White House juggling 'multiple crises' between Afghanistan, Hurricane Ida, official says

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The White House admitted it is dealing with "multiple crises" in the wake of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and deadly Hurricane Ida, which has killed over 40 Americans in recent days. 

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House deputy press secretary, held a press gaggle Friday aboard Air Force One en route to Louisiana, where President Biden is scheduled to meet with local leaders and take an aerial tour to assess the damage from recent Hurricane Ida. 

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Jean-Pierre was asked by a reporter about a number of recently published polls, including one by Washington Post-ABC News showing that Americans approve of removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but do not approve of Biden's handling of the withdrawal.

"Well, let me just say, I know there's been a lot of polls and conversations about, you know, the different multiple crises the president has to deal with right now. But […] this is the role of the president, right?, to make sure that we keep working. We have addressed multiple crises at the same time," answered Jean-Pierre.

The deputy press secretary said that Biden's "strong and capable team" were able to adapt quickly and work on the Afghanistan airlift to get as many people out of the country as possible. 

Jean-Pierre went as far as to say that under Biden's leadership, the Afghanistan withdrawal became "one of the most historic airlifts that was able to happen."

She failed to mention the 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the airlift operation and the estimated hundreds of Americans who remain behind in the country that has been taken over by the Taliban. 

Jean-Pierre also stated that Hurricane Ida is among the "different crises" Biden is currently working on. 

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Biden traveled to Louisiana Friday to meet with FEMA and local leaders at St. John Parish's Emergency Operations Center. He is expected to give remarks after assessing damage caused by the storm on an aerial tour of Laffite, Grand Isle, Port Fourchon and Lafourche Parish.

At least 43 people have been reported dead after historic rains linked to Hurricane Ida flooded northeastern states on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.