i'm chris hayes. president joe biden just wrapped up a four-hour summit with chinese president xi jinping. in northern california. we are expecting the president to take questions from the press any minute now, right there at that venue at woodside, california. today's event was the first time that president xi and president biden had met face to face in a year. it's only the second time that they had spoken in person since biden had been elected president. it's also the first visit of president xi to the united states since he met with then president trump at mar-a-lago. of course, more than six years ago. the two presidents held and expanded, bilateral meeting for two hours of southern noon, before having a more smaller, private meeting at 4:30 pm eastern time. there is a lot to talk about, to say the least. at the top of the agenda, a number of unfolding political geo crises. the white house is taking a renewed effort from china to curb the flow of illegal fentanyl in the u.s., specifically, the precursor chemicals into mexico, where they are often fabricated and shipped to the u.s.. fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, is largely manufactured in chinese elapse. it's been a major contributing factors to the shockingly fast overdose crisis in this country. the pentagon is also hoping to resume normal military to military communications with beijing. those have been on hold. we have not had that since then speaker at the house nancy pelosi's controversial visit to taiwan last year. taiwan, of course, is according to the chinese communist party, is a part of china. they did not like the visit to an independent taiwan by the speaker of the house. there is also the ongoing oars in ukraine and gaza, that would be top of mind between the two leaders. there is hope in washington that china could wield its influence with iran 2% the current or in the middle east widening into a larger conflict. the white house would also like to see china pressure north korea to seize supplying weapons to russia, a mits at the war in ukraine. joining us now is nbc news white house correspondent, monica -- monica, set up what this meeting was today, and what the event there is? >> chris, we do understand from president biden himself, he called these some of the most productive and expensive conversations that he has had with president xi. of course, everything that you just outlined, all of these events of the last year did put some pressure on this meeting, but the expectations were a little bit lower because the assumption here was that this could be deemed a success, if things kind of returned to a baseline of a little bit of predictability. the resumption of those military to military communications, that was a high priority. we're told by senior administration officials that that is an outcome of these talks today, as well as china's commitment to helping stem the flow of fentanyl into the united states. we understand from those in the room with president biden on the u.s. side that this was a bit more of a personal exchange, they said, even in that meeting, that they last had a face to face about a year ago on the sidelines at the g20 summit in bali, because that is when the world was emerging from the covid pandemic, so even the seething was further apart. there was more difference between the two leaders, whereas, today, there are much closer, sitting at the same table. they had that brief walk that you saw there in the footage. they also had lunch together. it was a bit of a different tone in terms of the closeness and what could be exchanged here. again, the white house is saying that there is some real progress made. we still need to understand the specifics of that, and going into it, they did not want to lie in the expectations in case things did not go as well, but it seems from my conversations with officials that everything that they had hope for from a very basic level was met. the promise to continue to work on some of the issues, but some of the donor aspects, as well, chris, we know, when it comes to taiwan, for instance, that there was a large time set to discuss the elections that are set to take place there next year. of course, the chinese priorities and how they view that differs very much from what the u.s. says in respect to taiwan and not interfering with taiwan's independence. and then we also know when it comes to the war in gaza, it sounds like from senior administration officials that president biden did most of the talking when it comes to the middle east. that is how it was presented to reporters, and that president xi spent more time listening. of course, there is a message there that is conveyed. we expect to china to pressure iran and its proxy groups not to interfere in any way that would widen or deep in that conflict. we know that that was part of what was discussed as well. and then there were other major issues like climate change, something that the two countries have pledged to gather on an effect to say, if we don't do it, if these powers don't come together on that, that there is very little hope for others and other countries to step up and do more. they have also pledged to work together in that arena. i have to tell you, chris, there was so much stagecraft, so much behind the scenes effort that went into this from the flowers in the room, the seeding, who is going to and i, the camera angles, that chinese officials really wanted to know everything kind of shot by shot in terms of what president xi was going to experience. that gives you a sense of just how they were approaching all of this, but now, we're going to hear from president biden in this solo news conference, where he is going to give his own take about how those talks one. president xi, for his part, has left this meeting to go to his own dinner here in san francisco this evening would top u.s. ceos and business leaders and. in order to make his pitch to why he would like to see more u.s. investment in china, as the chinese economy continues to struggle post-pandemic. so two differing approaches to know how they will communicate with the american people about how these talks went today, from both sides. it