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Our hearts are heavy today. Jill and I are devastated and outraged to learn of the death of Omer Neutra, an American citizen, whose body Hamas has apparently been holding since they killed him during their brutal terrorist attack October 7.

Omer was just 21 years old when he was taken by Hamas. He was serving as a tank commander in an Israel Defense Forces unit that was among the first to respond to Hamas’s campaign of cruelty— risking his life to save the lives of others. A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace.

Less than a month ago, Omer’s mother and father joined me at the White House to share the pain they’ve endured as they prayed for the safe return of their son – pain no parent should ever know. They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations.

During this dark hour—as our nation joins Omer’s parents, brother, and family in grieving this tragic loss—we pray to find strength and resilience. And to all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on Omer Neutra appeared first on The White House.

Our hearts are heavy today. Jill and I are devastated and outraged to learn of the death of Omer Neutra, an American citizen, whose body Hamas has apparently been holding since they killed him during their brutal terrorist attack October 7.

Omer was just 21 years old when he was taken by Hamas. He was serving as a tank commander in an Israel Defense Forces unit that was among the first to respond to Hamas’s campaign of cruelty— risking his life to save the lives of others. A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace.

Less than a month ago, Omer’s mother and father joined me at the White House to share the pain they’ve endured as they prayed for the safe return of their son – pain no parent should ever know. They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations.

During this dark hour—as our nation joins Omer’s parents, brother, and family in grieving this tragic loss—we pray to find strength and resilience. And to all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.

###

The post Statement from President Joe Biden on Omer Neutra appeared first on The White House.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde in Sal, Cabo Verde. The two leaders discussed the growing U.S.-Cabo Verdean relationship, bolstered by the vibrant Cabo Verdean diaspora in the United States; support for democratic freedoms and human rights; and strengthening our collaboration to increase climate resilience. President Biden expressed his appreciation for Cabo Verde’s unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russian aggression and for the continued strength and value of U.S.-Cabo Verdean cooperation on security and law enforcement issues. President Biden also reiterated his support for expanding the United Nations Security Council to create two permanent seats for African countries, increasing representation of global voices to tackle global issues.
 

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde appeared first on The White House.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde in Sal, Cabo Verde. The two leaders discussed the growing U.S.-Cabo Verdean relationship, bolstered by the vibrant Cabo Verdean diaspora in the United States; support for democratic freedoms and human rights; and strengthening our collaboration to increase climate resilience. President Biden expressed his appreciation for Cabo Verde’s unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russian aggression and for the continued strength and value of U.S.-Cabo Verdean cooperation on security and law enforcement issues. President Biden also reiterated his support for expanding the United Nations Security Council to create two permanent seats for African countries, increasing representation of global voices to tackle global issues.
 

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde appeared first on The White House.

Today, First Lady Jill Biden is announcing the 2024 White House Holiday theme: A “Season of Peace and Light”

In a welcome letter to visitors at the beginning of the commemorative 2024 White House Holiday Guidebook, the President and First Lady write:

“The holidays have always held a special place in our hearts, and we’ve loved opening the doors of the People’s House wider and wider each year, continuing the spirit of goodwill and gratitude. America’s story is your story, and we hope you feel at home here. 
 
“As we celebrate our final holiday season here in the White House, we are guided by the values we hold sacred: faith, family, service to our country, kindness towards our neighbors, and the power of community and connection.

“It has been the honor of our lives to serve as your President and First Lady. Our hope is for the Nation to be blessed with the peace and light of the holiday season. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”

At the end of the holiday guidebook, the President and First Lady write to visitors: “At the holidays, Americans come together every year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger as a community than we are apart. The strength of our country, and the soul of our Nation, come from you. May the promise of this “Season of Peace and Light” guide your path forward.”

During an event at the White House later today, the First Lady will officially unveil the holiday and seasonal decor, offer her holiday message to the Nation, and thank the volunteers from across the country who helped decorate the White House for the season. As part of her Joining Forces initiative to support military families, the First Lady invited National Guard families to be the first members of the public to experience the White House holiday decor. As a fellow National Guard mother, Dr. Biden wanted to show appreciation for, and honor, the special role the National Guard plays in serving our country. The National Guard is a unique element of the U.S. military that serves both community and country, in domestic and foreign missions. 

The White House expects to welcome approximately 100,000 visitors during the holiday season. Videos, photos, and information about the décor will be available on WhiteHouse.gov/Holidays. Additionally, over the course of the holidays, a variety of interactive viewing experiences will launch on digital platforms, allowing individuals to engage with the White House during the holidays from home.

2024 Holidays at the White House, by the numbers:

• It takes over 300 dedicated volunteers from across the country working a full week to decorate the inside and outside of the White House.
• There are 83 Christmas trees throughout the White House.
• Approximately 9,810 feet of ribbon, over 28,125 ornaments, and over 2,200 doves were used this year to decorate the White House.
• Over 165,075 holiday lights decorate the trees, garlands, wreaths, and displays
• The Gingerbread White House includes 25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 65 pounds of pastillage, 45 pounds of chocolate, 50 pounds of royal icing, and 10 pounds of gum paste.

A “Season of Peace and Light,” the 2024 White House Holiday Theme:

Each room and design element throughout the White House holiday display encourages guests to embrace the peace and light of the holiday season.

The East Wing

Guests enter the East Wing of the White House under stunning, rotating starlight. Lush greenery and garlands adorn the East Wing Lobby, enveloping guests in the peaceful tranquility of nature as they begin their holiday tour of the White House.

The Gold Star Tree

The first Christmas tree display featured on the White House tour is dedicated to Gold Star Families. This year’s Gold Star Tree exhibit is constructed of six oversized and stacked stars, representing all six branches of the military. Names of fallen service members are written on gold star ornaments on the four accompanying Christmas trees.

The Gold Star Trees honor the heroic men and women of our Nation’s military who have laid down their lives for our country, those who are Missing in Action, and the families who carry on their legacies. May God bless our troops and their families.

The East Colonnade

As guests proceed down the East Colonnade, they are surrounded by a collection of bells, symbolizing the peaceful sounds of the holiday season. Brass-colored bells suspend from the ceiling and sleigh bells line the archways. In the East Garden Room, just before entering the historic mansion, visitors are greeted by a three-dimensional horse-drawn sleigh, pulling a Christmas tree decorated with bells and lights.

The Library

A forest of vintage ceramic Christmas trees are featured throughout the library, twinkling in all of the colors of the holiday season. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated this room to serve as the White House Library in 1935. This space now holds approximately 2,700 volumes of books focusing primarily on American history and literature. A classroom teacher for forty years, First Lady Jill Biden added children’s books to the White House Library collection, in collaboration with the Library of Congress.

The Vermeil Room

The décor of the Vermeil Room (vermeil is the French term for silver dipped in gold) is devoted to floral displays, using a variety of materials.  On the walls of this room are portraits of first ladies, including Mamie Eisenhower, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Over sixty years ago, Mrs. Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of the People’s House.

The China Room

Food is love. A baker’s bench and artisanal breads set the scene in this room, reminding guests of the peaceful, patient, and loving process of baking bread.

The China Room, which was first introduced as a display room by First Lady Edith Wilson in 1917, houses tableware used by past presidential families. Most presidents, beginning with George Washington, are represented by either a personal or State Service of porcelain, glass, or silver. Each piece recalls the State Dinners and celebratory meals that have brought together world leaders, diplomats, and other White House guests.

Diplomatic Reception Room

This fall, First Lady Jill Biden expanded and enhanced the public tour of the White House. The Diplomatic Reception Room, used to welcome foreign dignitaries, and home to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats, is now open to the general public for the first time. Holiday florals and fruit are on display in this room, as a nod to the importance of hospitality and grace to peaceful diplomacy.

The East Room

A reflective canopy wraps the ceiling and windows, surrounding guests in a peaceful snowfall. Two large Christmas trees flank the center door, with the tree bases illuminated with silhouettes of Americans holding hands, giving movement and energy to the décor.

As the largest room in the White House, the East Room has hosted public receptions, ceremonies, bill signings, and other memorable occasions. It also includes Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, which First Lady Dolley Madison instructed workers to save in 1814 when the White House was about to be set aflame during the War of 1812.

The East Room includes a Neapolitan crèche, or Nativity scene, with over forty figurines, most

dating back to the eighteenth century. The crèche has been displayed during every White House holiday season since 1967.

The Green Room

In the Green Room, light shines through colored glass ornaments and prisms, reflecting beautiful hues throughout the room. Once Thomas Jefferson’s dining room, the Green Room houses Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City. Tanner mixed actual sand into his paint to illustrate the windswept beaches of our coasts.

The Official White House Menorah

Displayed just outside the Green Room, in the Cross Hall, is the official White House Menorah, created in 2021 by the White House Executive Residence Carpenters’ Shop. The Menorah was constructed using wood that was removed more than seventy years ago during the Truman-era renovation of the White House.

The Blue Room

The Blue Room showcases the official White House Christmas Tree. This year’s tree is an 18½ foot Fraser Fir from North Carolina and stands floor to ceiling, filling the oval room. Every year, the Blue Room chandelier is removed to accommodate the Christmas tree’s full height.

The stunning tree features a light-filled, whimsical carousel, with names of every state, territory, and the District of Columbia, showcased around the tree’s décor. With bright lights, vivid colors, and three-dimensional holiday candy treats, guests will gaze in wonder as they are taken on a delightful adventure around the tree.

This year’s official White House Christmas Tree was presented to the First Lady by David, Sam, and Jim Cartner of Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina, the 2024 Grand Champion Grower in the National Christmas Tree Association’s annual contest.

State Dining Room

As part of the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative to support military families, Dr. Biden invited families of the USS Delaware and the USS Gabrielle Giffords, two U.S. Navy vessels for which she serves as a sponsor, to provide the colorful paper chain garlands hanging throughout the room. The ornaments on the Christmas trees were crafted as self-portraits by students from across the country, ensuring that children see themselves reflected in this year’s holiday display.

The Gingerbread White House

A favorite for all during the holidays is the annual Gingerbread White House. This year’s sweet creation draws inspiration from the overall holiday décor theme of a “Season of Peace and Light.” A glowing starburst shines over the Gingerbread White House, and the sugary replica includes a cheerful scene of ice skaters on the South Lawn.

The Red Room

In the Red Room, white paper doves carry messages of peace. Drawings from children around the country to the President and First Lady are displayed throughout the room. Large, illuminated gift boxes are placed under the Red Room’s Christmas tree.

