the house of representatives the honorable hakeem jeffries of new york. mr. speaker, you may agree with this. but we are back here 22 days into this republican manufactured chaos and house republicans have brought us to the exact same position that we were back then. all of the infighting, all the disarray, just to end up where we were three weeks ago. these past few weeks we have been left wondering if republicans were truly intent on solving our issues, reopening the house of representatives and rallying around someone to lead this chamber. or has this been about something else? has this been a focus of house republicans to find the person who can pass their extreme litmus test to oppose marriage equality, enact a nationwide abortion ban without exceptions, gut social security and medicare, and support overturning a free and fair election. a fair question. a fair question. nowhere in that candidate questionnaire is it about growing the middle class, helping our communities, keeping the cost of health care lower, and making life for everyday americans better. the gentle woman said it right. this has been about one thing. who can appease donald trump? house republicans have put their names behind someone who has been called the most important architect of the electoral college objections. he spear-headed -- that's fair. that's fair. we know how you feel. you made that clear. he spear-headed the legal effort joined by more than 100 of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to overturn the results of the 2020 election. on the eve of january 6th, some of my republican colleagues even called this a failed strategy. yet those same individuals stand, plan to stand right next to him today. mr. speaker pro tem, when members of the body voted to reject the results of the 2020 election, they forfeited their ability to lead this chamber . on this side of the aisle, we know what leadership looks like. hakeem jeffries has now turned his back on the will of the american people. the son of two social workers, he's always stood by the side of working families. the most pressing needs of everyday americans are his north star. he believes that everyone in america should have the opportunity to get ahead and achieve their version of the american dream. he believes that access to affordable health care is a right, not a privilege. he believes that reproductive freedom must be guaranteed. not stripped away. he believes that working families, not the wealthy and the well-connected, should be rewarded. he believes in growing the middle class so that everyone can succeed. he believes that our schools and our communities should be safe and free from gun violence. he believes that investing in public schools, not depriving students of fact-based education by banning books . land of opportunity. he believes in defending democracy against adversaries foreign and domestic. he believes in standing by our allies, israel and ukraine. and he believes in keeping our government running and open. let me be clear. let me be clear. this is not just a belief system. leader jeffries has the track record to back it up. he is certainly a far contrast from who republicans have nominated with or without their votes to nominate today. if house republicans choose, they can still join us on a bipartisan path forward. let's come together to fund our government, support our allies abroad, and deliver for working families. end the chaos and the distinction and the extremism. let's open up the people's house. i yield back, mr. speaker. >> the reading clerk will now call the roll. >> adams. jeffries. johnson. aguilar. jeffries. alford. johnson. allen. johnson. allred. jeffries. armstrong. johnson. arrington. johnson. jeffries. baird. johnson. balderson. >> it is significant that don bacon who voted for mchenry last time just voted for mike johnson. >> they're on a path at the end of the vote to finally pick a speaker. we'll listen as it goes through. when you have conservative members early in the alphabet, republican who's will cast votes. when you have very conservative members, bacon who is conservative but more of a pragmatic, moderate. let's figure out how to do business. that's why she said a smile on his face. they want it to be someone who will inherit the republican chaos. >> we should also mention ken buck who opposed the recent nominees because they were election deniers who now has said that he will support mike johnson. >> every republican i've spoken to including some who did not vote for others has said to me, now, quote, mike wins on first ballot. they want to send a message. the other thing going back to the point of he's an election denier or is he different, all politics is local as it is said. also, all politics is personal. >> at a time when our elections are nationalized, both parties are getting what they want. now we'll fight it out in 2024. the republicans get an election denier. most are election deniers. republicans get someone who is antiabortion -- >> hold on. listen to this. >> boyle from pennsylvania. boyle of pennsylvania. johnson. brown -- >> jeffries. brownley. jeffries. buchanan. johnson. buck. johnson. johnson. jeffries. >> very significant, these two republicans, buchanan and buck both voting for mike johnson this time even though they didn't vote for the republican nominee the last time. it shows that the republicans now seem to have their act together. >> they've decided enough is enough and they'll trust congressman johnson to be their speaker. again, he's untested in this role. he will deal with the same policy fractures that cost mccarthy his speakership and kept others from becoming speaker. the point i was trying to make, both are getting ago when they wanted. democrats will run in 2024 just