Why Biden decided to speak out about the campus protests after days of silence

After days of silence from President Joe Biden on the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses nationwide, his decision to speak out Thursday served as an acknowledgement that it was unavoidable to stay quiet for much longer.

WASHINGTON — After days of silence from President Joe Biden about the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses nationwide, his decision to speak out Thursday was an acknowledgment that it was unavoidable to stay quiet for much longer, according to three people familiar with the decision, while Americans were seeing nonstop images of students clashing with law enforcement. 

Biden didn’t offer anything new about the White House’s position on the unrest. He forcefully condemned violent behavior while imploring those demonstrating to keep their actions peaceful and lawful. 

“We’ve all seen the images,” Biden said, referring to standoffs at UCLA and Columbia University that had escalated in the previous 24 hours after police removed and arrested hundreds of protesters from encampments.

“There’s the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos,” Biden added. He delivered the remarks just before he left for a day trip to North Carolina, where aides expected he would be peppered with questions on the protests.

On Wednesday night, after a campaign event at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, Biden asked his advisers to develop remarks he might deliver should he decide to speak, two sources familiar with the planning said, and he then reworked the draft.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-speak-campus-protests-days-silence-rcna150432

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