Aboard Air Force One
En Route Albuquerque, Latest Mexico
1:08 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hello! All right. Today, we’re headed to Albuquerque, Latest Mexico, where President Biden will visit Central Latest Mexico Community College to offer an update on our work to offer extra respiratory room to borrowers as they prepare to restart loan payments next 12 months.
Central Latest Mexico Community College is a Hispanic-serving institution where 37 percent of the scholars are Pell Grant recipients. Under our plan, Pell Grant recipients who meet the income requirements are eligible for as much as $20,000 in debt cancellation. And almost half of student loan debt held by Latino borrowers is predicted to be cancelled under our plan.
Because the President announced this morning, near 26 million people have provided their information to the Department of Education to have their student loans reduced or forgiven under our plan. Of those, greater than 16 million are on target to be approved for relief this week.
But when state Republican officials get their way, tens of tens of millions of borrowers shall be robbed of their opportunity to get this extra respiratory room as they prepare to restart loans pay- — loan payments next 12 months. Remember, Republican members of Congress at the identical time are calling for a $3 trillion handout to Big Pharma, corporations, and the ultra-wealthy.
While on the community college, the President shall be joined by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham; Senator Ben Ray Lu- — Lu- — sorry — Luján; Congresswoman — Congresswoman Melanie Stansburg- — Stansbury; Central Latest Mexico Community College President Tracy Hartzler, and extra community leaders and students.
Later today, the President will even take part in a political event with Governor Lujan Grisham and other state and native officials.
This evening, we’re traveling on to San Diego, where the President will take part in a political event with Congressman Levin — Mike Levin.
Tomorrow morning in San Diego, the President will join Congressman Levin for a visit to an American technology company that may profit from passage of the President’s CHIPS and Science Act and more chips being made in America. The corporate also has a concentrate on hiring veterans, as they transition from military to civilian life.
Today we’re seeing a resurgence of American manufacturing driven by passage of CHIPS, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act. In recent weeks, the President has traveled to Latest York and Ohio to spotlight historic investments in manufacturing semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing technology in the USA.
These events highlighting the President’s commitment to constructing more in America and — stand in stark contrast to congressional Republicans who’ve spent the last several weeks talking about ripping away the progress we’ve made, raising costs for working people, and putting Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.
And tomorrow evening, the President will travel on to Chicago, Illinois, through Saturday morning, before heading to Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon for a political rally with former President Barack Obama and other officials.
Finally, the State Department just confirmed that U.S. embassy officials in Moscow were in a position to visit Brittney Griner today. We’re told she is doing in addition to might be expected under the circumstances.
As we now have said before, the U.S. government made a big offer to the Russians to resolve the present unacceptable and wrongful — wrongful detentions of Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
I may also let you know that in the following weeks, despite a scarcity of good-faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that supply and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels. This continues to be a top priority.
With that, Aamer, you would like to kick us off?
Q Yeah. First, just — you mentioned Chicago. Any further details on his itinerary while he’s in Chicago on Friday night and Saturday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have anything more to share. When we now have more, actually we are going to preview — preview what to anticipate on Saturday.
Q Okay. And may I — just broadly, with Latest Mexico, Chicago, California, he’s spending numerous time in very blue places in these last days before the midterms. Generally considering — and he’s not only making political speeches, as you indicate; there’s numerous policy speeches happening — why is the President spending a lot time in blue strongholds?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a few things. I — as you recognize, I can’t weigh an excessive amount of on the electoral process, as you recognize, as we’ve been all saying for the past couple of weeks.
But I do need to note: As you mentioned, he was just in Florida just this past Tuesday, and we’re currently en path to Latest Mexico, as you recognize all, as just laid out, and a number of other other states.
He has been traveling all across the country. He has been talking to the American people concerning the selection that’s in front of them — a stark selection — and can proceed to do this. It’s essential — he believes that it’s a crucial conversation, an actual conversation that he — that he believes is very important to have with the American people.
So, you recognize — and his conversations and his remarks has been that his plan and the congressional Democrats’ plan is to lower — is lower costs for the American people — lower healthcare — including lowering healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy costs — and to create manufacturing jobs, and produce investment to our shores, which is what you’ll hear from him in the subsequent couple of days, which he is constant to do.
