WASHINGTON — Amid growing protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on college campuses, the White House is considering a president Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to have minimal attendance for a traditional rite of spring: delivering commencement speeches.
Biden should speak at Morehouse College and at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May, while Harris is only expected to deliver a graduation speech at the Air Force Academy. First lady Jill Bidenwho teaches at a community college, is expected to deliver a keynote address, although no schools have been named.
Two White House officials noted that the number of speeches from Biden and Harris is similar to the previous two years. For comparison, when President Barack Obama was seeking re-election in 2012, he gave speeches at the Air Force Academy, Barnard College and Joplin High School. That same year, Biden, then vice president, spoke at West Point and at high schools in the battleground states of Virginia and Florida.
Another White House official declined to offer insight into how Biden might resolve the campus unrest. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters this week that Biden always views these speeches “as a special time to convey a message — an encouraging message, a message that hopefully is uplifting.” for graduates and their families.
“He will do his best to respond to this moment in terms of what’s happening, the pain that communities are feeling,” she said.
Biden campaign officials say that despite the media focus on campus protests, public polling and their own research show that young voters are more concerned about other issues. A new Harvard University survey found that inflation and health care topped the list of most important issues for voters aged 18 to 29. Gun violence, protecting democracy, climate change and women’s reproductive rights also outnumbered the war in Gaza.
But John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said the polls and other research he has conducted highlight the challenges Biden faces in this environment, as well as the potential opportunity for him to bolster his support by addressing concerns about the Gaza leader. – in a setting similar to an opening ceremony, where students but also their parents, teachers and administrators are gathered.
“This is an important opportunity to try to bridge these divisions, perhaps as only Biden can. Because there are divisions on this issue,” he said.
While the situation in Gaza may not be at the top of the list of topics identified as priorities by young voters, Della Volpe compared it to an issue like climate change, where if a candidate doesn’t share her point of sight, the voters will not dialogue with him. other exits.
“One of the first things a young person says to me is that they don’t feel understood,” Della Volpe said. “It must be recognized that we are seriously working towards a permanent ceasefire. There…