does seem that there was some progress made on some key issues, some areas of cooperation, while agreeing that really the goal here was not to make matters worse, they continue this intense diplomacy and to continue to really focus on the strategic competition to make sure nothing goes off the rails here when we have seen some very close calls in the south china sea and taiwan strait in recent months, chris. >> the context here, monika, of course, you've got a 20-year period after the admission of china from the wto in the 90s, the favored nation trading session status in the clinton administration, of the increasing economic activity between the two countries, the two largest economies in the world. over the last few years, we have seen what many people have called a decoupling, untangling of the economic connection between the two nations. we've seen a decline in foreign investment in china. we've also seen increasingly adversarial and nationalist rhetoric on both sides, both from u.s. politicians, particularly under donald trump, and from others, you see it in public opinion, and from the chinese government and its spokespeople, as well as from chinese foreign opinion on chinese social media sites and the like. robert gibbs is with us. he served as white house press secretary for president barack obama. john berner is the former director of the cia, and they both join me now. john, let me start with you, because this is the largest country in the world, it is the largest economy in the world, in aggregate terms. it's been one of the most important trading partners for the u.s.. obviously, anonymously important country. every possible since. and things really have been on a downward trajectory. i think the relationship between the two countries over the last few years, what do you see as the most important agenda here coming out of this meeting from the u.s. side? >> well, i think, chris, things are on a better track. as you pointed out, we had a fair amount of attention in the relationship over the past couple of years. but it is simple countries interest for that to be a stable relationship between beijing and washington. as you point out, there is about three quarters of a trillion dollars in trade that takes place between china and the united states. so, very much, xi jinping want to make sure the china is going to simply be able to work with the united states, because he is dependent on that trade. the u.s. economy, in order to continue to fuel his economy. also, there's about the hundred thousand chinese students, college students here in the u.s., so there are extensive and broad ties between the two countries. so, i think as is pointed out, we need to make sure that there will be communication discourse particularly, military to military communication, so we can avoid any type of unattended escalation of tensions on the military roam. therefore, i do think that having a four-hour meeting, it's a good sign, and i do think that both president xi and president biden want to come out of the meeting to be able to say that things are on a better track. it does not mean that we still are not going to have differences of view and areas of tension, but the fact that we have the leaders of the two largest economies in the world talking to one another and trying to resolve some of the differences, i think it's very possible -- positive development. >> robert, this will be the first primetime presidential press conference in a bit, from president biden, and i suspect he will talk at the beginning about the meeting today with president xi and about u.s. china bilateral relationships, but one imagines that there is a lot that he'll adjust on the economy to donald trump's increasingly unnervingly authoritarian rhetoric to the ongoing war in gaza, the u.s. support of israel and our effort. >> yeah, chris, i think there's no doubt. first and foremost, the president will want to update the american people, really the world, about what was discussed during the four hour meeting. i think the reporters that we lead into this, these ideas that how do you let these two countries with areas of cooperation, it's hard to flip to the newspaper. it's hard to watch the news, and not see an issue that is the most important of those issues that does not require some of their cooperation. that is why today's meeting was so important, and it sounds like some progress was made. we'll hear directly for the president on the. anytime you get the president in front of the press corps, elected to get a full range of questions. my guess is, what is happening in the middle east would be extraordinarily important. you had an inflation report yesterday, which is tremendously important, as it relates to economic or if. and political questions, no doubt, as well. >> john, on the sort of geopolitical aspect of this, particularly with the military to military relations, i have to admit, i remember how controversial the trip was from the chinese side and nancy pelosi. i remember the threats, and the embellished runner coming from beijing in the lead up to that. i had forgotten that normal military to military relationship had been suspended as a result. can you explain what the military to military relationships, normalized military to military relationships mean, and why they are important for two nations that are neither sort of openly in conflict nor really -- >> as they try to address issues that come up between the two countries that involve military forces. for example, when there are tensions in the east china sea or areas up the pacific, it's a way to make sure that there is no misinterpretation of any types of activities that one military might be making. we have the chinese balloon, intelligence gathering balloon just over the united states last year. this is where a military to military communication on a realtime basis is so important. so there can be discussion and to prevent any type of escalation. having that regular engagement and the opportunity to be able to talk at the highest levels, it's so important. that is why i am hoping that one of the real outcomes of the meeting is going to be a real establishment of that, so that both military