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Biden Speaks At Gun Safety Event After Son Convicted On Gun Charges; White House Briefing Cancelled After Biden's Son Convicted. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired June 11, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:31]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right. We're awaiting comments from President Biden. You see him there on stage at this gun safety event here in Washington. So we're going to bring that to you as soon as he begins speaking.
And he is approaching the podium. So let's listen in to what he says.
(CHEERING)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: Thank you, thank you.
(CHANTING)
BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you. Please have a seat.
(INAUDIBLE) I know from experience it takes extraordinary courage for you to stand up here and retell your son's story, many of you who have lost someone to gun violence. It's been a passion of mine for a long, long time.
It's a reason way back. A long time ago, I authored the Violence Against Women Act, which no one thought made any sense at the time. I had a lot of trouble getting people to think we can make a difference.
But the fact of the matter is, I remember well, when you first started it, it was extraordinary courage. You now, through your words, you help ensure that your son and all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. That didn't die in vain.
Through your love, you help prevent the next tragedy. It saves lives. And through your actions, you remember us, will never let go of one thing that we must never, never lose. And I mean this, I know it's hard. Because I've gotten those phone calls, too, saying I lost a son or daughter, wife. I know what it's like.
But guess what? Never give up on hope. Hope, hope, hope. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I give you my word, I know what that feels, that black hole when you receive that phone call. It seems like you have a black hole in your chest and you'll be sucked into it.
Just showing up here and all the work you've done take some courage because it reminds you of the moment you got that phone call. It reminds you, no matter how long it goes, until you -- it's just -- it's hard. But you're so -- you make such a difference.
The main reason I'm here, to say, I mean this from the bottom of my heart --
(CROSSTALK)
(BOOING)
BIDEN: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
(SHOUTING)
BIDEN: No, no.
(CHANTING)
BIDEN: Folks --
(CHANTING)
BIDEN: Folks, it's OK.
(CHANTING)
BIDEN: Take care. Innocent children have been lost. They make a good point.
(SHOUTING)
BIDEN: Come on now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: Folks, every time all the leaders navigated here today, I want to thank you for the dedication to this vital issue you've shown.
And to all the survivors, veterans, families, moms, have turned their pain and your purpose in the lawsuit and you're determined to not focus on your anger, but on what you can do.
Look, folks, you've helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality. Especially young people who demanded our nation do better to protect us all, who protest, who organized --
(CHEERING)
[14:35:09]
BIDEN: -- who voted, who ran for office.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: And, yes, who marched for their lives.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: From my perspective, today is about celebrating you. You're the reason I'm so optimistic about the future of our country. I mean that.
In two weeks, we'll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: It's the most significant -- the most significant gun legislation nearly 30 years. We passed it only because you went out and worked like hell to get it done. I may have had the idea, but you got it made, you made it happen.
It was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. And I'm so proud with the tremendous progress we've made sense then.
You know, the year before I came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. Last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of those rates.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: And those rates have continued to fall faster than ever. Last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property (INAUDIBLE).
This matters. So much of this progress is because -- I'm not just trying to be solicitous. It's because of you. Don't underestimate what you've done.
It's amazing what you've done. It changed people's minds, your neighbors, your friends, and folks down at the restaurant, the folk to the grocery store.
Through the American Rescue Plan. I was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever, to reduce crime. And we built on that progress with your help.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE) BIDEN: Through the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. And here's how. First, the act helped reduce community violence and domestic violence. It invests $250 million of violence intervention programs all across the country.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: My daughter's a social worker, working in violence against women. What people don't realize is these things matter. They change. They change attitudes.
We've already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. We also makes gun trafficking and straw purchases a federal crime for the first time. Giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: In addition, the law for background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. And it's about time. There's more we have to do there. It's a big deal.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Since the law was passed, the FBI stopped more than 700 sales of firearms of individuals under the age of 21. And about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealers are now required to become licensed to run background checks.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: (INAUDIBLE) keep guns out of dangerous hands.
Second, the act helps stop mass shootings, provides $750 million in states -- to states to implement the crisis interventions, like Red Flag law and keeping firearms from those who would endanger theirselves (sic) and others.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: It also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including --
(APPLAUSES)
BIDEN -- updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I married a full-time teacher. I get it.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: As well as violent -- as well as violence intervention teams.
