Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Wednesday on why President Joe Biden does not want to “extend any credit” to President-elect Donald Trump on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Biden and Jean-Pierre have not publicly credited Trump for the Israel and Hamas temporary ceasefire deal that would halt hostilities for six weeks and require both sides to release hostages. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Wednesday that Trump and his incoming team were “critical” in getting the deal reached. Biden said earlier that he and members of his team had coordinated with the incoming administration, but he did not grant the president-elect any credit.
“Why is it that you seem unwilling to extend any credit to Trump for this deal?” Heinrich asked. “Couldn’t [Trump] have just said ‘Hold off until I’m in office?’”
Jean-Pierre responded.
“What I will say is that what we know to be true, we know this process [and] how it has moved over the past eight months. This is a deal that happened under the framework that this president put forward and was endorsed by the world, and this is also an administration that has had certainly the support of the back of Israel that helped denigrate Hamas …. and we created the conditions for this deal. That is what has happened over the last eight months. And we have talked closely, worked closely, coordinated closely with the incoming administration and that is how we’ve been able to get to this point and the reason we were able to do that, have the conversation with the transition team is because this president believed in the importance of having a peaceful transfer of power and having a transition that worked for the American people and have the American people at the forefront in making sure that we got this done.”
Heinrich pressured the press secretary to plainly state that she does not believe Trump deserves credit. Jean-Pierre said the deal had been crafted by the Biden administration long before the election, indicating that the president-elect had no involvement in the current negotiation. (RELATED: Doocy Asks KJP Point-Blank Whether Voters Want To See Joe Biden In The Public Eye Again)
“I’ve shared how we got to this point. The president laid that out moments ago,” Jean-Pierre said. “He laid out in [a] very succinct way of how we got to this point. This has been something that has been in the works for months. Way before November. That is just how this has worked. I’m not here to talk about the transition. I’m not here to talk about who gets credit, [who] does not get credit. I’m here to talk about what this president was able to do.”
During a State Department briefing, Miller said that Trump has been a driving force in getting the deal accomplished since the current administration cannot make any more lasting commitments as they will exit the White House next Monday. He said he was grateful to the Trump transition team for coordinating with the administration to get that deal passed.
When a reporter asked Biden whether Trump should get credit for the deal, he responded: “Is that a joke?”
In a Truth Social post, Trump credited his election victory for the deal. He vowed to continue working closely with Israel and U.S. allies to make sure Gaza never “becomes a terrorist safe haven” again.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones,” Trump said.
The timeframe of the hostages’ release currently remains unclear, according to The New York Times. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said portions of the agreement are still unclear, and he will work on those specifics throughout the night.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/White House press briefing)
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