can in fact talk to one another and prevent any type of preventable problem that could arise whether it be on the air, sea or land. >> robert, one of the main shortage of questions and a political sense for the president, and i think it keeps them from second guessing, is the degree to which he puts his portugal sights on the man likely to be his challenger, in the presidential election. that is the twice impeached, four-time indicted, ex president donald trump. it seems that there has been a back and forth about what to do about how much the current president should communicate about him. i imagine that you'll get some questions to that effect today, and i am curious what you are looking for in terms of how, he and the political team there are thinking about framing this contests as we approach an election year? >> yeah, chris, i just think from just a stark political view, you have to assume at this point that donald trump is the very likely republican nominee. and we know that both sides, we're in a polarized environment, so to reach the people that are going to humbly decide the election, you're going to have to sift through a lot of people who already got their minds made up. i think it's tremendously important politically for the president to continually framed this for us, and from what the choices, and to actively put that voice in front of the american people and not shy away from drawing the contrast. i think the campaign will be long, it will be hard, it will be close, and the sooner that you begin to force that choice, to have people in this country look at the choice from the perspective and viewpoint that you want them to have that choice from, the better off i think the president will be politically. >> john, part of the presidents remarks tonight and the questions that he will answered is about the u.s. audience, an audience in china, and chinese meters, they hear how he is describing what just transpired in that room, but there will also be an international audience, particularly on the question of israel, hamas and gaza. i am curious, that is a place where public diplomacy and u.s. message sending matters quite a bit. there is a domestic israeli audience for it, an audience in the region for, a global pollens, and i'm curious, what you are sort of looking for and tracking how the president talks about the status of that conflict right now? >> i think he will say that he and president xi had a discussion about israel hamas conflict, as it was pointed out earlier. it sounds as though president xi was relatively good, and that is because the united states and biden have been actively involved in trying to do something to be able to bring the tensions down, or bring them to amend. but, china has become increasingly influential and active in the middle east. he was recently responsible for brokering the establishment of relations between iran and saudi arabia. china does have a large stake in the region, and i don't believe china want to see the region go up in flames. that is why i think it's important for president biden and president xi to talk about how they can work together to try to prevent any type of broadening at the conflicts, try to ensure that china uses its influence with iran to be able to discourage hezbollah from engaging and an even larger activity on the northern border of israel. this is something that i think president biden was looking for two, weighing in with president xi, the see if not she would do what he can to prevent further conflict in the middle east. >> there's also an interesting domestic political aspect of the u.s. china bilateral relationship. robert, i want to ask you about this. we have seen both in the polling, india u.s. public sort of opinion of china has gone down, there has been a rise in anti-china sentiment that has been ripped up, particularly by politicians, sometimes, who explicitly say things like, the republican party, we should not be talking about ukraine and helping out against russia, are real enemies and arrivals, china putting our attention there. you have used members of congress calling to expel chinese students from universities, surveilled and more actively. and i am curious what you think about how president biden sort of communicates about what i think is a worrying degree of demagoguery about the u.s. and china relationship domestically? >> i think it's an important question, chris. this is in a relationship that is complicated. it's a very competitive relationship, as it probably should be. look, i think you have to watch the president walk a bit of a fine line here, hoping the chinese accountable, making sure that he delivers in private with president xi, but also not in public, distinct and clear messages about what is important in the relationship and what the united states needs to get out of it. at the same time, walking away from the harshest of rhetoric, because in reality, we can't push these people aside, we can't push this relationship aside, it is imperative, as john said, that there is open communication, and we are working together. the north koreans, and the russians, we are not going to be able to imprint on them without the help of a chinese. >> there is something a little ironic in occasion for today's summit and the fact that they discussed, john, that the middle east, which is that for literally decades, are sort of running the team had been that u.s. policy has been too focused on the middle east, it's been sort of drawn into the thickening middle east politics and international affairs diplomacy, time and time again. it's sort of curtailed what should be a strategic pivot to asia. that would be the place where more u.s. foreign policy resources are being directed. here we, are the big some, it's a pack, president xi is here, and of course, there is extremely intense and deadly conflict in the middle east right now that you are going to have to talk about. >> well, i think the middle east is going to play a prominent role in global politics, and in large part, u.s. national security, for many years to come. i do think that the united states needs to be able to address the issues around the globe, the pivot to