Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, wants President Biden to go to Columbia University and see the pro-Palestine protests happening there. Johnson and some other Republicans visited the university and spoke out against the protests.
When asked if he would ask Biden to visit Columbia, Johnson said yes. He also said that he called the White House to tell them about the situation.
Last week, Johnson and other Republicans held a press conference at Columbia, where they asked the university’s president to resign because of the protests. They also told the protesting students to go back to class and stop the demonstrations.
Johnson said he planned to call Biden and tell him what he saw at Columbia. He said there might be a need for the National Guard to come in and stop the protests.
The protests at Columbia got worse on Tuesday night when some protesters took control of a building. They blocked the entrances and put up a Palestinian flag.
The White House said this was the wrong thing to do. They said taking over a building is not a peaceful way to protest. They also said there’s no place for hate speech or symbols in the country.
When asked about Johnson’s comments, a White House spokesperson repeated that hate speech and symbols are not acceptable. They didn’t say if Biden would visit Columbia.
