White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre distanced President Biden from supporting or opposing National Guard involvement in handling campus Gaza solidarity protests a day after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stood on the steps of Columbia University saying he'd call Biden and ask him to take appropriate executive action.
Johnson said there is an appropriate time for the National Guard if the protests are not contained.
Jean-Pierre emphasized it's up to the governor of the state to enact the National Guard.
"When [Biden] talked about Passover as Jewish Americans were celebrating, he said antisemitism is wrong and we should call it out," Jean-Pierre said. "There is no place for hate or hateful rhetoric or any type of violence, obviously, and that is something we continue to be very consistent about."