White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre laughed out loud when a reporter noted President Joe Biden’s light schedule the past few days and asked “What’s he up to?”
On Monday, President Biden headlined the 2023 International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference and on Thursday he will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to deliver a speech pegged to the release of his Budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
But on Tuesday and Wednesday, Biden’s public schedule consisted of the following: “In the morning, the President will receive the President’s Daily Brief. This meeting will be closed press.”
At Wednesday’s briefing, ABC News White House correspondent Mary Bruce gave Jean-Pierre a laugh by noting the schedule and cheerfully asking “What’s he up to?”:
MARY BRUCE: And just a quick logistical question. This is the second day in a row where the President hasn’t had any public events on his schedule. What’s he up to? And is there any sort of strategy to having him —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) “What’s he up to?” “What is the President up to?”
MARY BRUCE: — kind of out of the public eye before this big speech tomorrow?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, yesterday, as I think we read out two heads-of-state calls that he had with — I believe with the Oman and also with President Macron. We read those two calls out. And so the President is always working, always making sure that he — not even always making sure, he does have the American people at the top of mind every day. He is constantly meeting with his senior staff.
And you will see him tomorrow for the big day as we roll out the President’s budget.
President Biden’s speech — which the White House has dubbed “remarks on his plans to invest in America, continue to lower costs for families, protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, reduce the deficit, and more” — is scheduled for 2:30 Thursday afternoon at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Watch above via The White House.
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