asia, dealing with russia's invasion of ukraine but also to be actively involved in trying to mediate some of these tensions that existed in the middle east that ended up in war. i do think that this is something that president biden unfortunately has had decades long experience with, and he's not a novice to any of these issues. nor is president xi. president xi has been in office now for 11 years or so, and therefore, i think it's going to be a discussion between two individuals, who are very astute observers at the international scene. but the united states and china had different interests, objectives and goals, when it comes to a lot of places at the world, including the middle east. that does not mean that we had the need to have a contentious relationship, going to be a hot one at each other, so i do think that because of china's interests, tried to make sure it's legal and its economy, that it does not want large-scale conflicts to erupt in any part of the world, because that is detrimental to chinese economic interests, and his political interest in terms of trying to expand its influence around the world. >> just to reset, here what we're watching there inside california, it's the apec summit, the asian pacific cooperation summit. president xi jinping is in from china and the u.s., in california, he and president biden met today for a series of meetings, to start a large bilateral meeting. it went down to a smaller meeting, the only second in-person meeting, the first time president xi has been there since he visited mar-a-lago. the president of the united states, joe biden now, after a long day of meetings, to come out to talk to the press. >> as you know, i just concluded several hours of a meeting with president xi. it was one of the most productive discussions that we have had. both of us were vice president over ten years ago. our municipal has been candid and straightforward. we have not always agreed, but it's been straightforward. today, we built on the ground work of the last several months with the high level work of our diplomacy teams. we made several progress. first, i'm pleased to announce, after many years of being on hold, we are restarting cooperation between the united states and prc in counter narcotics. in 2019, you may remember, china took action to reduce the amount of fentanyl shipped directly from china into the united states. but in the year since that time, the challenge has evolved from finished fentanyl to fentanyl chemical ingredients and pill prices, which are being shipped without control. by the way, some of these pills are being cited another drug seconds cocaine. a lot of people are dying. more people in the united states between the ages of 18 to 49 die from fentanyl then from guns, car accidents or any other costs, period. so today, with this new understanding, we're taking action to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and bill pressures from china to the western hemisphere. it's going to save lives, and i appreciate president xi's commitment on this issue. president xi and i test our tough to maintain policy and law enforcement coordination going forward to make sure that it works. i also want to thank the bipartisan congressional delegation to china, led by the leader ship chuck schumer in october, for supported efforts, and these efforts are strong. secondly, and this is a critically important, we are really assuming military to military contact, direct contact, as a lot of you press no from all this, that has been very worrisome. that's how accidents happened, misunderstandings, sore back to derek, open, clear direct communications on a direct basis. vital miscalculations on either side can cause real, real trouble with a country like china or any other metrics country. i think we will progress there as well. and thirdly, we are going to get our experts together to discuss risk and safety issues associated with our official intelligence. as many of you travel with me around the world, almost everywhere i go, almost every major leader wants to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence. these are tangible steps in the right direction to determine what is useful and not useful. what is dangerous and acceptable. moreover, there are evidence of cases that i made all along. the united states will continue to compete for the prc, but we'll manage that competition responsibly, so that it does not veer into conflict or accidents low catholic. and or it's possible, where our interests coincide, more together, like we did on fentanyl. that is what the world expects of us. the rest of the world, not just people in china, and the united states, but the rest of the world expects that all of us. that is what the united states is going to be doing. today, president xi and i also changed using the reins every cynical issues, including pressing issues, to stop the war and brutal war of aggression against ukraine and the conflict in gaza. as always, i raced areas where the united states has concern about the prc's actions, including detained and ex banned u.s. citizens, human rights and horse of activities in the south china sea. we discussed all through it does things. i gave him names of individuals that we think are being held, and we hope we can get them back as well. no agreement on the. no agreement on that. as was stressed the importance of peace and stability in the taiwan straits. it's clear, that we object to beijing's non market economic practices that disadvantage american businesses and workers, it will continue to address them. i welcomed the positive steps that we have taken today, and it's important for the world to see that we are implementing an approach in the best traditions of american diplomacy. or talking to our competitors and just talking, being blunt with one another, so there is no misunderstanding. as a key element to maintaining global stability for the american people. in the months ahead, will continue to preserve and pursue high-level diplomacy with the prc in both directions, they keep the lines of communication open, including between president xi and me. he and i agreed that other one will pick up the phone, call directly and be heard immediately. now, i would like to be able to take some questions. and i am told that dimitri at the financial times has the first question. >> thank you, and as an irishman, i apologize for bringing the right. >> oh, my god, i wouldn't have called you if i knew that. i am teasing, fire. >> president biden, can you explain americas role into major global crises, ukraine and gaza, does that alter your previous commitment to defend taiwan from any chinese military action, and did she jumping up on the traditions under which china would attack taiwan? >> look, i reiterate what i have said since i have become president, but every previous president and said, that we maintain an agreement that there is a one china policy, and i am not going to change that. that is not going to change. so, that is about the extent to which we discussed it. next question, sorry was bloomberg. >> mister president, it appears among other issues that you're agreement with president xi jinping over fentanyl will require a lot of trust and verification to ensure success. i am wondering, after today and considering all that you have been through in the past year, would you say, mister president, that you trust president xi? and secondly, if i could, on taiwan, you and your administration officials have warned president xi and china about interference in the upcoming election. i'm wondering, what would the consequences be if they do in fact interfere? >> i had that discussion with them to, i made it clear, i did not expect any interference, any at all. we had that discussion. look, do i trust, trust and verify, as the old saying goes. that is where i am. we are in a pedigree listenership, china and the united states, but my responsibility is to make it, make this rational and manageable, so it does not resolving conflict. that is what i am all about. that is what this is about. to find a place where we can come together, and we are we find mutual interest, but most importantly, from my perspective, and the interest of the american people, that is what this is about. that is exactly what we'll do. we're in a situation where we agreed that fentanyl as precursors will be curbed substantially, and the pro crisis, that is big movement. by the way, i guess i should identify where it occurred. john and i know two people where i live, where kids have woke up dead, whether the young man or did or not -- the job he was taking was fentanyl. again, i hope you don't experience knowing anyone. this is the largest killer. people in that age category, and, you know, i guess the other thing that i think is most important is that -- i have spent more time with president xi than any world leader has, just because we were vice president's. president who, i'm not making a joke, president who and president obama thought we should get to know one another,e president identities to be going with the vice president. we may, if i'm not mistaken, for 68 hours, a face to face, simultaneous interpreter. i think i know the man, i know his motive separately. we have disagreements. he has a different view than i have on a lot of things, but he's been straight. i don't mean that good, bad or indifferent, he's been straight. so, as i have said, the thing that i find most assuring, is he raised, and i fully agreed that if anyone of us have any concern, any concern about anything between our nations, or happening in our region, which pick up the phone, call one another and take the call. that is an important progress. i am embarrassed, i think it's a bs, but i can't member who, cbs, i am sorry. >> thank you, mister president. >> sorry. i apologize. >> you continue to stress -- does not veer into conflict or confrontation. the past few years, -- indo-pacific and military activity south china sea. if that does not count, dispute into confrontation, and did you issue any warnings to xi against doing that? >> first of all, none of it did end up in conflict, number one. number two, you may recall, i did things like at the quad together, allow australia to have access to new summaries, moving in a direction with the philippines. our actions speak louder than words. >> because the thing is that the day, sir, i do have a question about the idf raid on the al-shifa hospital. -- operatives that are there. he also said that we must protect hostages, so when you weigh the target against the number of civilian, is the operation just? >> look, we did discuss this, by the way. we can't let it get out of control. here's the situation, if you have a circumstance where the first war crimes being committed by hamas by having their headquarters, their military, hidden under hospital, and that is a fact. that is what is happening. israel did not go in with large number of troops, the raid or bring them down. they've gone in and come in with the soldiers, carrying weapons with guns. they were told -- pulled, let me be precise. we discussed the need for them to be incredibly careful. you have a circumstance where you know there is a fair number of hamas terrorists. how maserati said publicly if they plan on attacking israel again, like they did before, cutting babies heads off, burning women and children alive. the idea that if they will stop and not doing anything, it's not realistic. it is not the carpet bombing. this is a different thing. we're going through these tunnels, going to the hospital, and if you notice, i was mildly preoccupied today, i apologize if i did not see everything, but i did see, whether i have not had the confirming it, i asked my team to answer the question. what happened is, they're also bringing in incubators, bringing in other means to help people in the hospital, and they have given the doctors, and i am told, the doctors and nurses and personal, an opportunity to get out of harm 's way. so, this is a different story, and i believe it was the crime report of indiscriminate bombing. who else we got? washington post. >> mister president, -- 11,000 palestinians and over a month -- >> i am sorry -- >> israel's war in gaza has killed more than 11,000 palestinians, just over a month and created a humanitarian disaster. israeli officials have said this could go on for