President Biden’s public schedule for Friday, 01/27/2023:
| 9:00 AM | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing The White House Closed Press |
| 10:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
| 1:30 PM | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 5:30 PM | The President departs the White House en route Camp David South Lawn Open Press |
Press briefing:
While I’m sure eventually there will be a tweet regarding what I’m about to post. I’ve decided to go ahead and post it now.
President Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain has announced that he will be departing that role likely after the State of the Union in February. This morning the White House posted a; Statement from President Joe Biden on Personnel Announcement
I’ve known Ron Klain since he was a third-year law student. He came to work for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I knew the moment he started that he was a once-in-a-generation talent with a fierce and brilliant intellect. Just as important, he has a really big heart.
I want to thank Ron and his wife Monica and their three children for their commitment to being a part of my team all these years.
During the last 36 years, Ron and I have been through some real battles together. And when you’re in the trenches with somebody for as long as I have been with Ron, you really get to know the person. You see what they’re made of.
When I was elected President, I knew that I wanted Ron to lead the White House staff. He was uniquely qualified given his prior public service. He knows how government works, how politics works, how Congress and the White House works. He is as tough, smart, determined, and persistent as anyone I have ever met. He assembled the most diverse and the most talented White House team in history and leaned on them to solve impossible challenges.
Working together, we have made incredible progress fighting COVID, reviving our economy, rebuilding our infrastructure, and winning the confirmation of almost 100 federal judges, including the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court. We have taken big steps to tackle climate change, advance civil rights, and address student debt. We’ve been reasserting America’s place in the world, and maybe most important of all – restoring faith in our democracy.
This progress will be the legacy of this White House team, working under Ron’s leadership.
And while we have accomplished an extraordinary amount, the real mark of Ron’s success is that he is beloved by the team he leads here at the White House. They’re going to miss him just as much as I will.
That’s why it is important to fill Ron’s shoes with someone who understands what it means to lead a team, and who is as focused on getting things done.
I’ve seen Jeff Zients tackle some of the toughest issues in government.
When I was Vice President, I first got to know him at the beginning of the Obama-Biden Administration, working closely on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implementation as Jeff was a leader at the Office of Management and Budget. He was later handed the daunting and complicated task of fixing healthcare.gov, which he did successfully, helping get millions of Americans quality, affordable health insurance. He led the National Economic Council, and shares my focus on strengthening our economy to work for everyone. He helped manage our Administration’s transition into office under incredibly trying circumstances. Thanks to Jeff, we had a historically diverse team in place on Day 1 ready to go to work. And he led our COVID response, a massive logistical undertaking of historic proportions.
When I ran for office, I promised to make government work for the American people. That’s what Jeff does. A big task ahead is now implementing the laws we’ve gotten passed efficiently and fairly.
I’m confident that Jeff will continue Ron’s example of smart, steady leadership, as we continue to work hard every day for the people we were sent here to serve.
I am grateful for his service and that of his family – his wife Mary and their children – for making this commitment with him.
Next week, the White House will host an official transition event to thank Ron for his tireless work and officially welcome Jeff back to the White House in this role.
White House.gov. 1/27/2023.
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s got 2 tweets so far Friday; I’m gonna post it down thread…
Friday’s 2nd tweet:
I believe he is talking about this data…
When the post was posted President Biden had tweeted 3 times. He made up for that by adding 14 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting total of 17 tweets and 0 retweets.
Gun safety legislation =’s S.2938 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (became law on 6/25/2022).
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced Senate bill S.25–A bill to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes on 1/23/2023; There is no summary or bill provided at this time.
The Commerce Department said on Thursday that; Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 (table 1), according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.2 percent. The GDP estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (refer to “Source Data for the Advance Estimate” on page 4). The “second” estimate for the fourth quarter, based on more complete data, will be released on February 23, 2023.
Saturday night during a Lunar New Year celebration 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, now deceased, shot and killed 10 people while wounding another 10. The shooting occurred in Monterey Park. NBC News says that according to authorities about 20 minutes after the shooting at Star Ballroom Dance, the shooter entered another dance studio. There 26-year old Brandon Tsay spotted the shooter and acted to disarm him.
The video of the call between President Biden and Brandon Tsay is 1 minute and 6 seconds long.
President Biden: How are you, pal? This is Joe Biden.
Brandon Tsay: President Biden, hello.
President Biden: I wanted to call to see how you’re doing. And thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger. I don’t think you understand just how much you’ve done for so many people who are never going to even know you. But I want them to know more about you.
Brandon Tsay: I’m still processing you know, what I did and what I experienced. And for you to call, that’s just so comforting for me.
President Biden: Well, you have my respect. You are America, pal. You are who we are.
Brandon Tsay: Thank you.
President Biden: You are who we are. America has never backed down. We’ve always stepped up because of people like you.
Brandon Tsay: I appreciate your words of kindness. Thank you, President Biden.
President Biden: Well, they’re more than words.
Brandon Tsay: I appreciate that you are able to speak with me right now.
President Biden: Okay pal, I’ll be talking to you soon. My best to your family and we’ll be back to you, okay? Keep the faith pal, bye bye.
Brandon Tsay: You have a nice day, stay safe–
President Biden: You too.
Brandon Tsay: And do America justice.
President Biden: We’re going to give it hell, man. Thanks, talk to you, bye bye.
The YouTube is 45 minutes and 23 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
“Stock portfolios” appears 1 time in his remarks:
President Biden: For families that relied on a weekly paycheck and not their stock portfolios to put real food on the table, there was real pain for these — these people. I mean, for real. Some of you remember it. God forbid some of you had to go through it. Real fear that maybe this time they wouldn’t make it.
“30 percent” appears 4 times in his remarks:
President Biden: And they want to impose a 30 — this one I love. They want to impose a 30 percent national sales tax on everything from food, clothing, school supplies, housing, cars — a whole deal. Thirty percent. No — oh, you think I’m joking. What I — if I did — if they didn’t see it — if you didn’t — if I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. And, folks, the reason they want to do that — they want to eliminate the income tax system. Because guess what? That’s the only way that millionaires and billionaires have to pay any taxes. But guess what will happen to all of you all if, in fact, 30 percent sales tax on everything you buy, from eggs to automobiles? Not a joke.
President Biden: [unrelated to H.R.25 Fair Tax Act aka National Sales Tax]: Over 30 years ago, we, in fact, manufactured 30 percent of the global chip production worth tens of billions of dollars. But today, we produce only 10 percent — 10 percent. Instead of the supply chain for these chips starting in the United States, it starts in countries we couldn’t rely on.
President Biden: And now these MAGA Republican in the House introduced another bill that’s going to eliminate the IRS, going to eliminate it completely — the only guys who can go in and look at the complicated tax returns that people have — and replace the IRS — which — that’d be nice; no IR- — no taxes, right? — except with a 30 percent national sales tax on everything from if you buy a home to a car to eggs
President Biden: Last summer, plenty of Wall Street alasty- [sic] were — analysts were saying that the — by the end of the year, there’d be a recession. They’ve been telling me since I got elected we’re going to be in a recession. (Laughter.) Every time we’ve gone, we’ve gotten better. Well, it turns out, thank God, they were wrong.
The YouTube is 27 minutes and 39 seconds long. Their full remarks can be found here.
Friday’s 1st tweet:
His full remarks:
Elaine, thank you for that introduction. And it’s wonderful to see so many friends on this special holiday, ev- — even as we gather with such heavy hearts.
Our prayers are with the people of Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, and after yet another spree of gun violence in America.
I’m going to use this. (The President picks up a handheld microphone.) This working? Hello, hello, hello. Can you hear me with this?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: All right.
You know, I’ve been in close contact with Governor Newsom and — to provide the full support of the federal government. And Kamala, who has deep ties in the area, is just getting back from spending some time there with families.
And I spoke with Brandon Tsay, a general her- — a genuine hero. This a 26-year-old kid — 26-year-old kid whose family has owned a dance studio for some time, as people were ending the celebration that night on — for the ne- — the Lunar New Year.
And as we all saw on the video, he — he heard the front door close and saw a man pointing a gun at him.
Instead of running — Brandon said he thought he was going to die, but then he thought about the people inside.