The Cross Hall and Grand Foyer

The Cross Hall unites the State Rooms of the White House, with the East Room and State Dining Room at the opposite ends, and the Green, Blue, and Red Rooms opening from the south side. The slightly arched ceiling springs from the cast plaster molding designed during the Theodore Roosevelt Renovation of 1902.

Suspended overhead in the Cross Hall is a cascade of peace doves flying above. Christmas trees trimmed with red and green plaid décor, as well as a vintage red truck, complete the holiday scenery.

2024 White House Holiday Guide Illustrator

Children’s book author and illustrator, Zoe Ranucci, created artwork throughout the 2024 White House Holiday Guide, which perfectly captures a “Season of Peace and Light” at the White House.

2024 White House Holiday Recognitions and Support
The President and First Lady thank the Executive Residence staff and the team of over 300 volunteers who dedicated their time, energy, and talents to transform the White House for the holiday season.

Bryan Rafanelli, of Rafanelli Events, worked closely with Dr. Biden to lead the creative efforts of a talented team to bring her vision to life for the White House holiday décor, celebrating a “Season of Peace and Light.”

The President and First Lady are grateful for the support from the National Confectioners Association and the creative design teams of Birch Event Design, BMF Media Group, Cheree Berry Paper & Design, East Olivia, Frost Chicago, Glitterville Studios, HMR Designs, Kehoe Designs, MC², Mot Designs, Patch NYC, Rafanelli Events, Red Bliss Design, Silver Lining Design Group, and 4 Wall Entertainment.

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The post First Lady Jill Biden Announces the 2024 White House Holiday Theme: A “Season of Peace and Light” appeared first on The White House.

Today, First Lady Jill Biden is announcing the 2024 White House Holiday theme: A “Season of Peace and Light”

In a welcome letter to visitors at the beginning of the commemorative 2024 White House Holiday Guidebook, the President and First Lady write:

“The holidays have always held a special place in our hearts, and we’ve loved opening the doors of the People’s House wider and wider each year, continuing the spirit of goodwill and gratitude. America’s story is your story, and we hope you feel at home here. 
 
“As we celebrate our final holiday season here in the White House, we are guided by the values we hold sacred: faith, family, service to our country, kindness towards our neighbors, and the power of community and connection.

“It has been the honor of our lives to serve as your President and First Lady. Our hope is for the Nation to be blessed with the peace and light of the holiday season. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”

At the end of the holiday guidebook, the President and First Lady write to visitors: “At the holidays, Americans come together every year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger as a community than we are apart. The strength of our country, and the soul of our Nation, come from you. May the promise of this “Season of Peace and Light” guide your path forward.”

During an event at the White House later today, the First Lady will officially unveil the holiday and seasonal decor, offer her holiday message to the Nation, and thank the volunteers from across the country who helped decorate the White House for the season. As part of her Joining Forces initiative to support military families, the First Lady invited National Guard families to be the first members of the public to experience the White House holiday decor. As a fellow National Guard mother, Dr. Biden wanted to show appreciation for, and honor, the special role the National Guard plays in serving our country. The National Guard is a unique element of the U.S. military that serves both community and country, in domestic and foreign missions. 

The White House expects to welcome approximately 100,000 visitors during the holiday season. Videos, photos, and information about the décor will be available on WhiteHouse.gov/Holidays. Additionally, over the course of the holidays, a variety of interactive viewing experiences will launch on digital platforms, allowing individuals to engage with the White House during the holidays from home.

2024 Holidays at the White House, by the numbers:

• It takes over 300 dedicated volunteers from across the country working a full week to decorate the inside and outside of the White House.
• There are 83 Christmas trees throughout the White House.
• Approximately 9,810 feet of ribbon, over 28,125 ornaments, and over 2,200 doves were used this year to decorate the White House.
• Over 165,075 holiday lights decorate the trees, garlands, wreaths, and displays
• The Gingerbread White House includes 25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 65 pounds of pastillage, 45 pounds of chocolate, 50 pounds of royal icing, and 10 pounds of gum paste.

A “Season of Peace and Light,” the 2024 White House Holiday Theme:

Each room and design element throughout the White House holiday display encourages guests to embrace the peace and light of the holiday season.

The East Wing

Guests enter the East Wing of the White House under stunning, rotating starlight. Lush greenery and garlands adorn the East Wing Lobby, enveloping guests in the peaceful tranquility of nature as they begin their holiday tour of the White House.

The Gold Star Tree

The first Christmas tree display featured on the White House tour is dedicated to Gold Star Families. This year’s Gold Star Tree exhibit is constructed of six oversized and stacked stars, representing all six branches of the military. Names of fallen service members are written on gold star ornaments on the four accompanying Christmas trees.

The Gold Star Trees honor the heroic men and women of our Nation’s military who have laid down their lives for our country, those who are Missing in Action, and the families who carry on their legacies. May God bless our troops and their families.

The East Colonnade

As guests proceed down the East Colonnade, they are surrounded by a collection of bells, symbolizing the peaceful sounds of the holiday season. Brass-colored bells suspend from the ceiling and sleigh bells line the archways. In the East Garden Room, just before entering the historic mansion, visitors are greeted by a three-dimensional horse-drawn sleigh, pulling a Christmas tree decorated with bells and lights.

The Library

A forest of vintage ceramic Christmas trees are featured throughout the library, twinkling in all of the colors of the holiday season. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated this room to serve as the White House Library in 1935. This space now holds approximately 2,700 volumes of books focusing primarily on American history and literature. A classroom teacher for forty years, First Lady Jill Biden added children’s books to the White House Library collection, in collaboration with the Library of Congress.

The Vermeil Room

The décor of the Vermeil Room (vermeil is the French term for silver dipped in gold) is devoted to floral displays, using a variety of materials.  On the walls of this room are portraits of first ladies, including Mamie Eisenhower, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Over sixty years ago, Mrs. Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of the People’s House.

The China Room

Food is love. A baker’s bench and artisanal breads set the scene in this room, reminding guests of the peaceful, patient, and loving process of baking bread.

The China Room, which was first introduced as a display room by First Lady Edith Wilson in 1917, houses tableware used by past presidential families. Most presidents, beginning with George Washington, are represented by either a personal or State Service of porcelain, glass, or silver. Each piece recalls the State Dinners and celebratory meals that have brought together world leaders, diplomats, and other White House guests.

Diplomatic Reception Room

This fall, First Lady Jill Biden expanded and enhanced the public tour of the White House. The Diplomatic Reception Room, used to welcome foreign dignitaries, and home to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats, is now open to the general public for the first time. Holiday florals and fruit are on display in this room, as a nod to the importance of hospitality and grace to peaceful diplomacy.

The East Room

A reflective canopy wraps the ceiling and windows, surrounding guests in a peaceful snowfall. Two large Christmas trees flank the center door, with the tree bases illuminated with silhouettes of Americans holding hands, giving movement and energy to the décor.

As the largest room in the White House, the East Room has hosted public receptions, ceremonies, bill signings, and other memorable occasions. It also includes Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, which First Lady Dolley Madison instructed workers to save in 1814 when the White House was about to be set aflame during the War of 1812.

The East Room includes a Neapolitan crèche, or Nativity scene, with over forty figurines, most

dating back to the eighteenth century. The crèche has been displayed during every White House holiday season since 1967.

The Green Room

In the Green Room, light shines through colored glass ornaments and prisms, reflecting beautiful hues throughout the room. Once Thomas Jefferson’s dining room, the Green Room houses Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City. Tanner mixed actual sand into his paint to illustrate the windswept beaches of our coasts.

The Official White House Menorah

Displayed just outside the Green Room, in the Cross Hall, is the official White House Menorah, created in 2021 by the White House Executive Residence Carpenters’ Shop. The Menorah was constructed using wood that was removed more than seventy years ago during the Truman-era renovation of the White House.

The Blue Room

The Blue Room showcases the official White House Christmas Tree. This year’s tree is an 18½ foot Fraser Fir from North Carolina and stands floor to ceiling, filling the oval room. Every year, the Blue Room chandelier is removed to accommodate the Christmas tree’s full height.

The stunning tree features a light-filled, whimsical carousel, with names of every state, territory, and the District of Columbia, showcased around the tree’s décor. With bright lights, vivid colors, and three-dimensional holiday candy treats, guests will gaze in wonder as they are taken on a delightful adventure around the tree.

This year’s official White House Christmas Tree was presented to the First Lady by David, Sam, and Jim Cartner of Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina, the 2024 Grand Champion Grower in the National Christmas Tree Association’s annual contest.

State Dining Room

As part of the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative to support military families, Dr. Biden invited families of the USS Delaware and the USS Gabrielle Giffords, two U.S. Navy vessels for which she serves as a sponsor, to provide the colorful paper chain garlands hanging throughout the room. The ornaments on the Christmas trees were crafted as self-portraits by students from across the country, ensuring that children see themselves reflected in this year’s holiday display.

The Gingerbread White House

A favorite for all during the holidays is the annual Gingerbread White House. This year’s sweet creation draws inspiration from the overall holiday décor theme of a “Season of Peace and Light.” A glowing starburst shines over the Gingerbread White House, and the sugary replica includes a cheerful scene of ice skaters on the South Lawn.

The Red Room

In the Red Room, white paper doves carry messages of peace. Drawings from children around the country to the President and First Lady are displayed throughout the room. Large, illuminated gift boxes are placed under the Red Room’s Christmas tree.

The Cross Hall and Grand Foyer

The Cross Hall unites the State Rooms of the White House, with the East Room and State Dining Room at the opposite ends, and the Green, Blue, and Red Rooms opening from the south side. The slightly arched ceiling springs from the cast plaster molding designed during the Theodore Roosevelt Renovation of 1902.

Suspended overhead in the Cross Hall is a cascade of peace doves flying above. Christmas trees trimmed with red and green plaid décor, as well as a vintage red truck, complete the holiday scenery.

2024 White House Holiday Guide Illustrator

Children’s book author and illustrator, Zoe Ranucci, created artwork throughout the 2024 White House Holiday Guide, which perfectly captures a “Season of Peace and Light” at the White House.

2024 White House Holiday Recognitions and Support
The President and First Lady thank the Executive Residence staff and the team of over 300 volunteers who dedicated their time, energy, and talents to transform the White House for the holiday season.

