White House reporters ask zero questions about Hurricane Helene in surprise opportunity to press Biden

Reporters had a unique opportunity to question President Biden when he made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing on Friday, but didn't ask about the historic disaster unfolding in the Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

It was the first time that Biden appeared at a White House press briefing since taking office. The president spoke briefly about the suspended port workers strike and Friday's positive jobs numbers, and he announced that he may request additional money from Congress to fund Hurricane Helene relief efforts. But there was no follow-up from the press on hurricane relief.

After thanking the president for his presence, the first reporter asked about Republicans casting doubt on his economic numbers, saying, "Florida Sen. Marco Rubio described today's jobs report as having fake numbers. What do you make of that? And how worried are you that many Americans are hearing that the jobs numbers aren't real?"

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The crisis in the Middle East was the biggest topic, with questions about Biden's comments about strikes on Iranian oil facilities, Israeli plans to retaliate, possible U.S. sanctions, and worries about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to influence the U.S. election.

Election security and the peaceful transfer of power were also top of mind for reporters.

"The election is a month away. One, I'd like to know how you're feeling about how this election is going. And then also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful?" one reporter asked. "Are you making any preparations, getting security briefings related to domestic security?"

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