Think about this now. Just think about this in reality. And in that moment, he follows instinct. And he followed his courage.
And this is a kid who went out — “a kid” — he’s a young man — and had the courage to act. And he did. He charged the gunman, wrestled him to the ground, and took away his semiautomatic pistol from him. He had just shot and killed 11 people and wounded several more in another dance studio nearby.
You know, it was a struggle that Brandon prevailed. But think about what could have happened had he not done this. I really mean it.
You know, I think sometimes we under- — underestimate incredible acts of courage.
Someone shooting has a semi-automatic pistol aimed at you
and you think about others. That’s pretty profound. Pretty profound.You know, in both Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay, we saw the heroism of police officers, firefighters, and first responders. They answered the call. They answered the call. They rushed into danger, and they saved lives and protected their neighbors.
These are tight-knit communities, as you all know. They will be affected by what they saw and what they lost for the rest of their lives. We got to think about the impacts of post-traumatic stress on many of these folks.
And as a nation, we have to be there with them. We have to be there with them. We don’t have a choice.
You know, I know several members of Congress wanted to attend here tonight because they wanted to be able to — but they have votes up on the Hill, including my dear friend, Judy Chu.
Judy is Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and a former mayor of Monterey
Bay[Park]. I spoke with Judy several days ago and said, “Judy, what should I do? Should I continue to — should I be in California or should I still have this celebration?” And she felt very strongly. She said, “We have to move forward.”Her message was: Don’t give into fear and sorrow. Don’t do that. Stand in solidarity in the spirit of toughness that this holiday is all about.
She went on to say that’s what folks are doing back in California and across the country: providing counseling support,
transition[translation] services for the victims’ families; holding candlelight vigils and bringing people together; and showing that even with heavy hearts, we have unbreakable spirits. So that’s what we’re going to do tonight to be there for each other.And, by the way, you know, I said — as some of my senior staff here knows — that I was going to have the most diverse staff in American history and it was going to reflect what the population of America looked like.
Well, I knew we had more women than men. (Laughter and applause.) But I looked up the following. You know what percentage of AANI- — of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders it is in this administration? 13.7 percent. (Applause.) The next highest was 7 percent. That’s why the hell I’m doing so well right now. (Laughter.)
No, but all kidding aside — most of all, when you think about the loved ones who were left behind, they were grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, friends, neighbors, but they were fellow Americans.
So please join me in a moment of silence to honor them.
May God bless them all.
You know, I’m really honored to be with you all tonight.
For centuries, families in Asia and the United States and all around the world have gathered to celebrate the first moon of the new year. It’s a time of renewal and reflection, hope and possibilities — for good over evil, for sharing meals, for celebrating firecra- — no firecrackers tonight. (Laughter.)
No, I’m serious. I was thinking about that, you know. (Laughter.) If things hadn’t been like they’d been the last couple years, we should have fireworks outside.
But, you know, celebrating with firecrackers and dance. We got dance. (Laughter.) Honoring your ancestors while passing down traditions to the next generation.
All of you here and across the country have opened your hearts and homes to friends and neighbors to wish each other a prosperous new year full of good health and good fortune.
So, to start the new tradition in the nation for holidays that — where the home is central, Jill and I are honored to welcome you to the first Lunar New Year Reception of this scale held in the White House — your home. (Applause.) This is your home.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!
THE PRESIDENT: No, this — this is the People’s House. For real. Jill and I are very temporary residents in this home. (Laughter.)
But all kidding aside —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Not too temporary.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, God — (laughter) — God love you.
Look, you know, for many of you, this is the year of the rabbit. And for others, like the Vietnese — -mese — Vietnamese community, it’s the year of the cat.
And the rabbit — earnest and persistent in the face of great challenges. The cat — majestic, beloved, a protector. By the way, that sounds like our cat, Willow, who maybe — (laughter) — you think I’m kidding. Willow may walk in here any time now. She has no limits. And — (laughter) — oh, you think I’m kidding? I’m not. Especially in the middle of the night when she climbs up and lays on top of my head. (Laughter.)
Look, all of you reflect the values represented by these symbols. And I mean that sincerely.