And because the Latest York Times reported on the front page this morning how the GOP desires to go after Medicare and Social Security, how they need to codify a national abortion ban, and cast off the Inflation Reduction Act, and raising drug prices for seniors. So, there’s a stark contrast that we are going to — we are going to proceed to make.
And, you recognize, Republican officials are working also to dam student loan debt, which is what I just laid out for you initially.
Look, as we — as you’ve laid out, we’ve done numerous travel. The President has been nonstop. But you recognize this and everyone knows this, since you travel with the President, he has a really big bully pulpit. And so, when he speaks, you guys write about it, the American people read it. There’s TV coverage of it. And so, it goes beyond — just beyond just the state that he’s in. It goes beyond to, then, just the individuals who he’s speaking in front of. And we predict that matters.
Q Karine, could you provide the name of the corporate that President Biden is visiting tomorrow in California?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’ll have more to share on that. We’ll have more to share.
Q And just on the economy, you said in a television interview this morning that the White House will not be preparing for a recession. The bond market is forecasting a 48 percent probability of a recession inside the subsequent 12 months, in line with Evercore ISI. Isn’t it imprudent to not be planning for something that there’s a 48 percent probability of, you recognize, especially given how, you recognize badly the White House misjudged the inflation persistence?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Why were you up at 4- — 5:40 within the morning? My goodness, I don’t know wh- — I don’t understand how I made it up that early.
Look, I just need to be really clear here, and I’ve heard this from other economists, even this morning, answering your very query or ask- — after they were asked about potential recession, if we’re in a pre-recession. And it’s not only us saying this, I’m only laying that out. Since it’s not only us on the administration, nevertheless it’s other economists which are saying that the strength of our labor market is just not consistent — it really isn’t — with a recession or with even a pre-recession. We imagine our economy is incredibly resilient, as we now have been seeing under this administration, due to the work that this President has done, due to his economic policies.
So, we proceed to imagine that, thanks again to the President’s economic policies, we will bring inflation down, which he has been working on almost each day these past several months, without giving up historic gains that we now have made. And in order that’s what we imagine. That’s how we see the present economic situation.
Q And only one quick — only one quick follow-up on numbers. Jen O’Malley Dillon said on the Axios event yesterday that you simply guys don’t imagine the polls on where you guys are when it comes to midterms. Could you talk a bit of bit more about why that’s? Is that intuition, or is there more happening there?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — you recognize, I’m not going to — I used to play a political pundit on TV not too way back. I’m not — actually not going to do it here, so I’m going to be very careful.
Look, the President — and I said this a bit of bit yesterday after we talked about democracy and the direction of our country and why he’s talking about that and why it’s so essential to put that out for the American people. We’re opti- — you recognize, we’re optimists too.
And we now have to — you recognize, we’re going to proceed to make our message very clear. We’re going to proceed to make the argument in front of the American people, which is that contrast that we now have been talking about — that stark, stark contrast — the selection that’s in front of them.
And let’s not forget the problems that we’re talking about — when you concentrate on Medicare, when you concentrate on Social Security, when you concentrate on lowering costs at once — are issues that the American people really care about. They’re popular issues. And even if you happen to take into consideration democracy, protecting our democracy, that’s something that a majority of Americans agree with us on. And so, that’s how we see the situation ahead.
Again, I’m not going to get into punditry, political punditry on the midterms. It’s not my place to do this from here. But that’s how we see what we now have been doing the last several months — actually, the last 20 months — and the way the President goes to proceed to deliver for the American people.
Q Karine, are you able to talk on the recession query real quick? Since it’s not — you recognize, I do know you were saying some economists are suggesting that there’s a — you recognize, signs that — there are economic signs that overall the economy is doing well. But we saw even within the Fed chair’s comments yesterday a suggestion that, you recognize, moving towards a soft landing goes to be a challenge.
We’re seeing a growing chorus of economists suggest that it’s going to be very difficult to avoid a recession. And to follow on Trevor’s query: On condition that that chorus is growing louder, are you all preparing? And are you actually not preparing for it in any respect, even given what the Fed said yesterday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — I’m not going to comment to what the chair — the chairman said yesterday. It’s not my place.
