President Biden isn't about to cross any picket lines, asserts pro-writers stance

Given that the average sitting commander-in-chief regularly relies on an entire communications department to help craft their public persona, it’s not too much of a surprise that President Biden seems to understand the importance of writers and not pissing them off. Ahead of a Monday evening screening of the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese hosted at The White House (where he was joined by Ke Huy Quan), Biden offered a few words on the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike, now in its second week.

“Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and value they deserve. I sincerely hope that the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved — and the writers are given the fair deal they deserve, as soon as possible,” the president shared. His statement was met with immediate applause and cheers from the audience.

Per Variety, the White House declined to comment on the situation last week; the WGA began striking on May 2, after the Guild’s contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expired on May 1. Across the country—but primarily at studios in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA—picketing writers have come together to loudly and proudly voice their industry concerns, which range from the growing creative-copyright threat of A.I. to the financial instability created by piddly streaming residuals and truncated mini rooms.

President Biden concluded: “This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. We need the writers — and all the workers — and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation. And the stories of all of us.” Following the speech, the Writers Guild of America, East shared the clip via their official Twitter account. Watch the full video below: