Did Joe read his teleprompter instructions? Biden declares: ‘We’ll have something that we do not seek – make it clear we do not seek – we do not seek to have American troops fighting in Russia’

Joe Biden appeared to read his teleprompter instructions during his Oval Office speech on Thursday evening, reading the words “make it clear” as part of his sentence.

The president, discussing the wars in Israel and Ukraine, stated: “We will have something that we are not seeking – make it clear that we are not seeking – we are not seeking to have American troops fighting in Russia.”

Biden, 80, addressed the American people after returning to Washington DC on Thursday morning following a seven-hour trip to Israel.

Biden’s visit was his second this year to an active war zone: in February he made a secret visit to Kiev to mark the anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

“I was told I was the first American to enter a war zone not controlled by the United States military since President Lincoln,” he said Thursday of the February visit.

President Joe Biden used his address to the American people Thursday evening to warn Iran that it would be held responsible for supporting both Russia and Hamas.

The president declared Thursday that “American leadership is what holds the world together,” arguing that the United States must deepen its support for Ukraine and Israel amid two very different, unpredictable and bloody wars.

Biden acknowledged that “these conflicts can seem distant” and emphasized in a rare Oval Office speech that they “remain vital to America’s national security.”

He said he will ask Congress for billions of dollars in military aid for both countries.

“History has shown us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos, more death, more destruction,” Biden said.

‘They continue. And the costs and threats to America and the world continue to rise.”

Biden’s speech reflected an expansive look at America’s commitments abroad at a time when he faces political resistance to additional funding at home. He is expected to request $105 billion on Friday, including $60 billion for Ukraine, much of which would supplement previously provided U.S. arms supplies.

There is also $14 billion for Israel, $10 billion for humanitarian efforts, $14 billion for managing the U.S.-Mexico border and combating fentanyl trafficking and $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, which includes Taiwan. The proposal was described by three people familiar with the details who insisted on anonymity before the official announcement.

“It’s a smart investment that will pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, October 19, 2023 in Washington about the war in Israel and Ukraine. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

He hopes that combining all these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary coalition for congressional approval. His speech came the day after his high-stakes trip to Israelwhere he showed solidarity with the country after the Hamas attack on October 7 and urged more humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

As Israel continues to bomb the Gaza Strip and prepares a ground invasion, Biden placed greater emphasis on the deadly toll the conflict has taken on civilians there, saying he is “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian lives.”

“Israel and the Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace,” Biden said. He also warned of a rising tide of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the US murder of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy.

“To anyone who is hurting, I want you to know that I see you. You belong. And I want to say this to you. You’re all Americans.’

As Biden seeks a second term in a campaign that will likely hinge on voters’ feelings about the economy, he was careful to emphasize that the spending will create jobs for American workers, pointing to rocket construction in Arizona and artillery shells in Pennsylvania, Ohio. and Texel.

And he gave a nod to one of his political heroes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, by saying that “just as in World War II,” the country is “building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom.”

Biden faces a series of major challenges as he tries to secure the money. The House of Representatives remains in chaos because the Republican majority has been too cannot select speaker replacing Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted more than two weeks ago.

In addition, conservative Republicans are opposing funding to send more weapons to Ukraine as the fight against Russia’s invasion nears the two-year mark. Biden’s previous funding request, which included $24 billion to help with the next few months of fighting, was removed from the list. last month’s budget legislation Despite a personal plea of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

There will be resistance from some on the other side of the political spectrum when it comes to military aid to Israel, which bombed the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ attack on October 7.