like in 2018 and 2020 on abortion, on maga extremism, and they will run on medicare and social security. and congressman johnson's study group has plans to cut both those programs. so democrats get the issue they want. they say the speaker is more extreme than donald trump. the house republicans get one of their own because most of them agree. most do want abortion restrictions. even though you're now in the dobbs world of state by state, most would like a national vote as soon to be speaker johnson just did. these are the themes. not just for president but control of the house and the senate. >> and matt gaetz who was part of the group that ousted mccarthy -- >> hold on. i want to hear a few more votes. they could be significant. >> jeffries. castor of florida. jeffries. castro of texas. jeffries. chavez. johnson. mccormick. jeffries. chu -- >> that was a significant republican vote. she voted for mchenry the last time and now she's voting for mike johnson. it seems like they're pretty much in line. >> some of that was right. it was just exhaustion the last weeks or so of who would be speaker. one of the things we saw, too. people didn't like the other speakers. it was not really about policy. it was very much about personal. there were personality clashes and that's why you saw mccarthy ousted, jordan ousted, and emmer pulling out before it even went to the floor. during the speeches, you saw a very happy house majority there cheering on mike johnson. i do think to john's point, matt gaetz who ousted mccarthy, he is calling mike maga mike. if you look at his policy portfolio, his leading the push, he's very much in line with where the party is. where donald trump is. it is fitting that he is an evangelical. it is fitting that he is a southern, too, because that's what the republican party is. and democrats will certainly make him a known quantity in american households. >> i think we shouldn't lose sight of the fact, while the mood on the house floor clearly is jovial among republicans and even, you saw as john voted, the interplay between the democrats and patrick mchenry, he's well-liked. we are at the conclusion of a really remarkable period in american history that in many ways is just one part of a convulsion of our politics. this is all the issues that you are seeing playing out in the house floor, john listed them in the way they'll play out in this next upcoming election campaign. we are talking about incredible fundamental differences about how the two parties view not just whether we should legalize abortion or not, but about the very foundation of how we should govern ourselves. billion the american experiment in a way that we haven't seen. and all of the issues that threaded their way through the 2020 election, through january 6th, are going to continue to do this. and this was a particularly difficult and momentous period. we all sat here and they threw kevin mccarthy out. i think we had to stop for a second. wow, this is a really important moment in american history. while they may have resolved this particular crisis right now, i don't think we should lose sight of the fact that those threads continue. and we are on a course to hit a period of time that is even more intense, more divisive. potentially rips even deeper into the fabric of the country as we head for the 2024 election with donald trump facing four trials and potentially, when we get to actual election night, if he is in fact the front runner, a situation that is even worse than what we saw on january 6th. >> you know -- >> hold on one second. right back to you. a couple more votes here. >> jeffries. jeffries. johnson. deesposito -- johnson. diaz ballart. johnson. dingle. jeffries. doggette. jeffries. donalds. johnson. duarte. johnson. duncan -- johnson. dunn of florida. johnson. edwards. johnson. elsey. johnson. emmer. >> so far all the republican members of the house who didn't vote for the republican nominee the last time are now voting for mike johnson. very significant indeed. it looks like he's moving very much in the right direction. let's listen in a little bit more. >> jeffries. jeffries. johnson. evans. jeffries. johnson. fallon. johnson. finstra. johnson. ferguson. johnson. johnson. johnson. fitzgerald. johnson. >> so more of these republicans have voted against the republican nominee the last time are now voting for mike johnson. >> including just now as you were talking, brian fitzpatrick of pennsylvania. one of the key republicans from a biden district just voted for johnson. he was one of the ones that had moved away from jordan in the last round that we saw here of speaker votes. look where it says others. zero. we haven't been here before in this whole process. zero numbers are voting for somebody other than the two nominees. folks at home. this is actually what a speaker's contest usually looks like in the house of representatives. we haven't seen it for a while. we have not seen a republican speaker candidate win on the first vote since paul ryan did so in 2017 more than six and a half years ago. to kasie's point about the intense rifts within the republican party, and how this moment comes to be, and yet is not a solution for their larger problems. kasie mentioned the vacate vote. i would go back to mccarthy's 15 rounds. it took kevin mccarthy 15 rounds at the beginning of this area to become speaker because of the real divisions that existed. >> i think that's why it is so important for them to show some sign of unanimity, or close to unanimity. the voters haven't seen that and they've been embarrassed by it. to kasie's point earlier, you have to take this down the road a little bit. it's not just the republicans and the democrats fighting each other. the republicans in the house jokingly refer to the five families. because they know about their differences. and maybe in a way, the only way they could get near unanimity on some -- >> let's listen to a few more. >> jeffries. goldman of new york. jeffries. gomez. jeffries. tony gonzalez. johnson. vicente gonzalez. vicente gonzalez. goode of virginia. johnson. gooden of texas. johnson. gosar. johnson. gotheimer. jeffries. granger. johnson. graves of louisiana. johnson. graves of missouri. johnson. green of tennessee. johnson. >> we just heard -- yet another republican who voted against jim jordan, who was the last republican nominee, vote for this one. kay granger of texas, a top republican, the chairman of the appropriations committee. i want to bring in somebody who just voted. ken buck, republican of colorado, who is here with me now. why make johnson? >> probably because he has the fewest enemies of anybody -- >> that's a ringing endorsement. >> it's the reality with where we are. a four-vote majority, mike is one of those people who gets along with everybody and he's well-respected and i think those two factors played a role. >> did you ever think a speaker of the house would get this close to and probably attain the gavel because he or she has the fewest enemies in the house? that doesn't sound like the headline of a resume. >> no. i don't think it is the headline of a resume. i think it is part of what we do in the house. we get along with people and those who don't don't rise to this type of level. >> one of the things you wanted to hear from jim jordan when he was the nominee was a promise that, not a promise but a public statement that he believed that joe biden is the legitimate president. we have not heard that yet from mike johnson. did you get a promise privately that he will make that public? >> i have not gotten that from mike. it's obvious that joe biden is the legitimate president. the more people like mark meadows' statements start to come out, it is clear the people around donald trump told donald trump that he had lost the election. i think it is time for republicans to shed themselves of that burden and move forward. >> so it sounds like what you're saying is what we're seeing happening on the screen and on the floor that is still going on. you see that big goose egg. the zero. when it comes to others. meaning what matters here -- hang on one second. we'll listen in. >> huffman. jeffries. johnson. hunt. johnson. issa. johnson. ivey. jeffries. jackson of illinois. jeffries. jackson of north carolina. jeffries. jackson of texas. johnson. jackson lee. jeffries. jacobs. jeffries. james. johnson. >> that was the republican from michigan had a voted against jim jordan now voting for mike johnson. that was just hakeem jeffries. that's why everybody is standing up. he voted for himself. not surprisingly. actually, let's keep listening. >> johnson of georgia. jeffries. johnson of louisiana. johnson. >> mike johnson who is the nominee. you see him there surrounded by his fellow republicans with a standing ovation as he votes for himself for speaker. and ken buck, you're still with me. hopefully. >> jordan. johnson. >> and they're standing. they're standing because jim jordan who went through three votes and lost just voted for mike johnson as well. >> why is the mad so jubilant rate now on the house floor, given the reality that we're three weeks and a day into having no speaker? is it pure exhaustion? >> well, it was a long day yesterday, for one thing. i think it is a relief that we have moved forward and we have a speaker and we're ready to legislate. i think there's a reality that didn't exist. hamas attacked israel after we vacated the chair of the last speaker. so there is a relief that we can get to important bill. the next bill that will be on the floor is a resolution in support of israel. i think people have been waiting to be able to express that support. so it's important that we move on at this point. >> the man who is making his way through these votes right now, mike johnson. it looks like he's heading toward what we believe he will get what he needs to be speaker. he is saying he will probably support and push through aid for ukraine and israel? >> my understanding is that those bills will come to the floor. >> just even allowing that, and he will allow a bill to keep the government running after it runs out of money november 17th? >> that's certainly the goal. >> so these are things that got kevin mccarthy, maybe not the latter, but the first thing i am, the most important allowing the government to stay open, and doing a del with the democrats to do it. that got kevin mccarthy fired by people, including you. what makes mike johnson different? >> so what got kevin mccarthy fired in my opinion. he made five different promises to five different groups for what the number would be for the continuing resolution and didn't continue for four of those groups. mike johnson starts with a clean slate. and i think we will come together as a conference. we'll talk about the top line number and move forward. >> i want to let your former colleague ask you a question. as you do again, three weeks and one day. you are one of the eight to kick out kevin mccarthy. given what we have seen, the tim dl , the tumult. was it worth it? >> yes. we need to have it to move forward into this next election season. >> i know this has been exhausting for everyone and you're glad to get through this ordeal. what do you think will happen when you come to november 17th? do you really think that mike johnson will allow a clean funding vote? you'll have to negotiate for the senate. as you know, kevin mccarthy got in a lot of trouble over allowing a clean funding vote as well as the debt ceiling. mike johnson will have to cut on the short-term