Bryan Rafanelli, of Rafanelli Events, worked closely with Dr. Biden to lead the creative efforts of a talented team to bring her vision to life for the White House holiday décor, celebrating a “Season of Peace and Light.”

The President and First Lady are grateful for the support from the National Confectioners Association and the creative design teams of Birch Event Design, BMF Media Group, Cheree Berry Paper & Design, East Olivia, Frost Chicago, Glitterville Studios, HMR Designs, Kehoe Designs, MC², Mot Designs, Patch NYC, Rafanelli Events, Red Bliss Design, Silver Lining Design Group, and 4 Wall Entertainment.

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The post First Lady Jill Biden Announces the 2024 White House Holiday Theme: A “Season of Peace and Light” appeared first on The White House.

Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. 
 
The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.   
 
No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. 
 
For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision. 
 

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Executive Grant of Clemency
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States of America
 
To All to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:
 
Be It Known, That This Day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, Pursuant to My Powers Under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, Have Granted Unto
 
ROBERT HUNTER BIDEN
 
A Full and Unconditional Pardon
 
For those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024, including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss in Docket No. 1:23-cr-00061-MN in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and Docket No. 2:23-CR-00599-MCS-1 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
 
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF I have hereunto signed my name and caused the Pardon to be recorded with the Department of Justice.
 
Done at the City of Washington this 1st day of December in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States the Two Hundred and Forty-ninth.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden appeared first on The White House.

Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. 
 
The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.   
 
No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. 
 
For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision. 
 

###

 
Executive Grant of Clemency
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States of America
 
To All to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:
 
Be It Known, That This Day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, Pursuant to My Powers Under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, Have Granted Unto
 
ROBERT HUNTER BIDEN
 
A Full and Unconditional Pardon
 
For those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024, including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss in Docket No. 1:23-cr-00061-MN in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and Docket No. 2:23-CR-00599-MCS-1 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
 
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF I have hereunto signed my name and caused the Pardon to be recorded with the Department of Justice.
 
Done at the City of Washington this 1st day of December in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States the Two Hundred and Forty-ninth.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden appeared first on The White House.

Our Nation has made enormous strides toward preventing, diagnosing, and treating HIV — a terrible disease that has stolen the precious lives of over 40 million people since the epidemic began in 1981.  Despite our progress, over 39 million people worldwide continue to live with it, including over 1 million people in the United States.  On World AIDS Day, we honor the memory of all those we tragically lost to HIV around the world.  We stand in solidarity with all those who are courageously facing the disease today.  And we renew our commitment to accelerating efforts to finally end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

My Administration has made historic progress toward addressing this fight.  In my first year in office, I reestablished the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and launched a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy, to put us on the path to end this epidemic by 2030.  To that end, the Health Resources and Services Administration committed nearly $10 billion in funding through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to ensure that low-income individuals in America with HIV can receive the medication and quality care they need.  The Department of Health and Human Services is also working to guarantee that Americans have access to HIV interventions like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and self-tests to prevent HIV.  And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has ensured that PrEP medications — including long-term injectable options — and critical support services like counseling and screenings for HIV and hepatitis B are free for people with Medicare.  Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention invested $10 million in a pilot program that covers the cost of PrEP to five health departments across the Nation — an important step toward ensuring everyone has access to this vital medication.  Additionally, my Administration’s investments in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, which reaches over 50 jurisdictions, has helped decrease HIV incidence by 21 percent in the past year in those areas.

At the same time, my Administration is working to fight the stigma surrounding HIV and to ensure that people with HIV do not face bias or discrimination — which too often stops people from getting life-saving care.  I am proud that last year my Administration ended the shameful practice of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood.  We also released updates to the Rehabilitation Act that strengthen civil rights protections in medical settings for people with HIV.  And I join advocates around the country in sharing the message of U=U, which stands for undetectable equals untransmittable, and makes clear that a person living with HIV who is on treatment and maintains an undetectable viral load has zero risk of transmitting HIV.  We are committed to ensuring people understand the latest science about HIV transmission, testing, prevention, and care.  And we are calling on States and community leaders to repeal or reform outdated HIV criminalization laws, so people are not wrongfully punished for exposing others to HIV without the intent to cause harm.  

Globally, my Administration is working with international partners to lead the global fight to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, including through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and our investments in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.  PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives in 55 countries by working to prevent HIV infections and expand access to HIV treatment and care services.  In 2023, my Administration worked with the Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR for the fourth time ensuring that America continues to help build a future where HIV infections are prevented and every person has access to the treatment they need.  This year, we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe) partnership, which has worked to lower HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women around the world.

This year, on World AIDS Day, the AIDS Quilt which was first displayed on the National Mall in 1987, will be publicly displayed at the White House for the first time in our Nation’s history.  The Quilt is a memorial for all those we have lost to AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses.

We also express our gratitude to the activists, scientists, doctors, and caregivers who have worked tirelessly to advance our Nation’s progress in the fight against this epidemic.  And we recommit as a Nation to shining a light on the struggle, strength, and resilience of people affected by HIV.  Together, let this World AIDS Day be a moment of unity that rallies the country to give all those affected the care, hope, and support they deserve. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2024, as World AIDS Day.  I urge the Governors of the United States and its Commonwealths and Territories, the appropriate officials of all units of government, and the American people to join the HIV community in activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support, dignity, and compassion to people with HIV.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on World AIDS Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Our Nation has made enormous strides toward preventing, diagnosing, and treating HIV — a terrible disease that has stolen the precious lives of over 40 million people since the epidemic began in 1981.  Despite our progress, over 39 million people worldwide continue to live with it, including over 1 million people in the United States.  On World AIDS Day, we honor the memory of all those we tragically lost to HIV around the world.  We stand in solidarity with all those who are courageously facing the disease today.  And we renew our commitment to accelerating efforts to finally end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

My Administration has made historic progress toward addressing this fight.  In my first year in office, I reestablished the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and launched a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy, to put us on the path to end this epidemic by 2030.  To that end, the Health Resources and Services Administration committed nearly $10 billion in funding through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to ensure that low-income individuals in America with HIV can receive the medication and quality care they need.  The Department of Health and Human Services is also working to guarantee that Americans have access to HIV interventions like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and self-tests to prevent HIV.  And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has ensured that PrEP medications — including long-term injectable options — and critical support services like counseling and screenings for HIV and hepatitis B are free for people with Medicare.  Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention invested $10 million in a pilot program that covers the cost of PrEP to five health departments across the Nation — an important step toward ensuring everyone has access to this vital medication.  Additionally, my Administration’s investments in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, which reaches over 50 jurisdictions, has helped decrease HIV incidence by 21 percent in the past year in those areas.

At the same time, my Administration is working to fight the stigma surrounding HIV and to ensure that people with HIV do not face bias or discrimination — which too often stops people from getting life-saving care.  I am proud that last year my Administration ended the shameful practice of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood.  We also released updates to the Rehabilitation Act that strengthen civil rights protections in medical settings for people with HIV.  And I join advocates around the country in sharing the message of U=U, which stands for undetectable equals untransmittable, and makes clear that a person living with HIV who is on treatment and maintains an undetectable viral load has zero risk of transmitting HIV.  We are committed to ensuring people understand the latest science about HIV transmission, testing, prevention, and care.  And we are calling on States and community leaders to repeal or reform outdated HIV criminalization laws, so people are not wrongfully punished for exposing others to HIV without the intent to cause harm.  

Globally, my Administration is working with international partners to lead the global fight to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, including through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and our investments in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.  PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives in 55 countries by working to prevent HIV infections and expand access to HIV treatment and care services.  In 2023, my Administration worked with the Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR for the fourth time ensuring that America continues to help build a future where HIV infections are prevented and every person has access to the treatment they need.  This year, we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe) partnership, which has worked to lower HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women around the world.

This year, on World AIDS Day, the AIDS Quilt which was first displayed on the National Mall in 1987, will be publicly displayed at the White House for the first time in our Nation’s history.  The Quilt is a memorial for all those we have lost to AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses.

We also express our gratitude to the activists, scientists, doctors, and caregivers who have worked tirelessly to advance our Nation’s progress in the fight against this epidemic.  And we recommit as a Nation to shining a light on the struggle, strength, and resilience of people affected by HIV.  Together, let this World AIDS Day be a moment of unity that rallies the country to give all those affected the care, hope, and support they deserve. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2024, as World AIDS Day.  I urge the Governors of the United States and its Commonwealths and Territories, the appropriate officials of all units of government, and the American people to join the HIV community in activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support, dignity, and compassion to people with HIV.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on World AIDS Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

10:39 A.M. EST

MODERATOR:  All right, hello, everyone.  This is Jessica Kosmider with the NSC press team.  Thank you so much for joining us today, the day after Thanksgiving, for a background call to preview the President’s trip to Angola.

For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the line today you will have [senior administration official] and [senior administration official].  You can refer to them as senior administration officials in your reporting.

Before I turn it over to them, as a reminder, this call is embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, December 1st.  By joining, you agree to these ground rules today.

With that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration officials] for some opening remarks, and then we’ll take as many questions as we can in the time that we have. 

All right, over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Terrific.  Thanks so much, Jess.  And can everyone hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep, loud and clear. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Terrific.  Okay.

Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining on the day after Thanksgiving.  And really pleased to be with you today. 

So, as we all know, this upcoming week, from December 2 to 4, President Biden is traveling to Angola, where he will highlight the transformation and deepening of the U.S.-Angola relationship and will also reaffirm our commitment to strengthening our partnerships across Africa. 

This is a historic trip.  We are excited about it.  It marks the first visit of a U.S. president to Africa in nearly a decade, since 2015.  And also importantly, this is the first-ever visit by a sitting U.S. president to Angola. 

You may remember that when President Biden first assumed office, he pledged to restore and deepen our relationships around the world, and Angola is a prime example of that vision. 

So that’s why, to start the visit in Angola, President Biden will meet bilaterally with his counterpart, President João Lourenço, in Luanda.  That meeting builds upon strong bilateral engagement we’ve had throughout the Biden-Harris administration with Angola.  President Lourenço attended the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022, and then the two presidents met here in D.C. almost exactly a year ago, when President Biden hosted President Lourenço in the Oval Office. 

Together, the U.S. and Angola are working closely to expand impactful, high-standard economic opportunities and improve regional peace and security.  We’re grateful for Angola’s partnership, and we’re really looking forward to the meetings where we will further our shared vision for greater prosperity for both Angolans and Americans. 

