Biden Ends Speech Abruptly To Go To Situation Room: ‘We Have Another Issue That I Have To Deal With’

President Joe Biden abruptly ended an economic speech, apologizing and telling the audience he was being called away to the Situation Room — but also answering a few quick questions from the press.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is never far from the president’s attention, as was the case as he spoke about “Bidenomics” Monday in the
South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

About eight minutes into his remarks, the president announced he had to go, but a couple of shouted questions got his attention:

I apologize. I have to go to the Situation Room. We have another issue that I have to deal with.

But thank you, thank you, thank you.

Q Sir, Pope Francis spoke with you yes- — you spoke to Pope Francis by phone yesterday?

THE PRESIDENT: I did.

Q How did — how did that conversation impact you? What did you take away from it — that conversation with Pope Francis?

THE PRESIDENT: I’ll answer this one question. It — the Pope and I are on the same page. He — he was very, very interested in what we were doing to deal with some of the crises that we’re facing, particularly in Israel this time around.

And I laid out to him what the gameplan was, how we thought we should be providing the kind of assistance to Israel that it needed. And the Pope was, across the board, supportive of what we’re doing.

Thank you.

(Cross-talk by reporters.)

Q Is the U.S. supporting the hostages-for-a-ceasefire deal?

THE PRESIDENT: We should get the — we should have a ceasefire — not a ceasefire, we should have those hostages released, and then we can talk.

Q Any comment on the new hostages that were just released?

Q Has there been any progress on that front, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: (Inaudible.)

The White House later released a photo from the Situation Room, where the president “was receiving a briefing on the latest developments in Israel and Gaza” after which the president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Official White House Photo

Watch above via CNBC.