Remarks by President Biden After Marine One Arrival

South Lawn

4:03 P.M. EST

Q    Will the United States provide F-16s to Ukraine?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.

Q    Will you be going to Europe for the war’s anniversary?

Q    Catholic bishops are demanding that federal tax dollars not fund abortions.

THE PRESIDENT:  No, they are not all doing that.  Nor is —

Q    Catholic bishops are —

THE PRESIDENT:  Nor is —

Q    — demanding that federal tax —

THE PRESIDENT:  Nor is the Pope doing that.

Q    What are you going to tell Speaker McCarthy?  When he said he wants to negotiate, what do you say?

THE PRESIDENT:  Show me your budget, I’ll show you mine.

Q    Mr. President, what is your message — what is your message to Leader McCarthy — to Speaker McCarthy?  Sorry, sir.  What would be your message?

THE PRESIDENT:  Show me your budget, I’ll show you mine.

Q    Do you have any plans to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus on police reform?  They’re asking for a meeting.

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, yeah.  No, of course, I will.  Look, I haven’t set the time yet.

Q    Do you still think the George Floyd Act is the most reasonable —

THE PRESIDENT:  I do.

Q    — legislation to get through a divided Congress?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think we should do it right now.  We should have done it before.

As you know, I did it by executive order for the federal side.  But I can’t do it otherwise without the help of the rest of the Congress.

Q    One other.  If the — if the — if the Special Counsel, who’s starting this week, asks for your testimony, would you give testimony?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, I don’t even know about the Special Counsel. 

Q    Did you talk with the Dutch — thank you, sir.  Dutch Prime Minister today — (inaudible).  Did you speak with the Dutch Prime Minister?

THE PRESIDENT:  I apologize, I —

Q    Can you talk about the — you talked with the Dutch Prime Minister today, right?  Dutch Prime Minister?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, the Dutch Prime Minister.  Yes.

Q    Did you talk about Japanese-Dutch-U.S. agreement about semiconductor issue, or what you talk about?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  Yes, we talked about a lot of things, but a lot of it is private.

Q    Mr. President, are you considering trip to Poland next month? 

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m going to be going to Poland.  I don’t know when though.

Q    And what about Ukraine?  What about Ukraine?

Q    Should you take a new approach to community policing?  Are your views on policing changing —

THE PRESIDENT:  No. 

Q    — being based on what’s happening — happened?

THE PRESIDENT:  Everybody else’s views got — getting — getting towards mine.  And we need community policing, where the police know the community, have a relationship with the community, know who lives where. 

And they need additional help in terms of having psychologists and psychiatrists on their teams.  They — they need a lot more. 

Q    Have you decided on the new NEC director, sir?

Q    What was going through your mind when you saw the Tyre Nichols video?

Q    Sir, for the war’s anniversary —

Q    Have you decided to go to Europe, sir, for the anniversary?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m not sure. 

4:06 P.M. EST