We imagine that the Fed is independent, and we respect that independence. And the President has made clear that we are going to give the chair — Chair Powell the space needed to make decisions on monetary policy without political interference, unlike lots of his predecessors. So I leave that there.
But, look — but what we now have seen the last 20 months is a powerful labor market. And that matters as we’re — as these conversations are happening concerning the way forward for our economy.
We’ve got a powerful labor market. We’ve got an unemployment rate that’s at the bottom that it’s been in 50 years; it’s 3.5 percent. And we now have created 10 million jobs. That shows a powerful economy.
Again, I’m not going to talk to the monetary pieces. And we — we understand — right? — inflation is a problem for Americans. That’s why we now have done the work to lower costs in any respect — at every — every way that we will, whether it’s Inflation Reduction Act, lowering costs on healthcare premiums, whether — you recognize, energy cost as well.
And the gas — and lowering gas prices, which is something the President has worked on. The gas prices have gone down by $1.25 for the past several weeks since its highest peak back in June. And so, that matters, and it should proceed to go down.
So, we’re going to concentrate on that. That’s where we imagine we’d like to concentrate on, which is coping with that inflation, coping with lowering costs.
But as we see the economy as a complete, we don’t see it going right into a recession. Secretary Yellen has said similar as well. She is, as you recognize, a renowned economist, who’s clearly the Secretary of Treasury — of U.S. Treasury and a respected economist.
And so, I’ll just leave it there. I just don’t have way more so as to add to that.
Q And just staying on jobs for a second, I do know Jobs Day is tomorrow. Economists expect pretty low numbers. What’s the White House expecting internally? And what shall be your response?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you recognize, we don’t have — we don’t know what the job — the Friday jobs numbers are going to be as yet. But as we now have been saying for months, we’re in a transition to stable and regular growth. That’s what we’re — that’s where we imagine the economy is headed.
And through this transition, as an alternative of adding a record-breaking variety of jobs every month, within the realm of 500,000 to 600,000 jobs on average per 30 days, we’d expect so as to add closer to a median of 150,000 jobs per 30 days. And that’s just like the common monthly job gains we saw back in 2019 before the pandemic.
That might actually be an indication of the success of this transition that we’ve been laying out for all of you, as sort of the job growth is consistent with a low unemployment rate and a healthy — healthy economy.
So, that’s — that’s how we see tomorrow.
Q And just yet one more on student loans. Obviously, the President goes to speak about student loans today. Last week he said that he expected relief to exit in two weeks. Is that something you guys are still tracking?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, you recognize, we’re prepared for various scenarios, and we’ll be able to move quickly as soon as receive a choice. That is to — as we all know, it’s — it’s being held up at once.
As we now have said from the beginning, we expect relief to be processed inside 4 to 6 weeks of a borrower submitting an application. The timeline the President provided was consistent — was consistent with that.
So, again, we’re going to be able to go. We just laid out: 26 million people have signed up, 16 million individuals are approved, and — and we shall be able to go as soon as — as soon as we will.
Q The President spoke again on democracy last night. And just like the Philadelphia speech from a bit of while back, he mentioned that each the Republican Party is made up of a minority of voters that he calls “MAGA Republicans” — those that he considers a threat to democracy. But he also said that democracy shall be on the ballot this November as well.
I’m wondering, then: If it’s a minority, what races is he mentioning specifically? What candidates are a priority to him?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, I need to be really careful since you’re asking me about candidates and —
Q Sure.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — races and so — which is something that I can’t speak to from here.
Look, the President was very clear. When he — after we are talking about democracy and the threats to democracy, it’s something that he has been talking about for a while now, as you recognize. He has been clear democracy is under assault, and we cannot pretend otherwise.
We’re seeing mega MAGA Republican officials who don’t imagine within the rule of law. They’ve refused to just accept the outcomes of free and fair elections. They usually — they stir up political violence through what they praise and what they refuse to sentence.
And because the President said last night in his speech again and again: Before you — before you may love your country, you may’t — I’m sorry, you may’t on- — you may’t love your country only while you win. That will not be how this works. That will not be how democracy works.
And let’s not forget, political violence — we now have seen political violence, specifically within the wake of the attack of targeting Speaker Pelosi’s husband, who was seriously injured. And we should always be seeing Republican leaders willing to step up and call it out. As a substitute, they’re making jokes about it.
