Biden Asked Reporter if She Can 'Keep from Getting Hit in the Head' After Gaza Question

In mid-November 2024, social media posts and media outlets highlighted an alleged remark by U.S. President Joe Biden in response to a reporter's question about securing a deal with Hamas to release Israel's hostages in Gaza.

The reporter asked, "President Biden, do you think we can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?" And the president supposedly responded, "Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a camera behind you?"

The exchange supposedly happened on Nov. 12, 2024, as Biden fielded reporters' questions before a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Biden did indeed use the above words, as evidenced by the White House's official transcript, video footage of the moment and confirmation from the in-question journalist, Israeli news reporter Neria Kraus. We thus determined the quote to be correctly attributed.

It was unclear what Biden meant by the response, which, according to the transcript and video footage, capped the journalists' question-asking portion of the event. The White House transcript (archived) reads (emphasis ours):

Reporter: President Biden, do you think we can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?

Biden: Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a — a camera behind you? All right. Well, thank you all. Well, Mr. President [speaking to Herzog], welcome back to the Oval Office and the White House.  You've been a friend for a long time, a personal friend.  And you know my commitment to Israel is ironclad and we share a deep friendship.

The reporter at the center of the exchange — Kraus, who works for Israeli news Channel 13 — posted the video of the moment. Kraus wrote on X: "I asked President Biden if he thinks that he can get a hostage deal done by the end of his term. He answered, commenting on the number of cameramen in the room: 'do you think that you can get hit in the head by the camera behind you?'"

Kraus later wrote on X, "The thing that truly concerns me about Biden's response to my question is that the political reality is such that President Biden, who's committed to bring the hostages home, was not able to give me a clear answer about this very critical question regarding getting a hostage deal by the end of his term."

During Biden's meeting with Herzog, the Israeli president said 101 Israelis were still being held as hostages in Gaza and discussed what he called "sad news of the day" — the latest rocket attacks from Lebanon, which killed two people. Biden reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to supporting Israel.