spending bill and then come des, you'll have to finish with an omnibus. people don't like that word but that seems inevitable. >> i think one of the things we'll have, a lot more appropriations bills done in the process. so we'll have a lot more bill to send to the senate to go into conference with. i think everybody now is in more of a mad to compromise than they were three and a half weeks ago. >> i want to bring in manu raju who is right off the house floor. as we see on the screen, mike johnson now has 128 votes and counting. nobody has voted against him yet. we believe 216 is the magic number. what are you seeing and hearing when it comes to the activity happening? not just on the floor but off the floor? >> yeah. the writing is on the wall quite literally. kevin mccarthy is ready to move out of the speaker suite. we've seen the sign taken down. there has been furniture and other items removed from the speaker's suite that has been happening all through the course of the day as kevin mccarthy plans to move into a different office. moving into a suite nearby the house floor where nancy pelosi used to occupy. something that mccarthy has since uprooted her from that location. there is a big question about kevin mccarthy's future. he has indicated he will serve out his term. he will play such a huge role fundraising for this party, trying to keep republicans in the house majority. will he step aside? continue to serve? will he play that key role the republicans needed him to play to keep the house? those are huge questions for the former speaker who is moving out of the suite that he has still occupied for more than three weeks. even though he was ousted 22 days ago. >> thanks, manu. and i believe it is actually 215 that mike johnson needs, given the attendance at this vote. but that's almost irrelevant at this point because nobody is voting against him. is it still possible for you or anybody else to vacate the chair? meaning kick mike johnson out the way that he did kevin mccarthy? does that rule still exist? i should say this is mccarthy who just voted for mike johnson. >> yes, absolutely. the rules haven't changed in the house. i anticipate at some point a republican member will move to change the rules. it goes to conference first. then the rule would go to the floor. and i think it is clear there is a mood in the conference to raise that threshold from one vote to five to ten or to a higher number. >> forgive us. we're outside and it is busy behind us. to raise the threshold so that you couldn't do it again with only eight as you did before. >> you couldn't do it with one as you could have before. but we did have eight. >> fair, yeah. that's fair. >> charlie dent, the other thing i'm thinking about are your colleagues had a are like you are from battle ground districts, so far all of them have voted yes for mike johnson, and the democrats who are writing the press releases, the press releases are already written despite that mike johnson doesn't have a long record. he hasn't been here very long. it's long enough from their perspective that they are chomping at the bit to use these front liners, these battleground districts, republicans to use mike johnson's record against them. >> i'm sure they will do that. obviously, might go johnson doesn't have a very high profile nationally. i suspect the democratic campaign committee will be working around the clock to define him. they'll be going on the air and saying all kinds of thing about mike johnson, election denial, all those things. and i'm sure they'll be morphing the faces of the republican 18 districts. i suspect that's what they are going to do. i would suspect that. just like what happened with newt gingrich where they used him as a pinnata. >> and on that note, actually, we should say that mary meeks, somebody from one of those battleground districts in iowa, mike molinaro, one of the famous republicans who won in new york who helped bring the republicans the majority, they both just voted for mike johnson. >> well, look. republicans, and we're still counting votes. they had to get a speaker in place because without one, democrats also are able to say they cannot govern. so it's important that they got in line and we need to be able to have a functioning house. i do think in these 18 districts, democrats should have that conversation with their voters and talk about, is mike johnson going to say the election results are real? and the consequences if he doesn't say that, what that means for 2024. also, if donald trump is the nominee. there is a great opportunity to link his belief of the election results to the republican party which is donald trump. this is politics, unfortunately at the end of the day. i would love to have conversations about medicare and medicaid and social security and abortion that everyday americans do really care about. and johnson is pretty conservative on those. and i think democrats can run on those issues as well. >> republicans will have to actually spend some time and money to introduce mike johnson to the american people. democrats will do it for him if they don't do it first. >> mike was with me for two terms. i had dinner with him one night a week that we were in town. i served on the judiciary committee. >> what is he like to work with? >> he's a very pleasant guy. we disagreed on the certification of the election and other issues but we've never had a harsh word. scott jennings was saying, he call himself a conservative who is just not angry about it. is that the way you would describe him? >> it is. i think that george w. bush was talking about compassion and conservatism. i think that's what mike portrays. >> one of the areas, one of the issues that helped sink emmer who you voted for every time on