months or even years. have you communicated to prime minister netanyahu, a deadline or timeframe for how long the war will afford israel and the operation? a possible with the operation going on indefinitely, and is there any deal underway to free hostages, thank you. >> yes, no, working backward forward. look, i have been deeply involved in moving on the hostage negotiation. i don't know what to get ahead of myself here, because i don't know what happened at the last four hours. i have -- we have gotten great operation from qatar. i have spoken with them as well, a number of times. i think the pause that the israelis have agreed to, it's down too much detail. but i am mildly oval, mildly hopeful. with regard to when is this going to stop, i think it's going to stop when the hamas no longer maintains the capacity to murder, abuse and due up a horrific thing to these rallies. and they still think, at least at this point, they that they could. i guess, this to say is that, i take a look. the idea of the israeli defense forces acknowledges that they have an obligation to use as much caution as they can going after their targets. it's not like the russian hospital knocking down doors, pulling people aside, shouldn't people indiscriminately. but hamas, as i said, said they plan on attacking israel. and this is a terrible dilemma. so, what do you do? i think that israel is also taking risk themselves about their folks being killed, 1 to 1, going to the hospital rooms, hospital halls. but one thing has been establish, is that hamas does have headquarters, weapons, material along the hospital. and i suspect others, but how long it's going to last, i don't know. look, i have made it clear to the israelis that, to be b and i swore cabinet, that i think the only answer here is a two state solution. we got to get to the point where there is an ability to be able to even talk without worrying about whether or not they're just dealing with hamas, is going to engage in the current activities that they did over in the pass, on the seventh. i can tell, i am not a fortune teller. i can tell you how long it will lasts, but i could tell you i don't think it does not end until there is a two state solution. i made it clear to the israelis, i think it's a big mistake for them to think that they will occupy gaza and maintain gaza. i don't think that works. so, i think you're going to see efforts to bring along, i should not go into any more, because that's things that we have been negotiating with arab countries, within accepts. but, anyway, thank you all very much, appreciate. >> this and at the press conference. >> president joe biden there coming out of -- >> hamas said that they plan on doing the same thing again, with what they did, what they've done on the seventh. theory want to slaughter israelis, want to do it again. they've said it allowed. they're not getting about it. they're not backing off. so, i just ask rhetorical question. i wonder what we would do if that were the case. >> the american hostage is -- >> what i meant was is that i am doing everything i'm apart or get you out, commit to help you. i don't mean sending military, is that we thought i might mean? >> i heard you -- >> i was not talking about military. i was talking about there on our mind every single day, 5 to 6 times a day, i am working on how i could be helpful and getting the oxygen is released and have a period of time when there is a pause long enough for that to happen. there's something between 15 and 100 hostages there, we thank. >> one is a three-year-old american child -- >> that's why i'm not going to stop until we get them. >> can you detail for us what kind of evidence that hamas has a command center under al-shifa hospital? >> -- >> do you feel absolutely confident based on what you know? >> yes, yes. >> and mister president, do you still referred to presidency as a dictator, a term that used earlier this week? >> look, he is. he is a dictator in the sense that he's a guy that runs the country based on a form of government totally different from ours. anyway -- >> stop attacking u.s. forces and -- >> president joe biden appearing after that summit today with president xi jinping and china, spoke for a few minutes at the top, to questions for about 25 minutes from about five or six reporters, maybe seven towards the end of their, sort of classic biden move through and, set to walk away, then people back it by a question. peter alexander asking him if you there. the questions and the news here, mostly on foreign policy, two main takeaways, top ones, i would say, the president really kind of refusing to take any kind of day on china vis-à -vis u.s. conflict towards areas of hostility between the technicians, trying to kind of keep things on a upbeat footing, if that makes sense. also declined to put really any daylight between the biden administration and the u.s. and the israeli government's current prosecution of the war in gaza. i want to bring in robert gibbs, who served what aspect secretary for president barack obama and john brennan, the former director of the cia. i will be with you, robert and your thoughts, of what we heard there. >> my first thought is, watching the president tried to walk away after somebody on the press staff in the press conference, only to answer, two or three more questions, always the bane of press corps, in any administration. and you can see, you tend to get more dangerous questions when that happens. i was struck by a couple of things, not the least of which, chris, he's just did a four-hour meeting. i think he is probably remarkably clear with president xi about american views, about his own views on policy, and it's always hard to go out and explain in this crystal clear terms, with which you just talked to the president. you heard the broad outlines of what they got accomplished, which i think was extraordinarily helpful, made some real progress, particularly, as john said earlier, military to military communication, but a real reticence to get into the back and forth of exactly what was said. obviously, dominated about what is happening in the middle east, even as much as what is going on inside of that