With rail strike looming, Biden says he has 'not directly engaged,' contradicting White House press secretary
President Biden's comments come after White House claimed he was 'directly involved' in negotiations
President Biden answered a handful of questions on Thanksgiving Day on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts.
President Biden contradicted White House officials on Thursday, claiming not to have been directly in touch with either side in the looming national railroad strike.
Biden told reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, that negotiations between unions representing railroad workers and their employers were ongoing. The president added since the talks were ongoing, he himself had not engaged directly with any of the parties.
"My team has been in touch with all the parties, in rooms with the parties," said Biden. "I have not directly engaged yet because they're still talking."
Biden's remarks contradict those of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said earlier this week that Biden was "directly involved" in the negotiations.
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President Biden, standing next to Nantucket Fire Department Chief Michael Cranson, left, talks during a visit with firefighters on Thanksgiving Day at the Nantucket Fire Department in Nantucket, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh / AP Newsroom)
"I have not directly engaged yet because they're still talking," President Biden said Thursday of negotiations between unions representing railroad workers and their employers. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP, Pool / AP Newsroom)
"The president is indeed involved directly," said Jean-Pierre. "I don't want to get into the details at this time, but he has been involved. He remains focused on protecting America's families."
WITH RAIL STRIKE LOOMING, WHITE HOUSE WON'T SAY HOW BIDEN IS 'DIRECTLY INVOLVED' IN NEGOTIATIONS
A White House official told FOX Business that the "president is involved in the process as Karine said, but not the negotiations between the unions and companies themselves."
Earlier this week, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) rejected a tentative agreement with the nation's major freight railroads. The union's decision has raised prospects of a nationwide railroad strike that could seriously impact the economy ahead of the holiday season.
"The president is indeed involved directly," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier this week regarding negotiations between unions representing railroad workers and their employers. (Oliver Contreras/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Administration officials have been scrambling to find a compromise to avert the strike. At least one union official involved in the negotiations has suggested that Biden has been largely absent from negotiations.
Jean-Pierre dismissed such talk, however, during a White House press conference on Tuesday.
Prospects are high of a nationwide railroad strike that could seriously impact the economy ahead of the holiday season. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"This is the third time I'm saying he's been directly involved," Jean-Pierre said. "You're talking about one union president. There are 12. You're talking about one."
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"He has been directly involved," she said when pressed by reporters. "I'm not going to get into more details on that, but you're talking about one president out of 12."