I’ll note that this trip also has a regional focus that’s far beyond Angola’s borders.  I’ll let [senior administration official] speak more to this, but just to note that earlier in this administration, you may recall that we released a U.S.-Africa strategy.  That strategy talks about how it’s impossible to meet this era’s defining challenges without African contributions and African leadership.  For that reason, the U.S. has championed African leadership across multilateral fora, including for advocating for new seats to be added to the G20, to the U.N. Security Council, and international financial institution boards. 

On the visit, President Biden will also deliver remarks in Luanda that really lay out both our shared history and highlight the growth and enduring strength of our relationships in Angola and across the continent.  He’ll discuss how, together with our African partners, the U.S. is working to narrow the infrastructure gap in Africa, expand economic opportunities on the continent, expand technological and scientific cooperation, and bolster peace and security. 

This visit will also highlight the work and resources that the U.S. has invested in this vision.  You might recall that at the 2022 Africa Leaders Summit, the U.S. pledged to invest $55 billion in Africa over the subsequent three years.  Two years on from that, I’m proud to say that we’ve already met 80 percent of that commitment, and we really view these as investments, not donations. 

Together with African partners, the administration has expanded trade and investment opportunities; advanced transcontinental infrastructure; and supported African-led efforts on conservation, climate adaptation, and energy that pay dividends for all of us. 

We’re not stopping there.  While in Angola, the President will focus on one of its signature investment projects, the Lobito Trans Africa Corridor.  I will let my colleague speak much more to that. 

Finally, I’ll just note that the President will be announcing some important new deliverables along the way.  I do not want to get ahead of our President on sharing too much at this stage, but I will say that these will be new deliverables related to global health security, to agribusiness, to security cooperation, and to preserving Angola’s cultural heritage. 

A couple more notes on those.  One is on the Prosper Africa Initiative.  The President will be highlighting how since January 2021, U.S. departments and agencies in the Prosper Africa Initiative have closed 12 deals in Angola with a combined value of $6.9 billion.  He’ll share how the U.S. government is making important investments to increase access to nutritious food, strengthen agribusiness, and increase food storage capacity in the country. 

He’ll discuss how the U.S. and Angola will announce a new global health security partnership to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease.  And the U.S. will also support Angola’s nomination of the Kwanza Corridor to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

So, much more to come on this, and you can expect the announcements and the overall trip to reflect the deepening of our relationship and to reflect President Biden’s vision for more equitable partnerships in addressing global challenges together.

So, I look forward to your questions, and I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] to provide more from his standpoint.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  And thanks, everybody, on a Thanksgiving Friday.  Look, I don’t have much to add, and I’m happy to answer questions, but as [senior administration official] said, one of the examples of the change in our strategy in Africa was to move it a lot more towards investment, rather — and partnership, rather than traditional development assistance, grants, and charity. 

And that’s why this visit, and that’s why choosing Angola, if you think about what’s happened over the last couple of years, is looking at the corridor approach globally, but specifically where we anchored it in Africa, and building the — refurbishing and rebuilding a rail connection from the Port of Lobito all the way through the Democratic Republic of Congo with a phase two approach into Zambia and eventually all the way — we’re preparing the ground for eventually reaching all the way to Tanzania, connecting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 

This is not — this serves a number of purposes. 

One, it’s about critical minerals that are required for the energy transition globally for electric vehicles.  It is important for AI data centers and high-end chips.  But it is also about connecting all the — what this kind of infrastructure does is it may be able to bring critical minerals and shipments out in 45 hours instead of 45 days.  But it also allows for the growth of true food security in Africa.  And we are already seeing that food can be now delivered from the Port of Lobito all the way to eastern Congo in a matter of days instead of weeks and months.  It is enabling farmers to grow more local produce that can be used and traded so that landlocked countries are no longer landlocked and connected to each other. 

Over the last couple of years in Angola, through U.S. government investment, there has been added more telecommunications.  More people are getting connected to 3G and now building out 5G networks, as well as building out renewable energy.  In fact, the U.S. has approved financing through Ex-Im Bank of nearly two and a half billion dollars of renewable energy projects that will be able to take countries from energy deficit to energy exporters to their neighbors. 

And that’s really — the entire point of the Biden administration’s strategy that [senior administration official] just articulated is focusing on the investment side.  This has not only transformed the economies by building out GDP, but it does so by focusing on attracting investment, by high standards — companies committed to high standards of labor, of gender equality, of health, and of environmental stewardship. 

And that is really — that is the choice that is now available to countries throughout the region.  Not looking at, “Do I have to accept Chinese investment with low standards and child labor and corruption,” but “Do I have another offering to compare it to.”  And again, this is what President Biden has wanted to transform our relationship in the region, is to offer a different — more investment, but with higher standards.

And so, this Angola trip is really going to be highlighting that option that exists now in Africa, a direct line from the Africa Leaders Summit that President Biden had earlier in the administration to where we are today, and what I believe will be a policy that is continued by future administrations in years to come, focusing on this investment and partnership between the United States and Africa across the continent.

We chose to focus on a handful of countries over the last couple of years in order to be able to spend the scarce resources that we have in the U.S. government in a deeper and more meaningful way, rather than spreading it thin across a wider swath. 

That has also brought remarkable increase in American company investors into — and Western investors — into Africa.  And we’ve done this both bilaterally but also through the PGI, the President’s signature initiative with the G7 of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, driving this kind of investment across the continent under those same guidelines and rules of increased investment with increased opportunity at higher standards. 

So I’ll leave it there, Jess.  And if there any questions, I’m happy to answer.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much.  First up, we will go to Aurelia from AFP.  Aurelia, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for taking my question and thanks for doing this call.  Just maybe following up on what you said about offering an alternative to Chinese investment: Just in September, Xi offered Africa a sweeping $50 billion in fresh funding, promised like a million jobs, et cetera.  Isn’t it a risk that by this visit that comes late in the presidency, it gives the impression that, you know, it’s too little or too late?  Or do you really think that focusing on just a handful of countries and very precise investment, like, really offers a credible alternative to the billions that the Chinese have offered?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Aurelia, it is no doubt that China is offering billions and have been offering billions.  And let me be clear off the top: I don’t think it’s a — we don’t think it’s a bad thing to have Chinese investment in Africa.  But if it means that at the end of a few years of investment, the communities that live in the area of the investment have not seen any increase in GDP, that they’ve not seen benefits of their lives in it, that it has not lifted the lives of the communities; if it means that the government is going to be living under crushing debt for generations to come, then that’s not — the government is going to have to make the decision whether that’s the alternative they want. 

What we have heard repeatedly over years is that people want to have more — people in Africa want to have more alternatives for investment, not less.  But if they don’t have the alternative, they are forced to go with the one investment they have. 

So I think if the United States coming in here with investments that are meaningful — and this is not too little too late — I think that after years of being off the field, President Biden has put us back on the field and competing and offering this alternative. 

If, as a result, other countries, whether China or anyone else, also comes to Africa and increases the standards of labor, standards of healthcare provided to the workers, standards of defending the environment — protecting the environment where the projects are, and transparency versus corruption, if that forces everyone now to increase the standards, that will be a huge achievement. 

So I think that we’re not coming — this visit is at the end of the administration, but for the last two years, some of the numbers of U.S. investment in Africa are staggering in comparison to previous years, and specifically here in Angola where I think we’ve spent over $3 billion just in the last couple of years in areas as diverse as telecommunications, renewable energy, critical minerals, rail, bridges — so, from infrastructure to technology.  That’s something that we’d like to see grow, and I think that the President sees it as laying the foundation for a new approach to Africa that will be followed by administrations to come.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Fatima Hussein from the Associated Press.  Fatima, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thank you for taking my question.  My question is: Can the President still have an effect on the continent when he’s coming right now when all the eyes of African leaders are on President-elect Trump?  And is there a fear that President Trump, whose policies are so different from President Biden, could undo a lot of the things that you’re talking about today?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m happy to take that.

Thanks, Fatima, for the question.  I’d say, obviously we can’t speculate about the choices the next administration will make, but from my standpoint, I am grateful that U.S.-Africa policy has actually benefitted from really strong bipartisan support over the course of multiple administrations.  And I think that’s a pretty remarkable tradition.

If you think back to some of the really impactful initiatives that U.S. administrations have put forward, impactful initiatives like the DFC, the Development Finance Corporation, that was a Trump administration institution that the Biden administration has taken forward.  Think back to the Millennium Challenge Corporation that was launched in the Bush administration.  PEPFAR.  And more recently, Prosper Africa was also launched in the Trump administration.

So while I, of course, I can’t speak for the next administration, I think there’s a lot of reason to assume that some of these initiatives will continue on. 

And as [senior administration official] has laid out, when we think about an endeavor like the Lobito Corridor, that is a win-win for Americans and for Africans.  And so, I would imagine that would be seen in that light of something that’s paying dividends for all of us. 

So, while of course we can’t speculate on the next administration, I think there’s a lot of reason to assume the bipartisan tradition will continue when it comes to Africa policy in a lot of ways.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we will go to Zolan from the New York Times.  Zolan, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hey.  Thank you so much.  I know the focus is going to be on Angola, but you said there’s sort of a continent-wide approach you’re taking too.  Do you expect — will the President in any way be speaking about the violence in the eastern DRC?  Will he be engaging with Rwanda at all during this trip?  And will there be any focus, as well, on the conflict in Sudan, as well, during this trip?

And then, also, kind of just a clarification, but can we officially say that this is the last trip overseas for President Biden at this point of his presidency?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  I can start, and then I invite [senior administration officials] to weigh in.

So, on the eastern DRC, something President Biden has talked about is his gratitude for Angola’s leadership on this front.  Angola is playing a very important regional mediation role on the conflict in the eastern DRC.  And so, while I won’t get into specifics of their conversation, I do think thanking Angola for its really important leadership on this front will be part of the visit.  There may be other regionally focused aspects of the visit that I don’t think we can share more on at this point, but just to say that I think President Biden really does view Angola in the context of its region.

[Senior administration official], I invite you to add anything.  And then, Jess, on the last international trip, or not, I defer to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, Zolan, I think that this will be — we’re stopping in — the President is going to Angola, but this is a regional approach.  Angola has been a tremendous friend, both to the United States over the last few years, which is a dramatic sort of shift in geopolitical alliances as a result of the policy we described before, but also has played a key role — leadership role in the eastern DRC, as has the United States.  So we’ll address those as the days go by, as we continue.

