CNN's Jake Tapper appeared surprised Monday after President Biden made a significant announcement on a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, all while he was eating ice cream.
When asked by a reporter when the president believed that the cease-fire will start, Biden said in New York that he hoped that would happen "by the end of the weekend."
"My national security advisor tells me we're close," he said.
BIDEN ON ICE CREAM OUTING WITH SETH MEYERS SAYS HE HOPES FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE BY ‘END OF THE WEEKEND’
"MJ, that’s a big announcement for the president to be given in an ice cream shop," Tapper said to CNN reporter MJ Lee. "What role is the U.S. playing here?"
"Yeah, sometimes, Jake, as you know, big news comes from the president when he’s talking freely with reporters in that kind of setting," Lee said.
"But the president appearing to say that he’s hopeful and optimistic that the pause, a cease-fire, that a lot of the negotiators had been working towards, could begin by the end of the weekend, he said perhaps by Monday," the reporter added. "That would be an incredibly significant development, of course, because it would be the first cessation in the fighting in the Israel-Hamas war since that first seven-day truce we saw at the end of November."
The president was making a stop at an ice cream parlor near NBC's network headquarters in New York City, where he had just wrapped up an interview with Seth Meyers on the "Late Night" show. Meyers was present with Biden when he made his remarks to reporters about a cease-fire.
Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10, a period that often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE KILLS 2 PEOPLE DEEP INSIDE LEBANON, HEZBOLLAH RESPONDS WITH 60 ROCKETS
Biden also spoke about his planned trip to the southern border this Thursday where he will meet with border agents and discuss the need for bipartisan legislation.
He joked that "my good friend" would be making a border stop as well, a subtle nod to GOP rival, former President Trump, who will also be traveling to the border.
Biden's border policies are under special scrutiny after Augusta University student Laken Riley was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant last week. Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus.
Biden's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