diplomatic room today. >> john, it shocked me that there is a strong desire after having many hours trying to sort of stitch this relationship back together, that was fraying, did not want to step on that. i feel like we saw some real discipline from the president on that score, of multiple questions drawing red lines around taiwan, reiterating the support for the one china policy and leaving it at that. with did you think of his approach to those questions? >> i think he certainly emphasized by his evasive answers, quite honestly, on taiwan. the policy, most u.s. policy of strategic ambiguity, when it comes to support for taiwan. in the event of some type of chinese military action. and that is what is i think is appropriate, particularly as he speaks to the world and speaking publicly. now, i think we have to remember that what he says publicly is going to be different than what he's properly to president xi. as harper said, is not going to want to make this conference about the areas of conflict and tension. i think he was pleased for up to four hours that progress on military to military, also interesting that it will be this bilateral review of the risks associated with artificial intelligence. because i do think the high tech areas, one of the most difficult challenging between the united states and china, when they talk about artificial intelligence, quantum computing, because trips and other types of things. so i think, on the whole, president biden is going to come away from these meetings it feeling that things are progressing, things are moving along a better track, i see noted, there has been a series of high-level engagement between u.s. and chinese officials in the proceeding months. this is not a one-off, and i think it's going to be a continuation of trying to resolve some of these outstanding issues between the two largest countries, basically, in the world. >> robert, i want to ask you about the presidents responses, just through the domestic, political lens, not necessarily from the international relations lens, on the current war in gaza. it's been pretty clear, in this public posture, has been bare haugen benjamin yet neo-whose government, standing solidly behind israel in solidarity, blinken in the region, president itself going to the region, very little daylight between the u.s. and israel. there's been reporting indicating that there has been more daylight behind the scenes, that there has been tougher conversations about the means by which the war is being conducted. we saw once again, a public posture that was the president, as israel's defender publicly against criticisms of the enormous, enormous human toll, specifically children to all of the war there. what did you think? >> chris, i am shocked by the fact that probably three of the four occasions, the president set back to reiterate that hamas wanted to do this again, repeatedly, and if they were not stopped, we're not the great, it were not destroyed, they would do this. i think that gives you a sense of that is the takeaway that he wants people to understand broadly, that the reason that he is so supportive is, if he's not supportive, and if israel does not do it what it needs to do, then we are going to see more and more of the attacks. i agree, what you have probably not heard is the behind the scenes, and he saw the president kind of catches up by saying what he had told netanyahu and then backed up and rephrased it. i think was the sort of -- you saw for a second there, what those conversations are like on the telephone, versus what we are hearing broadly and externally in precedence like this. but short by the fact that you reiterated the danger of the hamas capability, and the real need to degrade and destroy that as being the biggest thing out there. >> robert gibbs and john brennan, gentlemen, thank you both for taking all this time with us tonight. really, really appreciate it, thank you so much. what we are back. what we are back my mom's life is the most important thing to me. hi mom! i called my mom, "i have this gene and i think you need to get tested." she feels like it was truly lifesaving. i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. it's easy to get lost in investment research. introducing j.p. morgan personal advisors. hey david. connect with an advisor to create your personalized plan. let's find the right investments for your goals okay, great. j.p. morgan wealth management. ♪everything i do that's for my health is an accomplishment.♪ ♪concerns of getting screened faded away♪ ♪to my astonishment.♪ ♪my doc gave me a script i got it done without a delay.♪ ♪i screened with cologuard and did it my way.♪ cologuard is a one-of-a-kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive. it's for people 45 plus at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪i did it my way!♪ thursday night football on prime. it's on. thursday night football is on, as the cincinnati bengals take on the baltimore ravens. meet the jennifers. each planning their future through the chase mobile app. hellooo new apartment. one bank for now. for later. for life. in a very busy day for chase. make more of what's yours. president joe biden just got out of that summit and the press conference today, here also found time to explicitly condemn the fascist language of donald trump. comparing it to freeze us from not see germany. among trump made those comments at a campaign rally over the weekend referring to his political opponent says, quote, remain. i think it is an important to know that donald trump isn't just echoing fascist language which has been sort of the theme of the coverage, he is specifically choosing his words in an effort to dehumanizes enemies and target them for violence. vermin are animals who cause problems and disease and need to be dropped and killed. that is what you are implying when you call other human beings, your political foes, your fellow citizens, your fellow americans, furman. that is fascist language. using that language is fascist. sadly, none of this is theoretical or abstract. political violence has been a through line of the trump era, starting from his earliest rallies when the ex president