But there’s — again, I think the fact that this trip is coming at the end of the administration, I want to underscore what [senior administration official] said.  This is a policy that we have every expectation that future administrations will continue to follow, especially some of the investment-oriented approach.  And I can tell you that Republican members of Congress have been traveling more frequently to DRC, to Zambia, to Angola, and to the region over the last few months, including senior Republican senators, out of support for this approach.  I think that that will continue.

MODERATOR:  And then, as far as your question goes on future travel, we don’t have any other travel to announce today, but of course, we’ll keep you guys posted if anything changes.

Next up we have Aaron Gilchrist from NBC.  You should be able to unmute yourself, Aaron.

Q    Hey, guys.  Thanks for doing this call.  Just two things quickly, if I can.  There’s been criticism of the political protests that have been happening, the arrests of political protesters in Angola.  Do you expect the President will address in any way arrests of protesters or human rights issues in Angola while he’s there? 

And then the second question: Domestically, there’s been sort of head-scratching about why this trip to the African continent by this president, who was supported so vociferously by African Americans here, why this trip is coming so late in his administration.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’ll take the first part, Aaron.  Thanks for the question. 

Yeah, I think, as you know, President Biden has never shied away from talking about challenges to democracy, his commitment to democracy, and I think you can expect him to always raise those issues with counterparts, without getting into specifics. 

We, of course, are tracking protests in Luanda, and would note that we were heartened that the protests over the last week remained peaceful and had — we think that’s tremendously important. 

I’ll also say that we and the President and his delegation traveling will meet with civil society while in Angola.  So I think having that discussion is always a key part of it.

In terms of when this falls on the administration, I would say the President made a promise he would visit Africa, and he’s visiting Africa.  He’s excited about it.  He raises how excited about it he is every time I speak with him.  So I’m thrilled he’s going. 

[Senior administration official], would you add anything on that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, I would say — look, this has been a — this is a trip that he’s wanted to take for a long time.  He’s held the Africa Leaders Summit early in the administration, and has done — this administration has done a tremendous amount of work in Africa during a period of a lot of foreign policy activity.  And so, again, as you know, he was supposed to go a little bit earlier; it got postponed for a variety of reasons. 

But the important thing is that he is going.  And the even more important thing is what he has led and what he has done on the African continent in the policy, which is a total transformation of our policy in a manner that was not expected. 

I can tell you that traveling throughout Africa over the last several years of this administration, all I get from leaders in Africa is being grateful for a final change of policy that is focused so much on investment and partnership than focusing on what the timeline of the visit was.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’d also just add, Aaron, to your question: Obviously, there’s a lot of focus on the President’s travel, and we’re really excited about it.  But over the course of this administration, just the past two years since the Africa Leaders Summit, the administration has had over 20 cabinet-level and senior officials travel to the continent.  And as you know, each of these visits brings with them deliverables.  They bring with them new partnerships that are launched.  So I think this administration is about the totality of those visits and those initiatives, and we’re proud of our record on that front.

MODERATOR:  All right, we have time for just a couple more.  So, next up, we’ll go to Skylar Woodhouse from Bloomberg.  Skylar, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hey, thanks for doing this.  Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  I just wanted to ask: Given that the trip is, you know, very — it’s practically towards the end of President Biden’s presidency, is it the understanding that African nations are taking the U.S. seriously, especially as China is heavily influenced across the continent right now?  Is that the understanding that you all feel that, you know, the U.S. is being taken seriously?  Or because this trip is towards the end, that, you know, it’s just kind of a check mark that Biden has to do at this point?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Skylar, look, I get more questions about this from American reporters than I get from African leaders or African-based businesses.  So — honestly.

The President of the United States has led a new policy in Africa.  Yes, China is influential in Africa, as they are in other places, and continuing to do so. 

It also is true that leader after leader on the continent have asked us to make sure that we have alternatives for those investments.  And on this trip as well, it is true that it’s coming at the end of the administration, but it’s capping on — one perspective, it’s capping three years, four years of a tremendous amount of investment by the United States in areas that represent the growth for Africa, whether it’s in the role that they can play in the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles, as well as to chips.  They are at the center of what could be the future.  And this trip is also coming as the era of global competition continues, and Africa can play that big role. 

The one thing leaders in Africa do not want is for folks to say they’re under — they have the Chinese investment; they have Chinese influence, and therefore, nobody else in the world should go to Africa.  That is the opposite of what everybody in Africa wants. 

So, all I hear from the leaders I speak to — and I speak to leaders across Africa regularly, both political leaders, heads of state, as well as business leaders — is excited for the fact that President Biden is coming, that he’s bringing a delegation that has brought to the table (inaudible) from the Africa Finance Corporation, the Africa Development Bank, record investments from the DFC, the Development Finance Corporation in the United States, Ex-Im Bank, TDA, MCC, USAID.  The kind of investments that we’re doing here are transformative.  And what they want is to bring in the rest of the world.  I don’t know a single leader in Africa who says, “I just got a promise for some money from China, and therefore I don’t want anybody else there.”  On the contrary. 

So it is — the timing is what it is, but it is at a turning point that, again, I don’t think this ends here.  I brief Congress regularly, and there are Republican senators who were just in Angola recently because of this, and intend to take this forward. 

So I see certain parts of our domestic policy is more binary and political.  American investment in developing and middle-income countries is not a partisan issue.  The way we’re doing it is different.  But then again, we built on the Trump administration, the Obama administration built on Bush administration, which built on the Clinton administration.  That has been a seamless, increasing our participation. 

The one thing we haven’t done is figured out how to invest more conservatively in Africa.  This administration has done that.  I have every expectation that both Congress and this administration and the one after that will continue this policy.  And I think that leaders in Africa understand that, and that’s why they are eager for this visit to take place.

MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you.  I think we have time for maybe one or two more, so we’ll go with Rishi from Foreign Policy.  Rishi, you should be able to unmute yourself. 

Q    Yeah, thanks for doing this, and thanks for taking my question.  So, you spoke about — you mentioned that this is investment and not aid in Africa, and we’ve seen that President-elect Trump, his big thing is kind of making deals, examining the, quote, unquote, “deals” that the U.S. has made.  So how protected are these investments that you’ve made from what the Trump administration might do, from being unwound by a potential Trump administration? 

And just as an addendum to that, how would changes to policies on the domestic front, like the CHIPS Act and the IRA, impact Africa?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, let me start.  I see very little reason why any of it would be under threat.  These are — one of the things that we focus on when I say investment versus aid — and I want to say it’s not “versus,” it’s “in addition to.”  We still have a robust assistance program that is necessary.  So it’s an additive in here.

But these projects are all done — the point of them was to be financeable and bankable projects that turn a profit, and therefore, I don’t see any reason why any of these would be undone.  And from my conversations, both with officials that are expected to be entering the Trump administration, as well as with bipartisan leaders in Congress, is that these projects are seen as the exact right thing to do.  So I don’t see them being unwound.  In fact, I would see some of them growing.

Building the rail in Africa in order to connect its countries to each other and to global markets; to be able to bring critical minerals out; making sure that the United States, for the first time in years, is getting cobalt and copper and lithium coming from this region to the United States and not going 100 percent to China — these are things that the next administration is likely to keep.  So I don’t really see the issue. 

I think what happens in the IRA and the CHIPS Act, we’ll have to see.  I’ve learned over the years of working in Washington that what is said in campaigns is not always what is done in practice.  So let’s see what happens. 

But those programs were investments in America and to make America competitive, and so I find it hard to believe that any — perhaps some of the regulations will change, but I don’t see the core of it changing.  Building more chips in America is a good thing.  Driving a trillion-dollar investment into the United States on both infrastructure, specifically under CHIPS Act and the infrastructure bill, both are going to be a good thing.  And building batteries and components in the United States, I think that, if anything, those will expand, not contract.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Last question, we’ll go to Kemi Osukoya.  Kemi, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hello?

MODERATOR:  Yep, we can hear you, Kemi.

Q    Oh, okay.  Thank you very much.  Thank you for taking my question.  I wanted to ask, regarding — I know during the G7 — the Lobito Corridor is in partnership with the G7 alliance, and there was an announcement that was made, I believe by BlackRock and Microsoft, in June, while President Biden was in Italy.  So could you — this trip also, a major part of it, will focus on business.  So can you talk about some of the American companies that perhaps might accomplish the — accompany the presidents on this trip? 

And the other side of my question is: About two years or a year ago, the President launched the Presidential Advisory Council.  And as you mentioned on this call, there have been several trips to the African continent.  So, if you can talk about the engagements and what you’re hearing from the Advisory Council that engaging the diaspora, not just the African diaspora, but as well as the African American diaspora engagement with Africa, what is the feedback that you are getting that the presidents will use during this trip?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  [Senior administration official], do you want to take the G7 companies question?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  I think we have had companies such as Sun Africa that’s invested in different parts of Africa and in Angola in particular, and expanding its operations. 

Africell is a telecommunications company that’s received investment and financing with the U.S. government, as well as its private sector banking that have been working in about five or so countries in Africa and are expanding in this region, even further beyond Angola, into DRC. 

After years of American companies leaving the continent, in the mining business we now have exciting young, new companies from the United States, such as KoBold that made a huge copper discovery in Zambia that will be there as well. 

So there’s a lot of exciting companies.  Acrow Bridge, from Pennsylvania, that is fabricating bridges in Angola and elsewhere. 

So what we’re seeing is this exciting surge.  But as you said, this corridor is part of the G7.  We have companies from Europe — from Portugal, from Switzerland, from France — and others that are joining this, and all of it being done in collaboration with African governments and African financial institutions, as well as some Americans.  

We had announced earlier this year, during the Kenya state visit to the United States, the fact that there’s going to be a data center built in Kenya. 

We had already announced during the G20 the data center that the U.S. government is helping finance in Ghana.  And I’m hoping that there’ll be another data center announced shortly. 

We also announced the connection from Google, a data line, fiber-optic cable that was going to reach Kenya.  But not just that it’s reaching Kenya from Asia, but that will be connected from Kenya all the way to South Africa through many of the countries of this corridor.  And that is being used with local African companies that are building out the fiber-optic network. 

So what we’re trying to suggest here is that this is about technology, about food security, about infrastructure build-out, and companies from both — from Europe, from Asia, from — representing the whole G7-plus countries are represented in these investments.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And I can just jump in quickly on the question about the PAC-ADE.  So that’s the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement.  This is one of the initiatives that we’re very proud of in the Biden-Harris administration.  This was announced by VP Harris at the Africa Leaders Summit back in 2022, and then President Biden signed an executive order directing the Secretary of State to establish it. 

