Biden delivered the comments, which lasted about four minutes, after several of his Democratic allies urged him to do so and after former President Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the turmoil.
A White House official, referring to the outside pressure, described the decision for Biden to speak Thursday as “we answered the mail.”
On whether Trump’s comments prompted Biden’s statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “It has nothing to do with anybody following anyone’s lead. The president, if anything, has been a leader on this.”
