#shorts On 2/10/2023, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “He also said he was — did not believe that Republicans would ultimately make good their threat on — to hold the debt ceiling extension — or expansion — hostage. What leads him to believe that? I mean, has he had subsequent conversations with other Republicans since his meeting with McCarthy? And when — when will he meet again with McCarthy?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have any conversations or meetings to preview for you at this time. As you know, the meeting that he had with Speaker McCarthy not too long ago was respectful, it was productive. You saw us put a readout, and you heard from the Speaker himself when he was out at the sticks after the meeting.

Look, it’s pretty simple, and it’s pretty straightforward. We believe that Congress has a constitutional duty to get this done, to lift the debt ceiling. We’ve been saying that, and they should do it without conditions. That hasn’t changed. They did it three times with the last President. You’ve heard me say the number 78 many times in this briefing room. That’s how many times that they have been able to get this done since 1960. That doesn’t change.

Reporter: He just sounded more optimistic today, and I’m wondering why.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, this is a President who’s always optimistic.

other clips of this published longer video is here: https://youtu.be/N1gHKBJ27Tc
Biden did not believe that Republicans would hold the debt ceiling hostage