As you may know, the council’s members are a really remarkable array of individuals who distinguish themselves in sports industries, in creative industries, in governments, in business, in academia, in faith-based activities.  So President Biden has continued to rely on their advice and their counsel as he’s moved forward our Africa policy.

They did have their first official trip to the African continent as the PAC-ADE.  This July, they traveled to Nigeria, and that was a tremendously constructive engagement. 

So while I can’t get into specifics, I think you can expect that the PAC-ADE will be involved in this upcoming trip, and we continue to be really grateful for their service and their insights.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you, everybody.  That is all the time that we have today.  If we weren’t able to get to your question, you can feel free to send it to us over email, and we’ll do our best to get back to you all as quickly as possible over this holiday weekend.

And just as a reminder, this conversation is embargoed until 5:00 am Eastern on Sunday.  Let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.  Thanks.

11:16 A.M. EST   

The post Background Press Call on the President’s Travel to Angola appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

10:39 A.M. EST

MODERATOR:  All right, hello, everyone.  This is Jessica Kosmider with the NSC press team.  Thank you so much for joining us today, the day after Thanksgiving, for a background call to preview the President’s trip to Angola.

For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the line today you will have [senior administration official] and [senior administration official].  You can refer to them as senior administration officials in your reporting.

Before I turn it over to them, as a reminder, this call is embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, December 1st.  By joining, you agree to these ground rules today.

With that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration officials] for some opening remarks, and then we’ll take as many questions as we can in the time that we have. 

All right, over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Terrific.  Thanks so much, Jess.  And can everyone hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep, loud and clear. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Terrific.  Okay.

Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining on the day after Thanksgiving.  And really pleased to be with you today. 

So, as we all know, this upcoming week, from December 2 to 4, President Biden is traveling to Angola, where he will highlight the transformation and deepening of the U.S.-Angola relationship and will also reaffirm our commitment to strengthening our partnerships across Africa. 

This is a historic trip.  We are excited about it.  It marks the first visit of a U.S. president to Africa in nearly a decade, since 2015.  And also importantly, this is the first-ever visit by a sitting U.S. president to Angola. 

You may remember that when President Biden first assumed office, he pledged to restore and deepen our relationships around the world, and Angola is a prime example of that vision. 

So that’s why, to start the visit in Angola, President Biden will meet bilaterally with his counterpart, President João Lourenço, in Luanda.  That meeting builds upon strong bilateral engagement we’ve had throughout the Biden-Harris administration with Angola.  President Lourenço attended the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022, and then the two presidents met here in D.C. almost exactly a year ago, when President Biden hosted President Lourenço in the Oval Office. 

Together, the U.S. and Angola are working closely to expand impactful, high-standard economic opportunities and improve regional peace and security.  We’re grateful for Angola’s partnership, and we’re really looking forward to the meetings where we will further our shared vision for greater prosperity for both Angolans and Americans. 

I’ll note that this trip also has a regional focus that’s far beyond Angola’s borders.  I’ll let [senior administration official] speak more to this, but just to note that earlier in this administration, you may recall that we released a U.S.-Africa strategy.  That strategy talks about how it’s impossible to meet this era’s defining challenges without African contributions and African leadership.  For that reason, the U.S. has championed African leadership across multilateral fora, including for advocating for new seats to be added to the G20, to the U.N. Security Council, and international financial institution boards. 

On the visit, President Biden will also deliver remarks in Luanda that really lay out both our shared history and highlight the growth and enduring strength of our relationships in Angola and across the continent.  He’ll discuss how, together with our African partners, the U.S. is working to narrow the infrastructure gap in Africa, expand economic opportunities on the continent, expand technological and scientific cooperation, and bolster peace and security. 

This visit will also highlight the work and resources that the U.S. has invested in this vision.  You might recall that at the 2022 Africa Leaders Summit, the U.S. pledged to invest $55 billion in Africa over the subsequent three years.  Two years on from that, I’m proud to say that we’ve already met 80 percent of that commitment, and we really view these as investments, not donations. 

Together with African partners, the administration has expanded trade and investment opportunities; advanced transcontinental infrastructure; and supported African-led efforts on conservation, climate adaptation, and energy that pay dividends for all of us. 

We’re not stopping there.  While in Angola, the President will focus on one of its signature investment projects, the Lobito Trans Africa Corridor.  I will let my colleague speak much more to that. 

Finally, I’ll just note that the President will be announcing some important new deliverables along the way.  I do not want to get ahead of our President on sharing too much at this stage, but I will say that these will be new deliverables related to global health security, to agribusiness, to security cooperation, and to preserving Angola’s cultural heritage. 

A couple more notes on those.  One is on the Prosper Africa Initiative.  The President will be highlighting how since January 2021, U.S. departments and agencies in the Prosper Africa Initiative have closed 12 deals in Angola with a combined value of $6.9 billion.  He’ll share how the U.S. government is making important investments to increase access to nutritious food, strengthen agribusiness, and increase food storage capacity in the country. 

He’ll discuss how the U.S. and Angola will announce a new global health security partnership to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease.  And the U.S. will also support Angola’s nomination of the Kwanza Corridor to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

So, much more to come on this, and you can expect the announcements and the overall trip to reflect the deepening of our relationship and to reflect President Biden’s vision for more equitable partnerships in addressing global challenges together.

So, I look forward to your questions, and I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] to provide more from his standpoint.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  And thanks, everybody, on a Thanksgiving Friday.  Look, I don’t have much to add, and I’m happy to answer questions, but as [senior administration official] said, one of the examples of the change in our strategy in Africa was to move it a lot more towards investment, rather — and partnership, rather than traditional development assistance, grants, and charity. 

And that’s why this visit, and that’s why choosing Angola, if you think about what’s happened over the last couple of years, is looking at the corridor approach globally, but specifically where we anchored it in Africa, and building the — refurbishing and rebuilding a rail connection from the Port of Lobito all the way through the Democratic Republic of Congo with a phase two approach into Zambia and eventually all the way — we’re preparing the ground for eventually reaching all the way to Tanzania, connecting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 

This is not — this serves a number of purposes. 

One, it’s about critical minerals that are required for the energy transition globally for electric vehicles.  It is important for AI data centers and high-end chips.  But it is also about connecting all the — what this kind of infrastructure does is it may be able to bring critical minerals and shipments out in 45 hours instead of 45 days.  But it also allows for the growth of true food security in Africa.  And we are already seeing that food can be now delivered from the Port of Lobito all the way to eastern Congo in a matter of days instead of weeks and months.  It is enabling farmers to grow more local produce that can be used and traded so that landlocked countries are no longer landlocked and connected to each other. 

Over the last couple of years in Angola, through U.S. government investment, there has been added more telecommunications.  More people are getting connected to 3G and now building out 5G networks, as well as building out renewable energy.  In fact, the U.S. has approved financing through Ex-Im Bank of nearly two and a half billion dollars of renewable energy projects that will be able to take countries from energy deficit to energy exporters to their neighbors. 

And that’s really — the entire point of the Biden administration’s strategy that [senior administration official] just articulated is focusing on the investment side.  This has not only transformed the economies by building out GDP, but it does so by focusing on attracting investment, by high standards — companies committed to high standards of labor, of gender equality, of health, and of environmental stewardship. 

And that is really — that is the choice that is now available to countries throughout the region.  Not looking at, “Do I have to accept Chinese investment with low standards and child labor and corruption,” but “Do I have another offering to compare it to.”  And again, this is what President Biden has wanted to transform our relationship in the region, is to offer a different — more investment, but with higher standards.

And so, this Angola trip is really going to be highlighting that option that exists now in Africa, a direct line from the Africa Leaders Summit that President Biden had earlier in the administration to where we are today, and what I believe will be a policy that is continued by future administrations in years to come, focusing on this investment and partnership between the United States and Africa across the continent.

We chose to focus on a handful of countries over the last couple of years in order to be able to spend the scarce resources that we have in the U.S. government in a deeper and more meaningful way, rather than spreading it thin across a wider swath. 

That has also brought remarkable increase in American company investors into — and Western investors — into Africa.  And we’ve done this both bilaterally but also through the PGI, the President’s signature initiative with the G7 of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, driving this kind of investment across the continent under those same guidelines and rules of increased investment with increased opportunity at higher standards. 

So I’ll leave it there, Jess.  And if there any questions, I’m happy to answer.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much.  First up, we will go to Aurelia from AFP.  Aurelia, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for taking my question and thanks for doing this call.  Just maybe following up on what you said about offering an alternative to Chinese investment: Just in September, Xi offered Africa a sweeping $50 billion in fresh funding, promised like a million jobs, et cetera.  Isn’t it a risk that by this visit that comes late in the presidency, it gives the impression that, you know, it’s too little or too late?  Or do you really think that focusing on just a handful of countries and very precise investment, like, really offers a credible alternative to the billions that the Chinese have offered?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Aurelia, it is no doubt that China is offering billions and have been offering billions.  And let me be clear off the top: I don’t think it’s a — we don’t think it’s a bad thing to have Chinese investment in Africa.  But if it means that at the end of a few years of investment, the communities that live in the area of the investment have not seen any increase in GDP, that they’ve not seen benefits of their lives in it, that it has not lifted the lives of the communities; if it means that the government is going to be living under crushing debt for generations to come, then that’s not — the government is going to have to make the decision whether that’s the alternative they want. 

What we have heard repeatedly over years is that people want to have more — people in Africa want to have more alternatives for investment, not less.  But if they don’t have the alternative, they are forced to go with the one investment they have. 

So I think if the United States coming in here with investments that are meaningful — and this is not too little too late — I think that after years of being off the field, President Biden has put us back on the field and competing and offering this alternative. 

If, as a result, other countries, whether China or anyone else, also comes to Africa and increases the standards of labor, standards of healthcare provided to the workers, standards of defending the environment — protecting the environment where the projects are, and transparency versus corruption, if that forces everyone now to increase the standards, that will be a huge achievement. 

