President Biden silenced a reporter when asked about the debt ceiling crisis at a press conference in Japan on Sunday.
The president was attending the G7 economic summit in Hiroshima and answered questions from reporters. The bilateral meeting was also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
When a reporter called Mr. Biden to ask if Republicans were negotiating the debt ceiling in good faith, Mr. Biden motioned to comply.
“It’s going to be a gradual process. I’ve been in these negotiations before,” Biden began, but was interrupted by a reporter.
They started… Shut up, okay?” Biden told reporters.
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US President Joe Biden attends the “Partnerships for Global Infrastructure and Investment” event during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023. (Brendan Smiarowski/AFP via Getty Images)
“It goes step by step … and what happens is, the first meeting was not very progressive, the second was progressive, the third was progressive,” Biden explained. “And what happens is … the carriers go back to the principals and say this is what we’re thinking, and people drop the new charges.”
“I still believe that a default can be avoided and that we can do a decent job,” Biden concluded before calling off reporters.
The statement comes as the White House continues to call on both Republicans and Democrats for bipartisan negotiations on the debt ceiling. Mr. Biden has advised raising the debt ceiling as soon as possible, but Republicans have withheld their support unless some spending cuts are made.
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US President Joe Biden holds a quadruple meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023 to attend. (Kenny Halston/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
“The president has made it clear, as 78 times before, that members of both parties and members of Congress must come together to prevent debt defaults,” the White House said in a previous statement. “The president and his team will continue to work with congressional leadership to bring forward a budget agreement that reaches the president’s desk.”
Ministry of Finance Without a debt ceiling hike, the U.S. government says it will run out of money to pay its spending obligations around June 1.
Economists expect the U.S. to default on its debt if the debt ceiling isn’t resolved by early June, which could severely hurt the economy.
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USA – May 16: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R, CA, left) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky) meet with President Joe Biden on the debt ceiling at the White House. Address the media after the meeting. House of Representatives, Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (New York) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) were also present. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