The President has been empathetic and optimistic that American — that Americans care about protecting our democracy. He has consistently talked about that. America has emerged stronger from among the darkest moments that we now have undergone.
And he believes that a majority of Americans — yes, a majority of Americans imagine that our democracy needs to be protected. We’ve got seen that in poll after poll after poll.
But, again, we’re seeing a rise of rhetoric. We’re seeing a rise of political violence. And he believed that it was — it was the proper moment to make use of, again, his bully pulpit to make that selection and to make that very clear to the American people and have that honest conversation and direct conversation with them as well.
Q Does the President still support the nomination of Mayor Eric Garcetti to the ambassadorship of India? Is that something that you simply guys are tracking? Do you expect him to get a floor vote within the Senate? If that’s the case, when?
After which I even have a second.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So — so, to begin with, yes, we — we do. And as Secretary Blinken has said, we now have a vital and consequential partnership with India.
We proceed to hunt the expeditious confirmation of Mayor Garcetti — that is very important to this President, a priority to this President — who was voted out of committee with strong bipartisan support to function Ambassador to India.
We’ve got — clearly, we don’t have any updates right now. But, yes, this stays — continues to be a priority for us.
Q Okay. And a second query. Are you able to talk a bit concerning the deleted tweet from — I feel it was last night?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Why was the tweet deleted?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So I spoke to this yesterday within the briefing room. Pleased to sort of share what — what I specified by the briefing room.
The tweet was incomplete. Up to now, we now have identified that for the primary time in over a decade, because it pertains to the unfinished tweet, seniors — seniors’ Medicare premiums will decrease whilst their Social Security checks increase. Which means that seniors could have a probability to get ahead of inflation resulting from — resulting from the rare combination of rising advantages and falling premium.
And — and that’s what we desired to make sure that was accomplished within the — was included within the tweet. And so — and that’s why you saw that motion.
Q Okay, thanks.
Q Karine?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.
Q Karine, does the President feel like his message on threats to democracy is undermined by Democrats who spend tens of millions to raise election-denying Republicans within the primaries? And can he call out those Democrats if a few of those election-denying Republicans win on Tuesday?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, I — I’ve been asked that query again and again, and I’m just not going to get entangled in any political strategy that’s related to the midterms. I’m not going to do this from here.
I hear you. I’m just not going to reply that query because we’re — I’m not going to get — there’s the Hatch Act, and also you’re talking a few po- — a selected election strategy. And so I’m not going to comment from that — about that.
Again, the President believes a majority of Americans need to protect our democracy, need to strengthen our democracy, believes in having that freedom.
And so he — like I said, there’s only a minority of parents who — who’re — you recognize, who’re — who imagine within the election deniers, and — and so — but — and so, the President — again, with the uptick of rhetoric that we’re seeing, with days away from the midterms, with the political violence — he used his bully pulpit yesterday to make that very, very clear.
Q Another for you on Twitter. I do know you were asked this yesterday. You said it hadn’t gotten to the President’s desk yet. Any decisions about whether the White House or the President would proceed to pay $8 a month to stay verified?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It was just 24 hours ago! And —
Q No, I used to be just wondering if it got here up.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — (inaudible) out West. (Laughs.)
Q After which, just more broad- — but, Karine, more broadly: With the changes coming at Twitter, does the President still feel like Twitter goes to be an efficient technique to reach the American people?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I’m — I’m just not going to comment on an organization’s decision. I’ve said that before.
Because it pertains to your — the primary a part of your query, again, I mean, the President just laid out why democracy is so essential and put that in front of the American people last night in a really strong and powerful way. That’s what is very important right now.
There are essential selections that the American individuals are going to must make. There are stark selections on how congressional Democrats and the President are going to proceed to deliver for the American people — as we speak about lowering costs, as we speak about, you recognize, what we’ve been in a position to do with the Inflation Reduction Act — and what congressional Republicans need to do, which is take that away and really increase costs. And let’s not forget how they need to actually take our economy all the way down to a spiral by holding Medicare and Social Security hostage through the use of the debt ceiling, which is — which is, you recognize, unheard of.