So I think that we’re not coming — this visit is at the end of the administration, but for the last two years, some of the numbers of U.S. investment in Africa are staggering in comparison to previous years, and specifically here in Angola where I think we’ve spent over $3 billion just in the last couple of years in areas as diverse as telecommunications, renewable energy, critical minerals, rail, bridges — so, from infrastructure to technology.  That’s something that we’d like to see grow, and I think that the President sees it as laying the foundation for a new approach to Africa that will be followed by administrations to come.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Fatima Hussein from the Associated Press.  Fatima, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thank you for taking my question.  My question is: Can the President still have an effect on the continent when he’s coming right now when all the eyes of African leaders are on President-elect Trump?  And is there a fear that President Trump, whose policies are so different from President Biden, could undo a lot of the things that you’re talking about today?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m happy to take that.

Thanks, Fatima, for the question.  I’d say, obviously we can’t speculate about the choices the next administration will make, but from my standpoint, I am grateful that U.S.-Africa policy has actually benefitted from really strong bipartisan support over the course of multiple administrations.  And I think that’s a pretty remarkable tradition.

If you think back to some of the really impactful initiatives that U.S. administrations have put forward, impactful initiatives like the DFC, the Development Finance Corporation, that was a Trump administration institution that the Biden administration has taken forward.  Think back to the Millennium Challenge Corporation that was launched in the Bush administration.  PEPFAR.  And more recently, Prosper Africa was also launched in the Trump administration.

So while I, of course, I can’t speak for the next administration, I think there’s a lot of reason to assume that some of these initiatives will continue on. 

And as [senior administration official] has laid out, when we think about an endeavor like the Lobito Corridor, that is a win-win for Americans and for Africans.  And so, I would imagine that would be seen in that light of something that’s paying dividends for all of us. 

So, while of course we can’t speculate on the next administration, I think there’s a lot of reason to assume the bipartisan tradition will continue when it comes to Africa policy in a lot of ways.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we will go to Zolan from the New York Times.  Zolan, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hey.  Thank you so much.  I know the focus is going to be on Angola, but you said there’s sort of a continent-wide approach you’re taking too.  Do you expect — will the President in any way be speaking about the violence in the eastern DRC?  Will he be engaging with Rwanda at all during this trip?  And will there be any focus, as well, on the conflict in Sudan, as well, during this trip?

And then, also, kind of just a clarification, but can we officially say that this is the last trip overseas for President Biden at this point of his presidency?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  I can start, and then I invite [senior administration officials] to weigh in.

So, on the eastern DRC, something President Biden has talked about is his gratitude for Angola’s leadership on this front.  Angola is playing a very important regional mediation role on the conflict in the eastern DRC.  And so, while I won’t get into specifics of their conversation, I do think thanking Angola for its really important leadership on this front will be part of the visit.  There may be other regionally focused aspects of the visit that I don’t think we can share more on at this point, but just to say that I think President Biden really does view Angola in the context of its region.

[Senior administration official], I invite you to add anything.  And then, Jess, on the last international trip, or not, I defer to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, Zolan, I think that this will be — we’re stopping in — the President is going to Angola, but this is a regional approach.  Angola has been a tremendous friend, both to the United States over the last few years, which is a dramatic sort of shift in geopolitical alliances as a result of the policy we described before, but also has played a key role — leadership role in the eastern DRC, as has the United States.  So we’ll address those as the days go by, as we continue.

But there’s — again, I think the fact that this trip is coming at the end of the administration, I want to underscore what [senior administration official] said.  This is a policy that we have every expectation that future administrations will continue to follow, especially some of the investment-oriented approach.  And I can tell you that Republican members of Congress have been traveling more frequently to DRC, to Zambia, to Angola, and to the region over the last few months, including senior Republican senators, out of support for this approach.  I think that that will continue.

MODERATOR:  And then, as far as your question goes on future travel, we don’t have any other travel to announce today, but of course, we’ll keep you guys posted if anything changes.

Next up we have Aaron Gilchrist from NBC.  You should be able to unmute yourself, Aaron.

Q    Hey, guys.  Thanks for doing this call.  Just two things quickly, if I can.  There’s been criticism of the political protests that have been happening, the arrests of political protesters in Angola.  Do you expect the President will address in any way arrests of protesters or human rights issues in Angola while he’s there? 

And then the second question: Domestically, there’s been sort of head-scratching about why this trip to the African continent by this president, who was supported so vociferously by African Americans here, why this trip is coming so late in his administration.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’ll take the first part, Aaron.  Thanks for the question. 

Yeah, I think, as you know, President Biden has never shied away from talking about challenges to democracy, his commitment to democracy, and I think you can expect him to always raise those issues with counterparts, without getting into specifics. 

We, of course, are tracking protests in Luanda, and would note that we were heartened that the protests over the last week remained peaceful and had — we think that’s tremendously important. 

I’ll also say that we and the President and his delegation traveling will meet with civil society while in Angola.  So I think having that discussion is always a key part of it.

In terms of when this falls on the administration, I would say the President made a promise he would visit Africa, and he’s visiting Africa.  He’s excited about it.  He raises how excited about it he is every time I speak with him.  So I’m thrilled he’s going. 

[Senior administration official], would you add anything on that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, I would say — look, this has been a — this is a trip that he’s wanted to take for a long time.  He’s held the Africa Leaders Summit early in the administration, and has done — this administration has done a tremendous amount of work in Africa during a period of a lot of foreign policy activity.  And so, again, as you know, he was supposed to go a little bit earlier; it got postponed for a variety of reasons. 

But the important thing is that he is going.  And the even more important thing is what he has led and what he has done on the African continent in the policy, which is a total transformation of our policy in a manner that was not expected. 

I can tell you that traveling throughout Africa over the last several years of this administration, all I get from leaders in Africa is being grateful for a final change of policy that is focused so much on investment and partnership than focusing on what the timeline of the visit was.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’d also just add, Aaron, to your question: Obviously, there’s a lot of focus on the President’s travel, and we’re really excited about it.  But over the course of this administration, just the past two years since the Africa Leaders Summit, the administration has had over 20 cabinet-level and senior officials travel to the continent.  And as you know, each of these visits brings with them deliverables.  They bring with them new partnerships that are launched.  So I think this administration is about the totality of those visits and those initiatives, and we’re proud of our record on that front.

MODERATOR:  All right, we have time for just a couple more.  So, next up, we’ll go to Skylar Woodhouse from Bloomberg.  Skylar, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hey, thanks for doing this.  Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  I just wanted to ask: Given that the trip is, you know, very — it’s practically towards the end of President Biden’s presidency, is it the understanding that African nations are taking the U.S. seriously, especially as China is heavily influenced across the continent right now?  Is that the understanding that you all feel that, you know, the U.S. is being taken seriously?  Or because this trip is towards the end, that, you know, it’s just kind of a check mark that Biden has to do at this point?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Skylar, look, I get more questions about this from American reporters than I get from African leaders or African-based businesses.  So — honestly.

The President of the United States has led a new policy in Africa.  Yes, China is influential in Africa, as they are in other places, and continuing to do so. 

It also is true that leader after leader on the continent have asked us to make sure that we have alternatives for those investments.  And on this trip as well, it is true that it’s coming at the end of the administration, but it’s capping on — one perspective, it’s capping three years, four years of a tremendous amount of investment by the United States in areas that represent the growth for Africa, whether it’s in the role that they can play in the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles, as well as to chips.  They are at the center of what could be the future.  And this trip is also coming as the era of global competition continues, and Africa can play that big role. 

The one thing leaders in Africa do not want is for folks to say they’re under — they have the Chinese investment; they have Chinese influence, and therefore, nobody else in the world should go to Africa.  That is the opposite of what everybody in Africa wants. 

So, all I hear from the leaders I speak to — and I speak to leaders across Africa regularly, both political leaders, heads of state, as well as business leaders — is excited for the fact that President Biden is coming, that he’s bringing a delegation that has brought to the table (inaudible) from the Africa Finance Corporation, the Africa Development Bank, record investments from the DFC, the Development Finance Corporation in the United States, Ex-Im Bank, TDA, MCC, USAID.  The kind of investments that we’re doing here are transformative.  And what they want is to bring in the rest of the world.  I don’t know a single leader in Africa who says, “I just got a promise for some money from China, and therefore I don’t want anybody else there.”  On the contrary. 

So it is — the timing is what it is, but it is at a turning point that, again, I don’t think this ends here.  I brief Congress regularly, and there are Republican senators who were just in Angola recently because of this, and intend to take this forward. 

So I see certain parts of our domestic policy is more binary and political.  American investment in developing and middle-income countries is not a partisan issue.  The way we’re doing it is different.  But then again, we built on the Trump administration, the Obama administration built on Bush administration, which built on the Clinton administration.  That has been a seamless, increasing our participation. 

The one thing we haven’t done is figured out how to invest more conservatively in Africa.  This administration has done that.  I have every expectation that both Congress and this administration and the one after that will continue this policy.  And I think that leaders in Africa understand that, and that’s why they are eager for this visit to take place.

MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you.  I think we have time for maybe one or two more, so we’ll go with Rishi from Foreign Policy.  Rishi, you should be able to unmute yourself. 

Q    Yeah, thanks for doing this, and thanks for taking my question.  So, you spoke about — you mentioned that this is investment and not aid in Africa, and we’ve seen that President-elect Trump, his big thing is kind of making deals, examining the, quote, unquote, “deals” that the U.S. has made.  So how protected are these investments that you’ve made from what the Trump administration might do, from being unwound by a potential Trump administration? 

And just as an addendum to that, how would changes to policies on the domestic front, like the CHIPS Act and the IRA, impact Africa?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, let me start.  I see very little reason why any of it would be under threat.  These are — one of the things that we focus on when I say investment versus aid — and I want to say it’s not “versus,” it’s “in addition to.”  We still have a robust assistance program that is necessary.  So it’s an additive in here.

But these projects are all done — the point of them was to be financeable and bankable projects that turn a profit, and therefore, I don’t see any reason why any of these would be undone.  And from my conversations, both with officials that are expected to be entering the Trump administration, as well as with bipartisan leaders in Congress, is that these projects are seen as the exact right thing to do.  So I don’t see them being unwound.  In fact, I would see some of them growing.

Building the rail in Africa in order to connect its countries to each other and to global markets; to be able to bring critical minerals out; making sure that the United States, for the first time in years, is getting cobalt and copper and lithium coming from this region to the United States and not going 100 percent to China — these are things that the next administration is likely to keep.  So I don’t really see the issue. 

I think what happens in the IRA and the CHIPS Act, we’ll have to see.  I’ve learned over the years of working in Washington that what is said in campaigns is not always what is done in practice.  So let’s see what happens. 