the house floor was that he supported same-sex marriage. that's an issue that mike johnson on his way to becoming the next speaker of the house does not support. the reason why they're clapping is because nancy pelosi, the former speaker, the other former speaker who is on the house floor, just voted for hakeem jeffries. how does that square with the way the republican party is in 2023? >> well, i think the issue of marriage has been settled by the supreme court. i don't think it is one of the top ten issues that people will be campaigning on. i don't know that it is something going to be out there eat for or against either of these candidates. >> i didn't hear you. >> we were talking about same-sex marriage. >> i thought it was really unfortunate that someone made a comment about emmer that he had to get it right. i think the american people hear this and i think the country has moved on. this is a challenge for the party that if it wants to be a governing majority, it will have to get into a better place on some of these very sensitive cultural issues. we're just out of step. particularly with younger people. >> i think it matters who is at the top of the ticket for the republican party. right now it looks like donald trump will be the republican nominee and he leans into culture wars. if you have ron desantis, the king of culture wars and going after transgender children, lgbtq folks, this is a conversation that's important. if the republican party is not willing to support someone as speaker because he supports same-sex marriage, i think that is out of touch with the overwhelming majority of the american people. it has been set up by the supreme court but i think that back lash will be very similar to 2022 when the supreme court overreached on abortion. >> i know you have to get back to the floor. we're lack at the votes. 176 for make jike johnson. no republican has voted against him yet. assuming that trend continues, he'll be the speaker in a matter of minutes. can you take us inside the meeting last night that led you to settle on a guy who a lot of people, including your colleagues in the senate had to google because they didn't know who he is? >> sure. it was the first time he was selected as speaker. he with drew. we went through another forum. mike was selected. and it the people who nominated mike, mcmorris rogers, the people who support him from the freedom caucus and the others in the conference were confident that mike could get this job done. he could get to 217 which is the first and most that are job of the speaker. >> and going back to what you said initially. he is the person who has -- that was steve scalise who just voted for mike johnson. another one of the republicans who your conference nominated early on but didn't make it to the floor because he didn't have them. starting out again. we'll be learning a lot about this man who is heading toward not only getting the gavel but being second in line for the president of the united states. this is obviously a constitutional position. the fact that he didn't have baggage was a personal plus. >> it was certainly a very important factor in people's minds. >> thank you for coming over here. wolf, i'll pass it back to you. >> thank you. it looks like mike johnson is getting closer and closer to becoming the next speaker of the house of representatives. john king, i want to get your thoughts. he's 51 years old, mike johnson. the republican representative from louisiana. he was elected if 2016, sworn in in 2017. we did some checking. he would be the first speaker in 140 years with that limited amount of experience in the house. >> so at a time when people at both parties are asking for generational change. you're right. he'll be tested. the people will say you've only been here seven years.you don't. you don't know enough about how it works, the policy kaelgss, and that will be the criticism. the question is can he somehow do what no other republican has been able to do. republicans who have worked it for a decade or more. like a steve scalise, like a tom emmer. they helped win money, help recruits candidates. that's the traditional path to the speakership. mike johnson has done none of that. that doesn't mean it can't work but we don't have to look far back to see steve scalise was toppled. mr. emmer who just led them to the majority helped lead them to the majority. mid-terms were a little mixed message. he couldn't even get to the floor. yes, the personal differences with the members but also they were viewed by the most rebellious members. mike johnson is none of those things. can he satisfy the six or eight or ten who are always looking to upset the apple cart and the 18 who have to go back to districts joe biden won, whose election next year is in question. it's a job somebody, whether you like him or not. mccarthy studied how to do that job for years and could not pull it off. can this untested man do it? there is a trap door under him every step of the way. >> a bunch of things, one is that, and i think it is important. everybody was exhausted and embarrassed by what had gone on. the second thing is that johnson has no huge national profile. and i think in a way, that worked to his advantage. the third thing was that people had no personal enmity toward him. they didn't dislike him in the same way that they disliked jim jordan. mitt romney today said apparently experience is not necessary for the speaker's job. and i don't think he meant that as a compliment. he said we're down to folks who haven't had leadership or chairmanship roles which mean their administration of the house will be a new experience for them. >> but here's something that does make a difference. look at this. this is unanimous thus far. everybody on the