Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2024

January 30, 2024

Q. Mr. President, what decisionââ

Q. Do you hold Iran responsible for the death of the three Americans?

Q. Have you made a decision about what to do in the Middle East?

Attack on U.S. Servicemembers in Northeastern Jordan

Q. Have you made a decision how you'll respond to the attacks?

The President. Yes.

Q. Andââ

Iran/Deaths of U.S. Servicemembers in Jordan

Q. Mr. President, do you hold Iran responsible for the death of those three Americans?

Q. Mr. President, have you made a decision?

The President. I do hold responsibleâthem responsible in the sense that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it.

Q. But directly responsible?

The President. Well, we'll have that discussion.

U.S. Response to the Attack

Q. [Inaudible]âhow do youâhow do youââ

Q. These strikes have not deterred these attacks in the past. What will be different this time?

The President. We'll see.

Q. Mr. President, how do you decideââ

Middle East Region

Q. Mr. Presidentâ[inaudible]âare you worried about a regional war in the Middleâa wider war in the Middle East? How worried are you?

The President. I don't think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That's not what I'm looking for.

Former President Donald J. Trump/2024 Presidential Election

Q. Should Donald Trump be allowed on the ballot? Should Donald Trump be allowed on the ballot?

The President. As far as I'm concerned, that's fine.

Q. Why is he leading in the polls if he is a threat to democracy, as you say?

The President. Because guys like you. [Laughter]

Q. What am I doing? Come on.

Q. Mr. Presidentââ

The President. I'm teasing, man. I'm teasing. It's early.

[*At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once*.]

Border Security

Q. Mr. President, on the border, have you done everything you can do with executive authority? Or is there more you could do absentâ[inaudible]?

The President. I've done all I can do. Just give me the power. I've asked from the very day I got into office. Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the people, the judges. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work right.

[*Several reporters spoke at once*.]

Middle East Region

Q. Is there some concern in the party about the possible escalation in the military involvement in the Middle East? What do you say to those in your party?

The President. There's concernâwe'll see.

NOTE: The President spoke at 10:34 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White House. A reporter referred to Sgt. William Jerome, Spc. Kennedy L. Sanders, and Spc. Breonna A. Moffett, Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in a drone attack while on assignment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in northeastern Jordan near the Syria border on January 28.

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

Subjects: 2024 Presidential election; Border security; Iran regional involvement; Jordan, attack on

U.S. servicemembers; Mexico, border with U.S., infrastructure and security; News media, Presidential interviews; U.S. servicemembers, deaths in Jordan.

DCPD Number: DCPD202400056.