President Joe Biden will deliver an Oval Office foreign policy speech to the nation on Thursday, the White House announced on Wednesday.
The Oval Office address is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will address the administration’s response to Hamas’ war with Israel.
Two senior administration officials said the President plans to use the address to make a direct appeal to the American people to continue funding both Ukraine and Israel amid their respective wars.
Biden’s second Oval Office speech comes just one day before the administration plans to ask for $100 billion from Congress to deliver aid and resources to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the U.S.-Mexico border.
“He’s going to make the case that the cost of inaction and the cost of walking away is much higher,” according to one official.
Recent polling has shown that public opinion on providing aid has been met with mixed results. A CNN poll found 36 percent of Americans were unsure whether the level of US assistance is appropriate. Meanwhile, 35 percent say the United States is providing a good amount of aid.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022, the White House and Congress have provided over $75 billion to Kyiv, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Biden made a historic trip to Israel on Wednesday, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Israel was born to be a safe place for the Jewish people in the world,” Biden said in remarks following the meeting. “While it may not feel that way today, Israel must again be a safe place for the Jewish people.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back to the United States, Biden said reflected on his trip, saying things got done despite his meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Jordan being postponed.
“Disappointed? Look, I came to get something done. I got it done,” he said. “Not many people thought we could get this done, and not many people want to be associated with failure.”