explicitly endorsed and encouraged violence against protesters. at the conclusion of his presidency, he incited a violent mob to sack the capital. recently, he has been fixated on a particularly ghastly example of political violence, the attack on former speaker nancy pelosi's husband paul last october. every year -- a year, later the perpetrator of that attack is not on trial, his testimony has not received any were nearly enough attention. and it deserves that attention, because the story of this attack is a story of precisely how right-wing political violence comes about in this country in this moment, in the age of donald trump, and the maga movement. remember, it was just over a week before the midterm elections last fall when we learned of the violent invasion, the home of than speaker of the house nancy pelosi, >> 82-year-old paul pelosi underwent surgery today after being struck with a hammer, suffering a skull fracture, in the early morning attack. his alleged assailant, a 42-year-old man, charged tonight with attempted homicide. the intruder allegedly demanding to see the speaker. speaker pelosi seconded the presidential line of succession, as we noted it was not home at the time of the attack. now police say motive is not been determined, the circumstances of the adults are only deepening the chill filled felt by many in congress, and what authorities say is a more threatening political climate. >> incredibly upsetting situation, and it did appear from the very beginning that the attack was likely political in nature. that became increasingly clear as more detail s to emerge, the assailants, the assailant himsel 42-year-old david depape told police that he broke into the home of items including zip ties, tape, rope, a hammer, intending to hold speaker pelosi hostage. he wanted to interrogator, and if she lied, he said he was going to rape her kneeps. we learned about the assailants ideology and online presence, where, he quote, had been drifting further into the world of far-right conspiracies. antisemitism and hate as a los angeles times put. it quote, his -- encourage posts about qanon unfounded theories that former president trump is at war -- saying warship -- on a sex crime ring and control the world. and then instead of accepting those facts, we saw this concerted effort from the right-wing to obfuscate exactly what happened. almost immediately, they tried to muddy the waters, to confuse, people to hide what we then knew, what was staring us in the, face that this was an example of political violence inspired by the same feted ideology that donald trump was using to his benefit. >> these people did everything they could to pretend that this guy isn't exactly what he saw clearly was. so they made up all sorts of disgusting stories. they just, remember this? they made up the lie that the brutal attack on this man was some sort of lovers quarrel, just fabricated out of thin air, a fabrication to cover for a violent right-wing assault. a guy who had been clearly influenced by violent right-wing rhetoric. and this was not fringe, i want to be clear. republican members of congress, trump junior, even elon musk elevated that lie. and they made it a central part of the discourse. we saw all kinds of obfuscation about the assailants politics. republican senator ted cruz of texas signed on to this claim that it's absurd to try to paint a hypnotist from berkeley as some kind of militant right-winger. now, we should note here, thankfully, paul pelosi recovered. after ongoing surgery to repair a skull fracture,. it could've been so much worse. and we should keep in mind that it was the second act of serious right-wing political violence in the run up to an election that trump era, the last midterms, 2018, amanda became known as the maga bomber mail 16 packages containing actual pipe bombs to democratic politicians and other critics of donald trump. he tried to blow them up! we but this utterly horrifying story, which serves as a great warning to us all, became a punchline on the right. among conservatives. now, i don't actually think that they are joking about paul pelosi's violent attack, because they think it is funny, they are joking about it because that joking signals to their audience that's what happened is fine! >> -- nancy pelosi, well, she has got protection when she isn't easy, apparently heroes doesn't have a lot of protection. >> she is losing the gavel, but finding the hammer. >> too soon? is that too soon? >> we had no tara doing my administration, the only terror we had was nancy pelosi, crazy one. she is a lunatic! she is a crazy lunatic, what is going on with her husband, let's not talk about it. let's not. all withdraw that statement. she has got to have a wall around her, house obviously in that case it didn't work very well. >> that is what donald trump said this past weekend, a few days ago. it is part of the stump speech, he is still talking and joking about the 82 year old husband of the speaker of the house being violently assaulted with a hammer to his, had causing a skull fracture, he is joking about that. to the audience who all laugh with him about how funny it is that this man was violently assaulted. and he is doing this full david duke is on trial in federal court in california. yesterday, he stood up to testify under oath and describe it was clear from the beginning, or should have been clear donald trump and all of his allies. he said he went to the pelosi's home as part of the bigger plot to end what he viewed as government corruption, and he cheerfully recounted about his political leanings, that they went from leftist to, yes, right-wing. after reading a comment on a youtube video about former president donald trump. he became radicalized towards this violence through the maga cult of donald trump. these are the reasons real stakes, the debate about trump's rhetoric and his fascist behavior, it leads people to believe that the political violence is okay, that it is desirable, if their political enemies are subhuman, and if you bash their head with a hammer, it is funny! this movement has gotten people hurt, and more people are going to get hurt. until the movement stopped.