Press Gaggle by Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates En Route Queens, NY
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Queens, New York
4:26 P.M. EST
MR. BATES: How are y’all?
Q Hi.
MR. BATES: Happy Thanksgiving.
Q Happy Thanksgiving.
MR. BATES: I have a few things at the top.
We are on our way to Staten Island, where the president and the first lady will attend a Friendsgiving event at U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York.
This event is part of the first lady’s Joining Force[s] initiative to support military families and is hosted by the Robert Irvin [Irvine] Foundation.
While there, the president and first lady will thank service members and their families and help serve a Thanksgiving meal. This annual tradition is very special to the president and the first lady, and they are grateful for yet another Friendsgiving dinner with some of the men and women who serve and have sacrificed so much for our country.
Earlier today, the president took part in another time-honored White House tradition, pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkeys in a ceremony on the South Lawn.
During the 77th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, the president reflected on the traditions of Thanksgiving and wished American families a safe and healthy holiday.
And while we’re on that subject, we’re happy to share good news about turkey prices. According to NBC News, quote, “Thanksgiving dinner is historically affordable this year.” CNN tells us that, quote, “Cheaper turkeys are helping bring down Thanksgiving dinner costs this year.” In fact, the price of turkey is down 6 percent, and the average price of the typical Thanksgiving dinner fell 5 percent.
And as more Americans are getting ready to travel and see family members and loved ones, the price of gas has fallen to its lowest point in more than three years.
There is more to do. We will continue fighting to further reduce costs, to grow the middle class, and ensure American families can put food on the table and keep more money in pockets.
Lastly, since we’ll be touching down in Queens, home of the New York Mets, I’ll note that my wife, Megan Apper, is thrilled that Juan Soto may soon come to New York.
Aamer, do you want to start us off?
Q That sounded — I don’t know about the lobbying that was going on there. (Laughter.) Little — maybe a little wishful thinking, but it’s interesting.
MR. BATES: I don’t have any private conversations to read out. (Laughter.)
Q Okay. Any reaction to Jack Smith moving to dismiss two cases against President-elect Trump?
MR. BATES: I’d refer you to the Department of Justice, and I would just underline that the president is proud to have restored the independence of the Department of Justice when it comes to critical matters — criminal matters.
Q If I can just ask you one more on a separate matter. Since celebrating the annual tradition of the pardons tod- — the turkey pardons today, on a more serious note, where — where is the president on — in just considering, sort of, as many presidents do at the end of the term, pardons and commutations?
MR. BATES: President Biden has been committed to reforming our criminal justice system, and he has done so through his clemency authority in a manner that provides second chances, that ensures equal justice under the law, and that strengthens public safety. He will continue to evaluate clemency petitions in a thoughtful and deliberative manner.
And I want to emphasize that the president has granted 20 individual pardons and 122 commutations, which means he has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same moment in their terms.
Q So, Andrew, I have a follow-up on the commutations. The president obviously put a moratorium on federal executions, and there’s a concern President-elect Trump will return that. Is he thinking about commuting some of these (inaudible) sentence? Like, we’ve talked to one man on death row, Billie Allen, who may be the first prisoner executed if the moratorium returns. So, is this something he’s considering doing?
MR. BATES: I don’t have more to share on future plans now, except I will restate that he’s been committed to reforming our justice system. Using his clemency authority has been an important component of that, and he is proud that he has issued more commutations at this point in his administration than any of his recent predecessors.
Q And since it is pardon day, is he hearing from people — we’ve heard people worried that President Trump might do retribution. Is he hearing from people who want some sort of blanket pardon who are concerned about what the president-elect might do?
MR. BATES: I don’t have more to share about our process.
Q Is he still committed to no clemency for his son Hunter?
MR. BATES: The president has spoken to this.
Q And his position hasn’t changed?
MR. BATES: I don’t have anything idea to add to what he’s said already.
Q Any updates on the president’s plan to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration?
MR. BATES: The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election. He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration.
He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.
Q You’ve mentioned turkey prices and gas prices. Why don’t you think that translated into better results for Democrats on November 5th?
MR. BATES: The president, of course, spoke in the Rose Garden about the election, so I’m not going to relitigate that.
But I will — I will mention that there are outlets represented here who have written that the United States economy under President Biden’s leadership is, quote, “the envy of the world.”
The president and the vice president fought the global shock waves that COVID-19 sent all over the globe better than any nation. People still felt that disruption, which he’s clear-eyed about and he mentioned in his address to the nation.
The Associated Press recently wrote about this, that it was a — a, quote, “super year” of elections that has been bad for incumbents. But like we talked about today, we just saw that we have surpassed $1 trillion in private-sector investment generated by the major economic laws that this president put in place to change the game for the middle class.
