May 2nd 2024.
President Joe Biden has been notably quiet about the recent student protests and police interventions on college campuses. The tension has been escalating for several days, with some demonstrators refusing to disperse and school administrators resorting to law enforcement to remove them. This has caught the attention of politicians and the media, but the president's last public statement on the matter was over a week ago. He condemned the "antisemitic protests" and criticized those who do not understand the situation in Gaza.
The White House has also been questioned by reporters about the protests, but their responses have been limited. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the president is "closely monitoring the situation." She also acknowledged that some protests have crossed the line from free speech to unlawful behavior, specifically mentioning the takeover of a building at Columbia University.
President Biden has never been one to participate in protests himself. He has always believed in the importance of compromise and finding common ground. Even during the Vietnam War protests in 1968, he was in law school and did not partake in the demonstrations. As a result, he has been criticized by Republicans for not speaking out against the protests and for not cutting off US support for Israel, as demanded by some protesters.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, held a press conference last week with other members of his party at Columbia University, using the chaos on college campuses as a backdrop for their criticism of the president. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, saying that Biden needs to be the voice of the country and that his silence is alarming. He repeated these sentiments at a campaign event in Wisconsin.
However, Kate Berner, who worked on Biden's campaign in 2020, believes that this tactic by Republicans is nothing new. They tried the same approach during the protests over George Floyd's murder, but it was ultimately rejected by the public. It was seen as fearmongering and not based in reality.
Despite the pressure and criticism, the White House has been hesitant to directly address the issue. Jean-Pierre avoided answering questions during a press briefing, stating that universities and colleges make their own decisions about disciplining protesters and calling in the police. She also noted that it is up to the schools to decide on rescheduling graduation ceremonies.
In the midst of all this, President Biden is scheduled to make a visit to a college campus on May 19. He will be delivering the commencement address at Morehouse University in Atlanta. It remains to be seen if he will address the ongoing protests and tensions on college campuses in his speech.
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