Transcript - Press Gaggle: Joe Biden Addresses the Hostage Rescue at Colleyville Texas Temple - January 16, 2022 | Factba.se

Jill Biden

00:00:00 - 00:00:01 ()

Hi, how are you?

Lorre Jones

00:00:01 - 00:00:04 ()

Hello. Hello. Hello.

Jill Biden

00:00:04 - 00:00:06 ()

Hi, nice to see you.

Lorre Jones

00:00:06 - 00:00:08 ()

Thank you. Welcome back.

Joe Biden

00:00:08 - 00:00:15 ()

Good to be back. You're still going gangbusters, aren't you?

Lorre Jones

00:00:15 - 00:00:20 ()

We're definitely trying. We're definitely trying.

Joe Biden

00:00:20 - 00:00:21 ()

You're doing a hell of a job.

Lorre Jones

00:00:21 - 00:00:23 ()

Thank you. We're doing [Inaudible]. You're going to sign our wall?

Joe Biden

00:00:23 - 00:00:23 ()

Lorre Jones

00:00:23 - 00:00:24 ()

[Inaudible] sign it as Jill's husband?

Jill Biden

00:00:24 - 00:00:24 ()

Lorre Jones

00:00:24 - 00:00:26 ()

I'm Lorre Jones.

Michael Smith

00:00:26 - 00:00:26 ()

Nice to see you.

Joe Biden

00:00:26 - 00:00:28 ()

Good to see you. How are you?

Michael Smith

00:00:28 - 00:00:30 ()

Joe Biden

00:00:30 - 00:00:33 ()

Hey man. Damien, how are you doing?

Damien Hernandez

00:00:33 - 00:00:34 ()

[Inaudible] Welcome back.

Jill Biden

00:00:34 - 00:00:36 ()

Hello. [Laughter] We're going to do [Inaudible]

Joe Biden

00:00:36 - 00:00:37 ()

Are we doing a picture -- [Crosstalk]

Jill Biden

00:00:37 - 00:00:39 ()

We're going to talk with you for a few minutes.

Joe Biden

00:00:39 - 00:00:41 ()

[Crosstalk] -- going to say something to the press.

Lorre Jones

00:00:41 - 00:00:53 ()

Yeah, so, welcome back. We're actually delighted that you came back, really, to focus on hunger. Last year, you made a commitment that you're going to work to end child hunger, and -- you're definitely getting there.

Lorre Jones

00:00:53 - 00:01:01 ()

So we're so grateful with what you did with SNAP, and the Child Tax Credit, and we'll talk a little bit more inside about what else we can do to show that kids [Inaudible] have access to food.

Joe Biden

00:01:01 - 00:01:05 ()

That Child Tax Credit was really helpful and we've got to get it renewed.

Lorre Jones

00:01:05 - 00:01:07 ()

We absolutely do.

Joe Biden

00:01:07 - 00:01:25 ()

Hey, folks. With regard to Texas and the synagogue, I spoke this morning with the Attorney General and -- to get a rundown. He said there's overwhelming cooperation with the local authorities and the FBI, and they did one hell of a job.

Joe Biden

00:01:25 - 00:01:39 ()

This was an act of terror. This was an act of terror. And it not only was related to someone who had been arrested, I might add, 15 years ago and been in jail for 10 years -- the idea that it was something new.

Joe Biden

00:01:39 - 00:01:42 ()

And they did just a great job.

Joe Biden

00:01:42 - 00:01:57 ()

I also told him that I wanted to make sure we got the word out to synagogues and places of worship that we're not going to tolerate this, that we have this capacity to deal with the assaults on particularly the anti-Semitism that has grown up.

Joe Biden

00:01:57 - 00:02:13 ()

And so -- and I'll be talking with -- I put a call into the rabbi. We missed one another on the way up here. And -- but they should rest assured that we are focused. We are focused. The Attorney General is focused. I'm making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts.

Joe Biden

00:02:13 - 00:02:26 ()

And thank God -- thank God we have such a professional FBI, as well as -- the local cooperation, I was told, was incredible. It was seamless. So, I just wanted to let you know that.

Joe Biden

00:02:26 - 00:02:26 ()

Question

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Mr. President, how could this gentl- -- how could this man have gotten weapons? There's reports that he's only been in the country for a couple of --

Joe Biden

00:02:33 - 00:02:33 ()

Question

00:02:33 - 00:02:33 ()

Joe Biden

00:02:33 - 00:02:44 ()

-- allegedly -- I -- we -- I don't have all the facts, nor does the Attorney General. But, allegedly, the assertion was he got the weapons on the street. He purchased them when he landed.

Joe Biden

00:02:44 - 00:02:52 ()

And -- and it turns out there apparently were no bombs that we know of. That -- you know, he said that there are bombs he has as well.

Joe Biden

00:02:52 - 00:03:01 ()

But he -- apparently, he spent the first night in a homeless shelter. I don't have all the detail yet, so I'm reluctant to go into more -- much more detail.

Joe Biden

00:03:01 - 00:03:18 ()

But -- and, allegedly, he purchased it on the street. Now what that means, I don't know. Whether he purchased it from an individual in a homeless shelter or a homeless community, or whether -- because that's where he said he was -- it's hard to tell. I just don't know.

Question

00:03:18 - 00:03:23 ()

[Inaudible] ramifications for the push to -- on -- to ensure that guns are not available?

Joe Biden

00:03:23 - 00:03:42 ()

Well, no -- well, it does but it also doesn't. The guns are -- we should be -- the idea of background checks are critical. But you can't stop something like this if someone is on the street buying something from somebody else on the street. Except that there's too -- there's so many guns that have been sold of late; it's just ridiculous.

Joe Biden

00:03:42 - 00:03:53 ()

And it's because of the failure of us to focus as hard as we should and as consistent as we should on gun purchases, gun sales, ghost guns, and a whole range of things that I'm trying to do.

Question

00:03:53 - 00:03:56 ()

Mr. President, do you know more about the motivations of the person?

Joe Biden

00:03:56 - 00:04:05 ()

No, I don't. I -- there's speculation, but I'm not going to get into that. I will -- I'm going to have a press conference on Wednesday, and I'll be happy to go into detail of what I know in detail at that time.

Question

00:04:05 - 00:04:10 ()

Do you know why he targeted that specific synagogue, Mr. President?

Joe Biden

00:04:10 - 00:04:39 ()

Well, no, I don't. We don't have -- I don't think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue or why he insisted on the release of someone who's been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged -- why he was using anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments. I -- we just don't have enough facts. Thank you.