republicans for him. what makes the difference, to respond to mitt romney, two words. donald trump, election denier, and also, that his colleagues like him. congressman ken buck sat here last week and said he would not vote for an election denier. he just told our colleague dana bash that he had not gotten that promise from mike johnson but he voted for him. not all election deniers are cede equal. >> ao point out, mike johnson is getting closer and closer to being elected speaker of the house of representatives, we are getting live pictures from the white house as well. president biden will be holding a joint news conference with the prime minister of australia. we'll bring that to our viewers live as well. it looks like mike johnson is going to be, it certainly appears that he will have the magic number and be elected speaker of the house. all the republicans who voted against the earlier republican nominees are now standing in line behind mike johnson. >> and that will be a credit to the republicans. if they do it unanimously, it will continue this good mood we're seeing on this side of the floor today from the majority. this notion of, he doesn't have enemies. the question i have now, how will that help him? he will get some enemies. he can't be speaker of the house without some. in the short run, do the rules change? you get rid of rule that just one can vacate the chair. does he have enough good will beyond the speaker's vote to actually alter the rules of the game a bit? to give him a little bit of breathing room? >> you give him the benefit of the doubt. >> there were suggestions that maybe republicans were in a mood to compromise going forward. mccarthy was ousted because he did compromise with the democrats. we'll see what happens with mike johnson. interesting to sort of notice. now republicans are acting like democrats have acted over the last weeks. the democrats were very, very united. >> exactly. >> but sort of the contrast that we saw over these last weeks with republicans very much in disarray as the world was on fire and democrats being unanimously behind their person. we see that now from republicans. >> can i just say that yesterday morning, mike johnson had 34 votes for speaker. >> they're getting closer and closer to the number that mike johnson needs to be elected speaker of the house. he needs 215 given the absentees among the members. once he gets to that number, kasie, he will become the next speaker of the house. we expect that. make sure no one changes their vote at the end. one thing as you talk about what the experience will mean, enemies he might make. one thing that is important to think about is that being speaker of the house and leader of your party is a much more complicated and enormous job beyond what happens on the floor. >> we're looking for that 215. a good point that kasie made. the members of the house could always change their votes so let's see if it gets to 215 first. >> jeffries. wild. jeffries. williams of georgia. jeffries. williams of new york. johnson. williams of texas. johnson. wilson of florida. wilson of florida. jeffries. >> it looks like mike johnson has the votes, 215. given the vacancies, it looks like mike johnson is about to become the next speaker of the house of representatives. it looks like republicans got their act together this time and mike johnson of louisiana, assuming there are no vote changes in the end, will become speaker. let's listen in. >> mike johnson. [ applause ] >> johnson. johnson. >> next speaker of the people's house. johnson. >> johnson. >> the clerk will now call the names of the members who did not answer the first call of the roll. jeffries. boyle of pennsylvania. boyle of pennsylvania. correia. gallego. jeffries. vicente gonzalez. >> clearly this is a very, very huge moment in the house of representatives. a new speaker of the house appears to have been elected unless some members decide to change their minds. the republicans clearly, in this particular case, got their act together. >> out of three weeks of chaos come very important history. a man even many republican senators knew nothing about this morning. and i would believe most americans knew nothing about this morning is about to be third in line for the presidency once he is sworn in as speaker of the house. he will be third in line after the president and vice president. he will be the leader of very fractious time. that will be a challenge. a huge difference between him and the democrats. but we're going to see the president in the rose garden. he's never negotiated with joe biden. he'll now have to negotiate with the president of the united states. he's also never negotiated with mitch mcconnell. this will exacerbate because of the wing of the party he comes from. the differences we've seen play out between house republicans and senate republicans. so it's a new face, a new leader. he's a blank slate. that's an enormous opportunity. the challenges are so many for a person who has zero experience at this level. that doesn't men he can't do it but he has zero experience in what he inherits. in a matter of minutes, he will get the gavel and then wow, we move into the next very big chapter. >> he'll be standing on a stage at a level he's never stood on before. and i think they can underestimate that. typically there is more time. >> we see the president of the united states and the visiting prime minister of australia walking to the microphones. they'll be making opening statements and then answering reporters' questions. i think this is the president's first formal news conference since the hamas attack on israel. >> it's strong now and getting stronger. before i get to the progress australia and the united states have made today, i want to say just a