And we should keep in mind that with the smallest Senate majority mathematically possible, he was able to pass laws that are now bringing American manufacturing home at the strongest pace in generations.
We have created 16 million new jobs. We’ve kept the unemployment rate under 4 percent for its longest stretch in history. New manufacturing facilities are being built at a record pace. We’ve had record small-business creation. Medicare is now negotiating down the price of drugs for the first time in history. We passed the biggest climate investments in human history. And we have more to do. We’re going to make every single day count.
Q What — what happens if the Israeli cabinet doesn’t approve the ceasefire deal tomorrow?
MR. BATES: I am not going to go into detail about our diplomatic conversations, and I’m not going to speculate. But we do continue to work toward a diplomatic resolution along the blue line that will allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.
We have made progress toward that goal. Like Admiral Kirby said earlier today, we will not be going into specifics about the conversations because of how high a priority that objective is. But as you all have reported, Amos Hochstein and a wide range of administration officials are closely engaged in this, as is the president.
And Brett McGurk, who regularly travels to the Middle East, will be in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, where he will discuss using the potential of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon as a catalyst for a potential Gaza ceasefire and for a return of hostages and for increased stability in the region.
Q Have there been conversations with the Trump transition team on the Lebanon ceasefire?
MR. BATES: I won’t go into our private conversations with the Trump transition team. But as we’ve been clear about, we are committed to facilitating an orderly transition, to being a good resource for them. The president met with the president-elect for roughly two hours. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients has met with incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles multiple times. And like Admiral Kirby mentioned earlier today, Jake Sullivan has also met with Representative Waltz.
Q How do — how is there any durability to this if there isn’t — if w- — if — do the — do those two sides, again, essentially know that there is buy-in by the people who are coming in the next administration if this goes through?
MR. BATES: Again, I will not go into private conversations with the transition, but the president is committed to working toward a ceasefire deal in Lebanon. I’m not going to get into other details about the conversations, but that is something that leaders in this administration take very seriously and are working toward.
Q How much can be done in terms of the transition if the president-elect hasn’t yet signed the MOUs?
MR. BATES: As you mentioned, as of now, they have not entered into agreements with the White House or the GSA. Jeff Zients reached out to the Trump-Vance transition cochairs, Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, the day after the election to make clear our intention to lead an orderly transition and to reiterate the role that these agreements play in initiating a range of transition activities.
We continue to speak with them. And in our conversations, we are stressing that the White House and administration are ready to provide access to services and information outlined in the White House and GSA memoranda once those have been signed.
Q How much can be done if they’re not signed?
MR. BATES: I’m not going to speculate about the process, but we are reiterating to them the importance of these agreements and that they go a long way towards allowing us to provide important resources and information.
Q Does anybody on the Trump team have security clearance yet to discuss any intelligence matters?
MR. BATES: DOJ is in conversations with the Trump transition team regarding their MOU. I would refer you to DOJ for more.
Q Talking about McGurk in Saudi Arabia. He’s there now? And is he meeting with MBS?
MR. BATES: He will be traveling there tomorrow.
Q Tomorrow?
MR. BATES: I don’t have more details to provide.
Q What can you tell us about the president’s Thanksgiving plans?
MR. BATES: Like I mentioned, this is a tradition for them, to the thank those who serve and to recognize the sacrifice that many families — military families face where they’re — they have loved ones overseas who are deployed. They, of course, are a military family themselves. They experienced this firsthand when Beau Biden was serving.
And it is special to them to be able to thank the men and women today of the Coast Guard for everything that they do to keep us safe and to protect our freedoms.
Q And then, on Thanksgiving Day, they’ll be in Nantucket, as usual?
MR. BATES: Yes, that’s correct.
Q Can you say which family members are going with them?
MR. BATES: I don’t know which family members will be there.
Q There’s a group of House Republicans who wrote Secretaries Raimondo and Yellen today — or excuse me, on Friday, asking them to preserve documents related to the CFIUS review of the purchase of U.S. Steel for any potential oversight matters. They’re alleging potential political bias in the CFIUS process. I’m wondering if the White House wants to respond to that and if — whether you can give us an update on when the president will make a decision on that or when he expects the CFIUS file to reach his desk to enable him to make a decision.
MR. BATES: I don’t have a comment on the process, and we are careful to follow all rules and regulations when it comes to the preservation of records.
Q Thank you.
Q The president doesn’t always stay in Washington for Christmas. Should we expect any special trip around there?
MR. BATES: I do not have any schedule announcements to make. We are not quite yet to Thanksgiving, so we’ll turn to Christmas after that.
Q Thanks.
Q Thank you.
MR. BATES: Thank you all.
Q Thank you.
4:39 P.M. EST