And the Lunar New Year offers an opportunity to acknowledge the many ways you’ve enriched this country through diversity of culture, the breadth of achievements, including a record number of Oscar nominations that were announced just this week — (applause) — and that are long overdue.
I know nothing about entertainment. (Laughter.) But I know when people are picked that is best.
And speaking of winning, we’re honored to be joined by Olympic champion — gold and silver and bronze medalist — a three-time world champion figure skater, Nathan Chen. (Applause.) Nathan, where are you? Nathan, good to see you, pal. Come here. Get up here. (Applause.)
You’re the only guy that can step — good to see you, Nathan. Thank you.
MR. CHEN: Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s not bad. Gold medal, bronze — holy mackerel. (Laughter.)
It also includes the great work led by those in my administration.
I heard we have an ambassador who’s a daughter of immigrants, and she happens to be — I think her name is Katherine Tai. I — (laughter) — I’m — I’m not sure. (Applause.) Thank you. You’re doing a hell of a job for us. You really are.
By the way, she’s gained the respect of folks around the world. Not a joke. Not a joke. She’s the best. The first Af- — the first Asian American woman of color to serve as U.S. Trade Representative.
And just last week, she helped launched the first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans. Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.)
I get other world leaders saying, “You don’t explain this very well. Send her back, will you?” Really, you’re doing a hell of a job, kid. Thank you, thank you.
And together with Congress, we passed historic legislation to bring us one step closer to preserving and amplifying the contributions and history of the community through a national museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. (Applause.)
Yet for all the progress, this community has experienced profound hate, pain, and violence, and loss with the rise of anti-hate crime —
Asian anti-hate[anti-Asian hate] crimes. You know, gut-wrenching attacks on elderly immigrant women.As I’ve said many times before, hate can have no safe haven or harbor in America. No person deserves to be treated with hate — in a hateful way. They all deserve to be treated with dignity and with respect.
That’s why I’m proud — with the help of many of you in this room, we signed into law a COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, and to host — (applause) — and to host the first-ever White House Summit against hate-fueled violence.
Look, folks, it’s real simple: Silence is complicity. Silence is complicity. We cannot be silent. I will not be silent.
And one more thing: We’re going to ban assault weapons again, (inaudible). (Applause.) I did it once as a senator. We’re going to do it again.
And let me close with this. The Lunar New Year ends with the hanging of those red lanterns to symbolize letting go of the past and committing to new beginnings.
Well, I’m — I mean this sincerely; you’ve heard me say it many times: I’ve never been more optimistic in my life about the future of this country and the ability to unify this country. I really mean it.
As we gather here today, let us recommit to the work of standing together and taking care of one another.
Let’s do the work of spreading hope, joy, and love.
So, from the Biden family to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.
And please enjoy the reception and the wonderful program that’s about to begin. (Applause.)
I guess I got to step down here. I’ll give you that. Okay.
White House.gov. 01/26/2023.
His full statement:
Jill and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Tyre Nichols and the entire Memphis community. Tyre’s family deserves a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his death.
White House.gov. 01/26/2023.
As Americans grieve, the Department of Justice conducts its investigation, and state authorities continue their work, I join Tyre’s family in calling for peaceful protest. Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable. Violence is destructive and against the law. It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.
Public trust is the foundation of public safety and there are still too many places in America today where the bonds of trust are frayed or broken. Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all.
We also cannot ignore the fact that fatal encounters with law enforcement have disparately impacted Black and Brown people.
To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect.
That is why I called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to my desk. When they didn’t, I signed an executive order that included stricter use of force standards and accountability provisions for federal law enforcement, as well as measures to strengthen accountability at the state and local level.
Today, we all must re-commit ourselves to the critical work that must be done to advance meaningful reforms.
CNN reported on Thursday that the five former Memphis police officer; who were fired for their actions during the arrest of Tyre Nichols earlier this month were indicted on charges including murder and kidnapping, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced Thursday. The former officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., have each been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression, Mulroy said.
The video of the arrest and beating that led to Tyre Nichols death is expected released sometime Friday evening.
This is an Open Thread.
Have a great weekend everyone!