very few words about the situation in the middle east. the anger, the hurt, the sense of outrage that the israeli people are feeling after the brutally inflicted devastation by hamas is completely understandable. israel has a right and i would add a responsibility to respond to the slaughter of their people. and we will ensure israel has what it needs to defend itself against these terrorists. that's a guarantee. we also have to remember hamas does not represent, let me say it again. hamas does not represent the vast majority of the palestinian people in the gaza strip or anywhere else. hamas is hiding behind palestinian civilians and it is despicable and not surprisingly, kourly as well. this also puts an added burden on israel while they go after hamas. but that does not lessen the need to operate in the line with the laws of war. for israel has to do everything in its power as difficult as it is to protect innocent civilians. it's difficult. i want to thank the israelis and the palestinians, excuse me, the president of egypt, for working with the united states to make sure that food, water and medical supplies are getting through to innocent people in gaza. the flow needs to increase and we're working very hard with our partners to make that happen. we're also working around the clock with our partners in the region to secure the release of hostages. and including american citizens behind, left behind and held by hamas. and the safe passage of foreign nationals out of gaza. not just americans but australians and the whole range of people trapped in gaza. i also want to take a moment to look ahead to the future that we seek. israelis and palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and peace. there is no going back to the status quo as it stood on october 6th. that means ensuring hamas can no longer terrorize israel and use palestinian civilians as human shields. it also means when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. in our view, it has to be a two-state solution. it means a concentrated effort for all the parties. israelis, palestinians, regional partners, global leaders, to put us on a path toward peace. in the past few weeks, i've spoken to leaders throughout the region. from jordan, egypt, mahmoud abbas, the palestinian authority, and just yesterday with the crown prince of saudi arabia about making sure there is real hope in the region for a better future. about the need, and i may not this sincerely. to work toward greater integration with really while insisting the aspirations of the palestinian people will be part of that as well. i'm convinced part of why hamas attacked when they did, i have no proof of this. it is may instinct. it was because of the progress we've made toward integration with israel. we can't leave that work behind. one more word on this. i continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking palestinians in the west bank, pouring gasoline on fires. this was a dale. the del was made and they're attacking palestinians if places they're entitled to be. it has to stop. they have to be held accountable. mr. prime minister, i want to thank you for your partnership and your friendship, quite frankly. for many months, we've seen our alliance grow more critical than ever. we need to continue to make this important progress in our discussions today, we've done just that. first, we're pioneering new advancements and innovations deepening our cooperation. it feels like biotechnology, advance batteries, quantum computing, cyber security and a lot more. we're also signing new technology safeguards agreement to create more opportunities for american space companies to launch vehicles from australia. and we've launched a new artificial intelligence initiative between our national laboratories. for responsible research on humanity's biggest challenges. fighting hunger, curbing pandemics, predicting natural disasters and ending cancer as we know it. as a matter of fact, most of our wives are over at the cancer institute right now. and so much more. second, we're accelerating action on climate change. i thought we had a very good meeting this morning and with secretary kerry and your team. and we're all together on that. in may we established the climate minerals and clean energy compact to elevate our climate cooperation, alongside our defense and economic cooperation. and we're beginning to see the impacts. we've created a critical minerals task force to build the supply chain. we're also investing in sustainable infrastructure in the pacific islands including a sub sea communication cable that boosts connectivity in the region. and we're modernizing funding for small and medium-size businesses in the pacific to help clean. and finally, the alliance between australia and the united states is an anchor to peace and prosperity in the indo-pacific and quite frankly around the world. we see this through our work and the quad partners, india and japan to ensure the indo-pacific remains free, open, prosperous and secure. i also see it where together with the united kingdom, we're making generational investments. last week i sent congress a bubble request to commitments to boost our submarine production and maintenance capacity here in the united states. i want to thank you, mr. prime minister, for the historic investments australia has made to strengthen the submarine industry base as well. democrats and republican alike understand what this brings to our nations and i urge congress to pass our legislation this year. we also see the strength of our alliance in our unwavering support against putin's brutality and aggression. australia and 50 other nations we've been able to put together all doing our part to support ukraine. i want to thank you, mr.