But those programs were investments in America and to make America competitive, and so I find it hard to believe that any — perhaps some of the regulations will change, but I don’t see the core of it changing.  Building more chips in America is a good thing.  Driving a trillion-dollar investment into the United States on both infrastructure, specifically under CHIPS Act and the infrastructure bill, both are going to be a good thing.  And building batteries and components in the United States, I think that, if anything, those will expand, not contract.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Last question, we’ll go to Kemi Osukoya.  Kemi, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hello?

MODERATOR:  Yep, we can hear you, Kemi.

Q    Oh, okay.  Thank you very much.  Thank you for taking my question.  I wanted to ask, regarding — I know during the G7 — the Lobito Corridor is in partnership with the G7 alliance, and there was an announcement that was made, I believe by BlackRock and Microsoft, in June, while President Biden was in Italy.  So could you — this trip also, a major part of it, will focus on business.  So can you talk about some of the American companies that perhaps might accomplish the — accompany the presidents on this trip? 

And the other side of my question is: About two years or a year ago, the President launched the Presidential Advisory Council.  And as you mentioned on this call, there have been several trips to the African continent.  So, if you can talk about the engagements and what you’re hearing from the Advisory Council that engaging the diaspora, not just the African diaspora, but as well as the African American diaspora engagement with Africa, what is the feedback that you are getting that the presidents will use during this trip?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  [Senior administration official], do you want to take the G7 companies question?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  I think we have had companies such as Sun Africa that’s invested in different parts of Africa and in Angola in particular, and expanding its operations. 

Africell is a telecommunications company that’s received investment and financing with the U.S. government, as well as its private sector banking that have been working in about five or so countries in Africa and are expanding in this region, even further beyond Angola, into DRC. 

After years of American companies leaving the continent, in the mining business we now have exciting young, new companies from the United States, such as KoBold that made a huge copper discovery in Zambia that will be there as well. 

So there’s a lot of exciting companies.  Acrow Bridge, from Pennsylvania, that is fabricating bridges in Angola and elsewhere. 

So what we’re seeing is this exciting surge.  But as you said, this corridor is part of the G7.  We have companies from Europe — from Portugal, from Switzerland, from France — and others that are joining this, and all of it being done in collaboration with African governments and African financial institutions, as well as some Americans.  

We had announced earlier this year, during the Kenya state visit to the United States, the fact that there’s going to be a data center built in Kenya. 

We had already announced during the G20 the data center that the U.S. government is helping finance in Ghana.  And I’m hoping that there’ll be another data center announced shortly. 

We also announced the connection from Google, a data line, fiber-optic cable that was going to reach Kenya.  But not just that it’s reaching Kenya from Asia, but that will be connected from Kenya all the way to South Africa through many of the countries of this corridor.  And that is being used with local African companies that are building out the fiber-optic network. 

So what we’re trying to suggest here is that this is about technology, about food security, about infrastructure build-out, and companies from both — from Europe, from Asia, from — representing the whole G7-plus countries are represented in these investments.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And I can just jump in quickly on the question about the PAC-ADE.  So that’s the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement.  This is one of the initiatives that we’re very proud of in the Biden-Harris administration.  This was announced by VP Harris at the Africa Leaders Summit back in 2022, and then President Biden signed an executive order directing the Secretary of State to establish it. 

As you may know, the council’s members are a really remarkable array of individuals who distinguish themselves in sports industries, in creative industries, in governments, in business, in academia, in faith-based activities.  So President Biden has continued to rely on their advice and their counsel as he’s moved forward our Africa policy.

They did have their first official trip to the African continent as the PAC-ADE.  This July, they traveled to Nigeria, and that was a tremendously constructive engagement. 

So while I can’t get into specifics, I think you can expect that the PAC-ADE will be involved in this upcoming trip, and we continue to be really grateful for their service and their insights.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you, everybody.  That is all the time that we have today.  If we weren’t able to get to your question, you can feel free to send it to us over email, and we’ll do our best to get back to you all as quickly as possible over this holiday weekend.

And just as a reminder, this conversation is embargoed until 5:00 am Eastern on Sunday.  Let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.  Thanks.

11:16 A.M. EST   

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We are closely monitoring the situation in Syria and have been in contact over the last 48 hours with regional capitals. The Assad regime’s ongoing refusal to engage in the political process outlined in UNSCR 2254, and its reliance on Russia and Iran, created the conditions now unfolding, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria. At the same time, the United States has nothing to do with this offensive, which is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization. The United States, together with its partners and allies, urge de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and a serious and credible political process that can end this civil war once and for all with a political settlement consistent with UNSCR 2254. We will also continue to fully defend and protect U.S. personnel and U.S. military positions, which remain essential to ensuring that ISIS can never again resurge in Syria.

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We are closely monitoring the situation in Syria and have been in contact over the last 48 hours with regional capitals. The Assad regime’s ongoing refusal to engage in the political process outlined in UNSCR 2254, and its reliance on Russia and Iran, created the conditions now unfolding, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria. At the same time, the United States has nothing to do with this offensive, which is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization. The United States, together with its partners and allies, urge de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and a serious and credible political process that can end this civil war once and for all with a political settlement consistent with UNSCR 2254. We will also continue to fully defend and protect U.S. personnel and U.S. military positions, which remain essential to ensuring that ISIS can never again resurge in Syria.

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The hostage video released today of American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own. We have been in touch with Edan’s family. The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately — and would have ended months ago — if Hamas agreed to release the hostages. It has refused to do so, but as the President said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. This deal is on the table now. President Biden and the United States will continue to work around the clock to secure the release of our citizens including through diplomatic efforts and by increasing pressure on Hamas terrorists through sanctions, law enforcement actions, and other measures. On behalf of the Alexanders and all the families of the hostages still being held by Hamas, we will never cease in our efforts to secure their immediate release. 

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The hostage video released today of American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own. We have been in touch with Edan’s family. The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately — and would have ended months ago — if Hamas agreed to release the hostages. It has refused to do so, but as the President said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. This deal is on the table now. President Biden and the United States will continue to work around the clock to secure the release of our citizens including through diplomatic efforts and by increasing pressure on Hamas terrorists through sanctions, law enforcement actions, and other measures. On behalf of the Alexanders and all the families of the hostages still being held by Hamas, we will never cease in our efforts to secure their immediate release. 

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     Too many families know the pain of losing a loved one to a drunk or drug-impaired driving accident.  Each year, more than 10,000 Americans lose their lives in these preventable tragedies.  During National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we remind everyone that they can save lives by driving only when sober, calling for a ride, planning ahead, and making sure friends and loved ones do the same.
     In 2022, over 13,000 people were killed in drunk-driving accidents.  Still, millions of people drive under the influence each year, not only putting themselves in harm’s way but also endangering passengers, pedestrians, and first responders. Even just one drink or one pill can ruin lives.
      My Administration is committed to preventing accidents and impaired driving.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has raised awareness about its risks and consequences through media campaigns, including “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different”; “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”; and “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”  Furthermore, since the beginning of my Administration, we have dedicated over $100 billion to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs and expand access to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorder. 
     Reducing fatalities and injuries in impaired driving accidents also means improving the safety of our Nation’s vehicles.  That is why my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests in technologies that can detect and prevent impaired driving and requiring new passenger cars to include collision warnings and automatic braking to prevent accidents.  The Department of Transportation also released a National Roadway Safety Strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and make crashes less destructive.  
     This holiday season, let us recommit to doing right by our neighbors, friends, and families by driving sober.  For those planning on drinking, arrange a sober ride home beforehand — ride-sharing apps are a convenient way to get home safely.  If you have had alcohol or used substances, do not get behind the wheel — one accident can cost someone their life.  If you are responsible for driving yourself or others, stay sober, buckle up, put the phone away, and drive the speed limit.  And if you witness a friend, loved one, colleague, or anyone putting themselves or others in danger, lend a hand to keep them safe. You could save a life.
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 2024 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.  I urge all Americans to make responsible decisions and take appropriate measures to prevent impaired driving.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

     Too many families know the pain of losing a loved one to a drunk or drug-impaired driving accident.  Each year, more than 10,000 Americans lose their lives in these preventable tragedies.  During National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we remind everyone that they can save lives by driving only when sober, calling for a ride, planning ahead, and making sure friends and loved ones do the same.
     In 2022, over 13,000 people were killed in drunk-driving accidents.  Still, millions of people drive under the influence each year, not only putting themselves in harm’s way but also endangering passengers, pedestrians, and first responders. Even just one drink or one pill can ruin lives.
      My Administration is committed to preventing accidents and impaired driving.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has raised awareness about its risks and consequences through media campaigns, including “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different”; “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”; and “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”  Furthermore, since the beginning of my Administration, we have dedicated over $100 billion to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs and expand access to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorder. 
     Reducing fatalities and injuries in impaired driving accidents also means improving the safety of our Nation’s vehicles.  That is why my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests in technologies that can detect and prevent impaired driving and requiring new passenger cars to include collision warnings and automatic braking to prevent accidents.  The Department of Transportation also released a National Roadway Safety Strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and make crashes less destructive.  
     This holiday season, let us recommit to doing right by our neighbors, friends, and families by driving sober.  For those planning on drinking, arrange a sober ride home beforehand — ride-sharing apps are a convenient way to get home safely.  If you have had alcohol or used substances, do not get behind the wheel — one accident can cost someone their life.  If you are responsible for driving yourself or others, stay sober, buckle up, put the phone away, and drive the speed limit.  And if you witness a friend, loved one, colleague, or anyone putting themselves or others in danger, lend a hand to keep them safe. You could save a life.
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 2024 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.  I urge all Americans to make responsible decisions and take appropriate measures to prevent impaired driving.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Today the White House released visitor log records generated in July 2024. This set includes 89,356 records, bringing the total number of records posted to 1,742,627

These records were posted pursuant to the White House’s policy to voluntarily disclose visitor log records. This release is consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to becoming the first administration to post visitor log records from its first full year in office.

To learn more about the policy, read our voluntary disclosure policy. To view visitor log records, view our disclosure page.

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The post July 2024 Visitor Logs Records Posted appeared first on The White House.

Today the White House released visitor log records generated in July 2024. This set includes 89,356 records, bringing the total number of records posted to 1,742,627

These records were posted pursuant to the White House’s policy to voluntarily disclose visitor log records. This release is consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to becoming the first administration to post visitor log records from its first full year in office.

To learn more about the policy, read our voluntary disclosure policy. To view visitor log records, view our disclosure page.

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