Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023

February 6, 2023

Classified Documents Found at the President's Private Residence and Former Office

Q. Do you take any blame for mishandling classified documents, Mr. President?

The President. Noââ

Q. Mr. Presidentââ

The President. Toâto answer: Wait until you get the whole report.

Chinese Spy Balloon in U.S. Airspace/China-U.S. Relations

Q. Mr. President, does the balloon weaken U.S.-Chinese relations?

The President. No. We've made it clear to China what we're going to do. They understand our position. We're not going to back off. We did the right thing. And there's not a question of weakening or strengthening; it's just the reality.

Chinese Spy Balloon Over Latin America

Q. Mr. President, the balloon in Latin Americaâthe balloon has been spotted over Colombia and Costa Rica. Is the United States worried? Have you talked to your partners in the region?

The President. The Defense Department has. I have not talked to our partnersâ[inaudible].

Vice President Kamala D. Harris/Border Security

Q. Is Kamala Harris is doing a great job at the border, Mr. President? Is Kamala Harris doing a great job with root causesââ

The President. She's doing a good job.

Q. ââof migration?

The President. Yes, she is.

Chinese Spy Balloon in U.S. Airspace

Q. You've known about the balloon program for some timeââ

The President. Say that again.

Q. You've known about the balloon program for some time. Has it always been your view to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon? Or was it only because it became public?

The President. Oh, no. It was always my position. Once it came over theâinto the United States from Canada, I told the Defense Department I wanted to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate.

Q. Does this changeââ

The President. They concludedâthey concluded we should not shoot it down over land, it was not a serious threat, and we should wait until it got across the water.

State of the Union Address

Q. Does this change your speech tomorrow night, sir? And your foreign policy message?

The President. No.

Chinese Spy Balloon in U.S. Airspace

Q. Mr. President, why the Chinese would commit such a brazen act of floating across the entire continental United States? [Laughter]

The President. They're the Chinese Government.

State of the Union Address

Q. Can you give us a sense of what you'd like to accomplish tomorrow night with the State of the Union Address?

The President. Yes, I want to talk to the American people and let them know the state of affairsâwhat's going on, why Iâwhat I'm looking forward to working on from this point on, what we've done, and just have a conversation with the American people.

U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine

Q. Why are you against sending Fâ16s to Ukraine?

The President. Because we should keep them here. That's a totally different situation.

National Economy

Q. Are you confident the U.S. can avoid a recession after the jobs numbers that we saw on Friday? What is the risk of a recession, do you think?

The President. Still what it was: very low. I believed it all along.

As you noticed, every economist was telling me, every 6 months, "We're going to have a recession." So far, so good. But we have to be very careful.

TikTok Online Video Hosting Service

Q. Do you think the United States should ban TikTok?

The President. I'm sorry?

Q. Do you think the United States should ban TikTok?

The President. Should ban TikTok?

Q. TikTok, yes.

The President. Well, thatâthe answer, I'm not sure. I know I don't have it on my phone.

Chinese Spy Balloon in U.S. Airspace/China-U.S. Relations

Q. If you can't trust China on the balloon, can we trust it on other things, such as its official COVID count in China? Can you trust it on other things now?

The President. The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the United States is something that's anticipated from China. The question is whether or notâwhen we asked China what they're doing, they didn't deny they had the balloon overâthey just denied what it was.

And it's not a question of trusting China, it's a question of deciding where we should work together and where we have opposition.

Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 4:08 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House after exiting Marine One. Audio was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

Categories: Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, White House. Locations: Washington, DC.

Names: Harris, Kamala D.

Subjects: China, downing of spy balloon by U.S. military; China, overseas aerial surveillance program; China, relations with U.S.; Department of Justice, investigation into misplaced classified documents; Economic improvement; News media, Presidential interviews; TikTok; Ukraine, U.S. assistance; Vice President.

DCPD Number: DCPD202300091.