President Biden balked at a question posed by Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on Wednesday, about whether President-elect Trump deserves credit for the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal.
The deal comes during Biden’s final days in office, less than a week before Trump’s second term starts on Jan. 20. A recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was reportedly an integral part of the deal, sources told Fox News Digital.
“Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Heinrich asked Biden at Wednesday afternoon’s White House news conference.
“Is that a joke?” the president responded.
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When Heinrich denied that her question was in jest, Biden responded, “Oh. Thank you,” and walked away.
President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks about the Israel-Hamas cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Minutes earlier, Biden explained that the cease-fire would consist of two phases. The first phase, which will last around six weeks, “includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded.”
“And I’m proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release and phase one as well,” Biden said. “And the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home.”
Israel has also released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said, and Palestinians “can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin.” The second phase of the cease-fire will begin after Israel negotiates “the necessary arrangements,” which Biden said would mark “a permanent end of the war.”
“There are a number of details to negotiate the move from phase one to phase two,” the president continued. “But the plan says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the cease-fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.”
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Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the ceasefire announcement as they take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Weeks ago, Trump warned that there would be “hell to pay” if there were no significant developments with a hostage deal by the time he took office.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump added.
Shortly after Biden announced the deal, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller acknowledged the role that Trump’s team played in the negotiations and thanked them.
“I don’t know if it’s unprecedented to have envoys from an outgoing and an incoming administration sitting at the same table negotiating a cease-fire agreement of this kind,” Miller said on Wednesday. “But if it’s not unprecedented, it’s certainly unusual.”
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President Biden delivers remarks on the recently announced cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, Wednesday, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“And, we of course, thank the Trump team for working with this on this cease-fire agreement. We think it’s important that they were at the table.”
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Greg Norman, Trey Yingst, Brooke Curto, Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
