Remarks by President Biden After Visiting With Local Firefighters
Nantucket Fire Department
Nantucket, Massachusetts
10:11 A.M. EST
Q Can you comment on the Walmart shooting, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m sick and tired of these shootings. We should have much stricter gun laws.
Q We can’t hear you.
Q We can’t hear you.
(The President moves closer to the press.)
Q Happy Thanksgiving.
Q Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Look, the idea that we’re not enforcing red-flag laws, period, just based on knowledge, not on parents saying or a loved one saying you should arrest this person now for his own sake, is ridiculous.
We got one of the first red-flag laws in the state of Delaware, and my son Beau was the one enforcing it. And it made a lot of difference. It saves lives. So that’s number one.
Number two, the idea — the idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. It’s just sick. It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single, solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturers.
Q Can you do anything about gun laws during the lame duck, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m going to try.
Q What will you try and do?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m going to try to get rid of assault weapons.
Q During the lame duck?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m going to do it whenever I — I got to make that assessment as I get in and start counting the votes.
Q Can you give your assessment on whether Ukraine aid will need to be topped up in the lame duck?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, yes. Matter of fact, I just had another drawdown. I signed another drawdown of over $300 million. And there’s no time — this is no time to walk away from Ukraine. Not at all.
Now, we had a lot of talk in this last election about whether the other team is going to continue to support Ukraine, and I still believe there’s enough support there that we can continue —
Q Are you involved in the railroad negotiations? Can you talk about what the holdup is, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: I can’t because it’s in the middle of negotiations still. But my —
Q Have you been in touch with the parties?
Q Are you involved?
THE PRESIDENT: My team has been in touch with all the parties, in rooms with the parties. And I have — I have not directly engaged yet because we go — they’re still talking.
Q The oil price cap, sir — will that come together?
Q When will you get your annual physical, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: What, do you think I need it? (Laughter.)
Q You just had a birthday.
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) I’ve gotten my — I will get — part of my physical is already done, and I’ll be getting it before the end of the year.
Q Have you talked to Secretary Yellen about the oil price cap talk, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. And it’s in play.
Thank you.
10:14 A.M. EST