Folks look, third, the act invest over $1 billion, the largest one- time investment ever, in mental health -- youth mental health in our schools.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Helping deal with grief and trauma as a result of gun violence.
I've attended too many mass shootings at too many schools across America and stood there and looked at them faces of all the young children who were -- made it and look at all the families that lost somebody.
It's tragic. But it needs help. They need help to get through it.
It includes an additional 14,000 mental professional -- health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools to work in our schools full-time. That's 14,000 more.
And --
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: And then over 170,000 Americans across country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis, connect them to the help they need.
[14:40:06]
By the way. one of the reasons I wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active-duty personnel are dying of suicide than in any combat zone.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: It matters.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: And folks, this historic law is already saving lives. But there's still so much more to do to maximize the benefits to the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. That's why, last September I established the first-ever White House
Office of Gun Violence.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I mean it. We've got first-grade professionals there, and overseen by my incredible vice president.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: Who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well. To try and coordinate government in a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in America. That's why we did it, to send a clear, a clear message about how important this she was to me, to you, and to the entire country.
Folks --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: -- you're changing the nation. You really are. You're changing the nation.
It builds upon the dozens of executive actions that my administration has taken to reduce gun violence, more than any of my predecessors. And I suspect more than all of them combined. Everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking and so much more.
Folks, we're not stopping there. It's time once again do what I did when I was a Senator, ban assault weapons.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I mean it.
(CHEERING)
(CHANTING)
BIDEN: Who in god's name needs a magazine that could hold 200 shells?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody.
BIDEN: Nobody. That's right.
I remember when I was campaigning when I was a Senator going through the -- through the wetlands of Delaware, read all the people who are most upset with me, the fisherman and the hunters.
And I came across a guy who was fishing and he said, you want to take my gun. And I looked at him. I said, I don't want to take your gun. You're allowed to have a gun. But I want to take away your ability to use an assault weapon.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: No, no, no. And then what -- you know, this is a conversation. And he said, what do you mean? I need that gun. I said, guess what? If you need 12 to 100 bullets in a gun, in a magazine, you're the
lousiest shot I've ever heard of.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I'm serous. And he straight looked at me and he said, you have a good point.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: Think about it. They're weapons of war.
And by the way, it's time we establish universal background checks.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: And by the way, and require the safe storage of firearms. We should hold --
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: We should hold your family responsible if they don't provide those locks on those guns. If the fact -- because three of these major crime scenes I've visited were ones where that mother or father left open -- left stuff out on the desk., left it out on a table and the kid came infused it.
And by the way, this is most important. The only industry in America that has immunity are gun dealers.
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: We've got to end it. End it now.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: No, I mean it.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Imagine, again, if we gave tobacco an exception, they could not be prosecuted. We -- it won't happen. We still -- a thousand more people will be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation.
It's time to increase funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and other law enforcement agencies as well --
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: -- to solve the crimes faster.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Look, unfortunately, it's the only partisan thing I'm going to say.
The congressional Republicans oppose all of these, every one of these. Instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that contain these -- can be -- they can commit crimes, they're working like hell to stop it.
They want a ballot -- they want to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who is responsible for fighting gun crime.
[14:45:05]
It can't be pro-law enforcement and say you are a pro-law enforcement and be pro-abolishing the AFT (sic). You can't do it.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: It's outrageous.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I disagree with my -- some of my own party and on the other side on a lot of things, but at least there's some -- some rational argument they have as part of their argument.
What in god's name is the rationale for taking away the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms?
After a school shooting in Iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. You remember what he said.
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: He said you have to get over it. Hell, no, we don't have to get over it!
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: We've got to stop it! We've got to stop it and stop it now!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined.
My predecessor told the NRA convention recently, he's proud of, quote, "I did nothing on guns when I was president." And by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.
That's why Every Town, why this summer, why all of you here today are so important. We need you. We need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, so many politicians, when they oppose common-sense gun legislation.
I used to be a log -- when I was no longer the vice president, I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. And before that, I taught a constitutional law class. And so I'll talk to the Second Amendment.
