President Joe Biden suggested Friday that next month’s election may not be peaceable, as he made his first White House briefing room appearance since taking office — and continued a lame-duck explosion in his press availability after years of shunning interviews and news conferences.
“I’m confident it will be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful,” the retiring 81-year-old president said during his surprise 15-minute appearance in response to a question from National Public Radio’s Tamara Keith.
“The things that [former President Donald] Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election were very dangerous,” Biden added.
Biden’s appearance was so unexpected that many seats in the briefing room were empty and most of the handful of reporters selected to ask questions defaulted to focus on the conflict in the Middle East.
In a rare trifecta, Biden answered multiple questions from journalists Thursday as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida and Georgia, took questions again while on the ground there, and yet again when he returned to the executive mansion after dark.
As he left the briefing room Friday afternoon, a reporter shouted to ask if he was considering rejoining the presidential race.
“I’m back in!” Biden said to widespread laughter.
Peoplesmind