And so, we’re going to proceed to speak about that. I’m not — just not going to get into the interior, I suppose, politics or changes — policy changes over at Twitter.
Q Was the President briefed on the assassination attempt on Imran Khan? And does he have — is there any form of general feeling on the volatility of the political situation in Pakistan in the intervening time, based on today’s incident?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’ll say this: America strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and his supporters, and hopes for the swift recovery of all who were injured. Violence has no place in politics. We call on all parties to stay peaceful and refrain from violence.
Q Does the President have any thoughts about Bibi Netanyahu’s success in Israel and the ultra-nationalists who propelled him to victory there?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, we’re pleased — and I used to be asked about this within the briefing room as well, yesterday — we’re pleased to see such strong voter turnout for the Knesset election.
It’s too early to invest on the precise composition of the subsequent governing coalition until the votes are counted. And so, we look ahead to continuing to work with the Israel — Israeli government on our shared interests and values, but I’m not going to get ahead of the count — the votes being fully counted.
Q Another for you on scheduling. Do you’ve any idea what the President shall be doing on actual Election Day?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What’s — as you recognize, you guys have been — have been through — on this rodeo for a lot of, a few years with — with different administrations. You understand, it’s — we’ll get to — we’ll share what he’s doing on Election Day once we now have it. It’s just a few days away. A number of days away.
Q Karine, can I just also — I mean, I do know you were talking concerning the President going to Latest Mexico, going to California and Chicago. We’re going to 2 really essential states. We’re going to bypass, I’m sorry, two essential states — Arizona, Nevada — that border this all. We’re going out to this point west. Are you able to articulate why we’re not going to those two states?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, we’ve had the President on the market talking on to the American people. We’ve had the Vice President on the market talking and traveling across the country and talking to the American people. We’ve had also the First Lady and the Second Gentleman, the Cabinet secretaries.
It is a — this can be a, all-of — if you happen to will, all-of-government, you recognize, sort of process here. And — and we’re — and we’re — you recognize, we’re going to proceed to be on the market doing just that. I’m attempting to watch out and never speak about politics here as I’m — as I’m answering your query. And — and the President has been to lots of those states prior to now several months as well.
So, look, we predict that and we imagine — and also you all prove this — is that when the President speaks, it is roofed widely and broadly.
And what we imagine is very important strategy for us and a crucial thing to do is to proceed to make the alternatives for the American people at — in front of them very, very clear. And so we now have done that. We’re going to do this in California. We’re going to do this in Latest Mexico. We did that in Florida just two days ago. And, you recognize, we’ve done that in Pennsylvania; as you all know, in Latest York.
So, we’re — we now have traveled across the country making that very, very clear and laying that out to the American people.
Again, not only us. We’ve got Cabinet secretaries on the market, and you’ve, clearly, congressional Democrats in their very own districts and states, and you’ve the principals as well.
Q We’re hopefully about to land in Latest Mexico where the town of Clovis is voting today on banning abortion altogether and making it a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” of their terms. Does the White House have any thoughts about that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, we now have been very clear about what MAGA extreme Republicans are attempting to do in terms of a girl’s rights to decide on. It’s — they’re attempting to take that away, clearly, and in essentially the most extreme ways. And it — what it’s doing is it’s putting women — women and girls’ lives in danger.
And so the President believes that we’d like to guard a girl’s rights to decide on. That is, as well, what this election is all about, what this may — the selection in front of the American people is all about. And we’ve made that very, very clear. Like, the selection is evident: Freedom and — people’s freedoms and rights shall be taken away if — you recognize, in the event that they don’t make their voices very loud and clear.
And so, you recognize, it’s — it’s something that you simply’ve heard from this President; it’s something that you simply’ve heard from this Vice President. It will be important that we proceed to fight for those freedoms, and it’s essential that we proceed to fight for those rights — specifically to your query, Trevor, essential to fight for a girl’s right to decide on.
So what we are going to do, what the President will do — and he’s spoken about this — he desires to codify Roe v. Wade. He believes that the protections in Roe v. Wade needs to be — should — you recognize, needs to be protected.
And — and in order that’s going to be our focus, and that’s what you’re going to proceed to listen to from this — this President.
All right. Thanks, guys.
1:34 P.M. EDT