There's never been a time that says you can own anything you want. Never. You couldn't own a cannon during the Civil War.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: I want you to think about it. How much have you heard this phrase? "The blood of liberty washes -- give me a break.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: No, seriously.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: By the way, if they want to think to take on government, if we get out of line, which there's talking again about, well, guess what, they need F-15s. They don't need a rifle.
Folks, look, this is crazy what we're talking about. Because whether we're Democrats or Republicans, we want all our families to be safe. We all want to drop them off at the House of Worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying is this the last time I', going to get to see them.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: We all want --
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover for god's sake.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Above all --
(CHEERING) BIDEN: Above all, we all agree we are not finished!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Look, no single -- no single action can solve the entirety of a gun violence epidemic. But together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. We can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose.
You're changing the culture. We've proven we can do more than just thoughts and prayers. This, more than thoughts and prayers, you're changing politics.
You're proving that you're powerful and you're relentless. And I mean that.
Let me close with this. I know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: I know, I've been to too many. I've -- I've literally spoken to well over 1,000 families at these events that I've attended, these mass shootings.
And the look in their eyes, you can almost -- you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chests, like they're being sucked in and there's no way out.
If they have remaining children, you look at the children and they wonder, mommy, daddy, how about me?
And I know you may wonder, are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make?
I'm here to tell you, we have no choice. We cannot give up trying for all lives lost and all those that are still there to save. We're going to get there.
I have no illusions about how difficult it may be, but I also have no illusions about the people in this room. You're changing the attitude of the public. I really mean it.
I'm coming back to why I got here in the first place and it's to say thank you. We can come up, I can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier.
But you're changing people's lives. You're convincing your neighbors or people this is necessary. it's beginning to move. Who are all around the community, look in the movement you've built. Elected officials standing with you.
[14:50:10]
Look at all the mother's organizations across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Biden, you are (INAUDIBLE)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Look --
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: When there's a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know, is anybody listening? Do you hear me? Do you hear what we're saying?
This is the young people who are speaking out. That's the power of the memory of your loved ones. That's the power of this movement. That's the power of America.
We just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there's nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: So God bless you all and may God protect the troops.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you.
(MUSIC)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We've been listening to a fired-up President Joe Biden discussing his commitment to solving gun violence.
He talked about his commitment to passing gun laws and the gun safety.
But on the day that his son was convicted for breaking federal gun laws, the president did not make mention of it in roughly 20 minutes of remarks.
Really, the president energized on this issue and with a very, for the most part, receptive crowd.
KEILAR: Yes, he's been dealing with this issue for so long when it comes to what a lot of the folks in this audience are concerned about, which is gun safety in schools, at public events, and really just places people go in the course of their normal lives.
And there are so many survivors in that crowd that he has speaking to there as well.
Let's go to Kayla Tausche. She is at the White House tracking this event, also at the head of the White House briefing, which we are expecting here in just a moment.
Kayla, what did you think about what the president said? And also, if you can just pull back the curtain on some of the thinking there at the White House as the president is dealing with news of Hunter Biden's conviction on gun charges.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this was a very energized president onstage at that event, just very close to the White House here where the president talked about the safeguards put in place by the bipartisan Safer Communities Act in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.
And talked about the need for more policies changes to come, specifically universal background checks, safe storage laws, as well as an assault weapons ban.
And it was when he talked about the need for an assault weapons ban, that was one of the many moments that the crowd erupted into chants of "Four more years."
A very receptive ground with those "four more years" chants even drowning out alone protester during the event, who tried to shame President Biden for, in her words, enabling genocide in the Middle East where Gaza is concerned.
But certainly, you mentioned the political awkwardness of the timing of this event. It was a fluke on the schedule, but definitely comes as the president's son is being convicted on those federal gun charges.
He was not expected to make mention of those charges, and he didn't. Although there are still opportunities for reporters to ask questions of him, if and when they see the president at some point along that route.
The White House press briefing that was expected to take place this afternoon has now been canceled.
So any opportunity to ask the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, questions about the conviction that the jury leveled earlier today, there is no longer an opportunity to do that.
As the president is now going to be heading to Wilmington, Delaware, ostensibly to be sharing some personal time with his family in the wake of that conviction.
