Jake Tapper Amazed That Biden Made ‘Big Announcement’ on Gaza Ceasefire ‘In An Ice Cream Shop’
CNN’s Jake Tapper was somewhat stunned that President Joe Biden announced some major news about a possible ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza while enjoying a cone at an ice cream shop with late-night host Seth Meyers.
He rolled the tape on Monday’s The Lead With Jake Tapper where Biden responded to a reporter’s question, “Could you give us a sense when you think a ceasefire will start?”
Biden answered. “I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean the end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, we’re close. It’s not done yet. And my hope is that, by next Monday, we’ll have a ceasefire.”
Tapper then introduced reporter MJ Lee at the White House, saying, “MJ, that’s a big announcement for the president to be given in an ice cream shop. What role is the U.S. playing here?”
“Yeah, sometimes, Jake, as you know, big news comes from the president when he’s talking freely with reporters in that kind of setting precisely,” Lee said, continuing:
But the president appearing to say that he’s hopeful and optimistic that the pause, a ceasefire, that a lot of the negotiators had been working towards, could begin by the end of the weekend, he said perhaps by Monday. That would be an incredibly significant development, of course, because it would be the first cessation in the fighting in the Israel-Hamas war since that first seven-day truce we saw at the end of November.
Lee said that negotiators have been trying to get the deal done before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is when Israel was expected to begin its ground incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza.
CNN reported that Hamas has “softened” some of its demands, bringing Gaza and Israel closer to an agreement that “could halt the fighting and see a group of Israeli hostages released.”
The death toll in Gaza has been reported by the Hamas-linked Health Ministry to be nearing 30,000. Israel began its bombing campaign shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
