The White House on Thursday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s call to send the National Guard to quell pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, insisting that it’s up to state governors to first request such a move.
“That is something that is under the governors,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One. “That is something for the governors to decide.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has so far declined to seek federal assistance in managing the protests, which intensified in recent days after Columbia officials invited police onto the campus, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
Similar protests have spread to other college campuses across the country, prompting growing calls from Republicans for the administration to dispatch National Guard troops.
During a visit to Columbia on Wednesday, Johnson vowed to call Biden directly to demand that he take action as protesters shouted him down, calling the situation on campus “dangerous.”
“If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” he said.
The speaker's office confirmed that Johnson reached out to the White House on the issue within an hour of leaving the event at Columbia, though he and Biden have not yet connected. His office is actively working to get a call scheduled.
But Jean-Pierre reiterated that the White House would not consider sending troops to any campus without first receiving a request from the governor. She also declined to say whether Biden would support deploying the National Guard if asked, instead referring back to a statement the White House published Sunday recognizing Passover.
“He said that antisemitism, basically, is wrong and we should call that out and there is no place for hate or hateful rhetoric or any type of violence,” Jean-Pierre said.
Following that statement, Biden made public remarks in which he qualified his condemnation of antisemitism by also criticizing people who don’t empathize with the Palestinians, too.
Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.
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