We know that the family has been spending a lot of time together in the leadup to this trial and during this trial with the first lady traveling back and forth from the president's trip in France to be there in person in the courtroom as some of the most emotional testimony was delivered.
So we will see what more we get from the president. But certainly, at this point, the White House is more than satisfied to let the president's own words earlier today speaker for themselves, where he says that he's proud of his son and where he stands in his recovery, and that the judicial system can do its own work. And I'm paraphrasing there, but that is essentially the statement that
the president has been issuing throughout the course of this legal affair -- guys?
SANCHEZ: Kayla Tausche alive for us at the White House. Kayla, we'll let you get to that press briefing that was obviously delayed by the president's remarks.
It actually just got canceled.
KEILAR: Yes. We just learned that.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Briefing cancelled after the president's son was convicted?
SANCHEZ: Yes. Well, we're going to take a quick break, I think.
KEILAR: We'll discuss also.
SANCHEZ: Let's keep going with the panel.
KEILAR: All right.
Kate, former White House communications director--
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: -- Kate Bedingfield, that's kind of interesting. Briefing cancelled.
[14:55:03]
KATE BEDINGFIELD, FORMER WHITE HOUSES COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, it's not uncommon to cancel the briefing after the president gives a significant set of remarks.
I mean, your aim during the day is to try to get the press to cover the things you want them to cover.
So when the president goes out, gives a speech like that on an issue where -- that is meaningful to him, where he's got a lot to talk about, where he's laid, you know, the accomplishments of his administration, by the way, a bipartisan success he's had in his administration.
You know, you want the focus to be there.
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: Well, but they also didn't know you guys were going to cover it in full.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: the huge news (CROSSTALK)
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I love my dear friend, Kate, here, but we know why it was canceled. Because they don't want to deal with questions about the verdict. I understand that.
And it's OK to say, look, this is a difficult time for the president right now. We haven't had the opportunity to digest all of this. I'm going to cancel this thing. We'll get back to you guys the next day.
(CROSSTALK)
SINGLETON: Just be transparent, OK?
BEDINGFIELD: They've taken many, many questions about this from the podium.
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: I would expect, if she took the questions, if Karine screened the questions today, she would say what she has always said, she would point to what the president has said and move on.
This is --
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: They make these decisions to keep the focus on the things that you want to focus on.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: But this is different. This is different. Because he's been convicted.
BEDINGFIELD: I don't think so.
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: As a communications decision, I don't think this is different. This is about keeping the focus on what the president is talking about.
BORGER: Well, it can -- it can be both.
BEDINGFIELD: Anyway --
BORGER: It can be both. You want to keep the focus on what you want to keep the focus on, but you also don't want to talk about what you don't want to talk about yet until you have your messaging points clear, until the president perhaps goes to Wilmington and discusses it with the family.
And maybe the president himself will say something and she doesn't want to say something before the president will say something.
BEDINGFIELD: She's taken many, many questions on this. And she has, she has not engaged because, obviously, Hunter is not an elected official. She is the spokesperson for the president and the White House. She's not Hunter Biden spokesperson.
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: There would be nothing about her engaging today that would be different. She would shunt all questions that --
SINGLETON: Well, what would be different is that the president's son was found guilty of three felonies. That's a pretty substantial difference.
BEDINGFIELD: I disagree with that. There's -- this question has come up consistently. She has handled it in a consistent way.
Again, as somebody who made some these decisions, I can tell you, you make these communications decisions to try to keep the focus on the things you want to focus on.
When the president gives a rousing speech on an issue that he cares about, that he has a lot to say, sometimes you pull down the briefing so that you don't wind up going in circles for hours on questions
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: To not have the kind of conversation that were having --
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: I think you're going -- I think you're going to have it more because the briefing is canceled. And that raises more questions.
Now there may be a very good reason, which is, if the president wants to say something when he's getting on or off a chopper or whatever he is going to get on and off up to go to Wilmington, maybe they don't want to step on his lines, maybe there's something that he wants to say.
But I mean, it just raises more questions I think than answers to have the White House say, never mind, we're not going to talk today.
SANCHEZ: Panel, please stand by.
We're going to continue the discussion after a quick break. CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns in a moment.
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