and you — I don’t even know if you all probably saw it or not — there’s going to be a readout. If — and — and I haven’t paid close attention. There was a readout of the meeting following the president’s meeting and the president-elect of Venezuela this morning and simply reiterated our support for Venezuelans’ democratic aspirations.
Democracy depends that — demands, pardon me — demands that the will of the voters be respected, and the Venezuelan — Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28th making González Urrutia the president-elect. And so, that is what you — that is what you saw. That is basically what this meeting was all about.
And there’s a readout. Again, I — I apologize if you all didn’t get a chance to read that, to see it, but we did put out a readout on this.
Q Karine —
Q Do you have any —
Q Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q Do you have any reaction to Elon Musk — his repeated attacks on the British prime minister? Just — if I could just — I mean, for example, you have him today calling Keir Starmer “despicable,” calling on King Charles to overthrow the British government.
I mean, this is a key U.S. ally and a — you know, a political, you know, ally of President Biden. What — I mean, what — what is your take on these?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have anything for you on that. I — I just don’t. I’m not going to comment on that.
Go ahead.
Q Given the president’s op-ed on talking about remembering January 6th —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — from four years ago, does he have any reaction to the president-elect’s pledge to pardon the insurrectionists from four years ago and, given the president’s recent pardons himself, how that kind of contrasts?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I’m not going to get into what the next president is going to do or not do.
I think you’ve heard us talk about the president’s process when it comes to commutations, when it comes to pardons. He bel- — he believes in giving a second chance to — to Americans who have shown that they can go back into the community and be part of a community, be productive in the community.
The president certainly has taken more action than any president before him, and that is something that he believes in. So, we will certainly — he — he’s thinking about other commutations and pardons that he will potentially announce before he leaves in two weeks.
I just don’t have anything else to share. I don’t want to get into what the next president is going to do, going to not do. What I can speak to is how the president has been very deliberate, very thoughtful about this process and how he’s moved forward in it in the last couple years.
Q Karine, my colleagues at NBC this weekend — they reported that the president plans to give two big speeches before his term is up: one on foreign policy, one more of a farewell speech. Do you have any additional information about that — when, where? Anything we can expect to hear from the president?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m not going to get ahead of our — our schedule here. Don’t have anything to confirm or to lay out.
What I will say is the president the — I — I mentioned “two weeks.” We have 14 days, and it’s going to be a jam-packed, certainly a jam-packed final sprint to the — to the — to the two — to the two weeks.
As you know, we’re going to go to NOLA — New Orleans. We’re going to go to California. We come back, and the president is going to — there’s the Carter — obviously, the — the Carter memorial, so that will be something that the president will attend.
And then we head out to Rome, and we — we have already laid out what the president is going to be doing on that — his final OCONUS — this coming weekend or this coming — at the end of the week. And then we’ll have a lot more to share as we — as we get closer.
But he is definitely jam-packed — jam-packed — as you all know, especially just looking at the weekend. I think most of us were working every day this weekend, and so I think you can expect to see that — the president just continuing to work every day.
Q On New Orleans and this ongoing investigation into the attack. Have — do you have any updates, any progress on that? I know the last time the president spoke on it is — he said he would make sure that any progress they made he would share it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, no — I mean, you’re — you’re right. I don’t have any updates to share. Obviously, as I stated at the top — and the president certainly continues to believe this and wants to — to get this done, which is get to the bottom of what happened. There’s an investigation being done by the FBI. I don’t have any updates to share at this time.
And what — I think what you’re going to see this president do today is show up for the community, be there for the community in hardest time — right? — when you have these types of event or any type of event, whether it’s gun violence, a loss — lives lost in a community, in a family.
This is something that the president understands: what it’s like to lose — to lose a loved one. And the first lady — as you know, she’s with us as well. And so they’re going to be there with the family. They’re going to offer up — you know, grieve with them, listen to them. And so, I think this is also an important part — he believes, this is also an important part of — of the job that he believes he — he needs to do as president and should do.
Q And just — just quickly on January 6th. Just to circle back to Colleen’s question. By not naming Trump in this op-ed, is there any concern that that contributes to the ability of this incoming president to rewrite what happened and his role in there?
I mean, you have a president — an incoming president here, a president-elect, who is posting pictures of January 6th; who is not doing anything at this point to, you know, try to explain it; who is kind of showing, “Look, I can’t be held accountable”; you know, and going as far as saying, “We’re — I’m going to pardon, you know, these people who participated.”
Is there any concern by the president not naming him, that that allows, you know, the president-elect to skirt accountability?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And I hear your — your question, but I also think there are some — a couple things that we should focus on and what the president said, and I just want to read them really quickly.
“An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day. [To] tell us we didn’t see what we… saw with our — with our own eyes.” So, the president tries to address that, obviously, in his — in his op-ed.
“But when we sh- — but what” — and this — going back to the president’s op-ed, “but what — but we should not forget. We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it. We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago.”
“Four years later, leaving office, I am determined to do everything I can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the transi- — the traditions we have long respected in America. The election will be certified peacefully.” Obviously, that’s already happened, but this is from his op-ed this morning.
“I have invited the incoming president to the White House on the morning of January 20th, and I will be present for his inauguration that afternoon.”
And I think what the president is trying to do is lead by example, calling out what happened four years ago, saying if we do not — if we do not pay attention and if we try to forget it, it will repeat itself. And that — I think the president said that very clearly.
At the same time, the American people deserve a peaceful transfer of power. They have spoken. Right? So, they — they deserve a peaceful transfer of power.
Q Is — is the implication there that if you were to get into naming Trump, that that puts that peaceful transfer of power at risk in some way?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think that we had an election, majority of Americans spoke, and the president is respecting a free and fair election — something that wasn’t afforded to him four years ago. He is doing it now.
And he is saying, by leading by example, it is important to make sure that we have a peaceful transfer of power. And I think what you’re — again, what I’m — what you’re seeing from this president and even this vice president today — our vice president, obviously, Kamala Harris, what she did today — was — was show that this is what — this is what the norm is. This is what the norm is.
Q I guess the question is: If — if the norms were broken, you know, four years ago, is the — is the idea of returning to a norm even possible anymore, you know?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I think we showed it today. I think the vice president showed it today. Right? And I think the president continues to show that, especially in this transition of power. And so, lead — lead by example, and you see that from — from the both of them.
And I think that’s — I would — I — I think, and we believe, that’s what the American people want to see. They want to see some norm. They want to see a peaceful transfer of power. It is important for our democracy.
All right, guys. Thank you.
Q Thanks, Karine.
Q Thank you.
Q Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: See you on the ground. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.
4:08 P.M. EST
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