Biden wanted to talk American jobs in Windy City — but can't escape Gaza backdraft

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden landed in this blue city Thursday to talk about U.S. jobs but found himself dogged by more than a thousand pro-Palestinian protesters carrying “Genocide Joe” signs and demanding he push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Hours earlier, in another Democratic stronghold, more than 100 protesters gathered outside a ritzy downtown Boston hotel to call on Vice President Kamala Harris to do the same.

As the crisis in Israel and Gaza persists, the Biden-Harris team is facing headwinds in getting its message out on multiple fronts as some progressives publicly raise objections to the administration’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Thursday’s protests came as Israel agreed to implement daily humanitarian “pauses” in the fighting in northern Gaza, the White House announced. The agreement gives some breathing room for Gaza to bring in humanitarian aid and for civilians — and potentially hostages — to escape further harm, a National Security Council official told reporters.

That hasn’t been enough for pro-Palestinian supporters who see a cease-fire as the best way to bring about peace in the region.

Biden did not address the conflict or the protesters at his official event promoting jobs with United Auto Workers in Belvidere, Ill., nor did he talk about it with donors who he met with in Chicago, according to the pool report.

In attendance was Gov. JB Pritzker, who also spoke at the event with UAW workers and is a surrogate for Biden on the campaign. Pritzker and Biden spent 45 minutes in conversation separate from the UAW and donor events, according to a spokeswoman.

Biden's campaign had taken extra precautions to not disclose the location of the fundraising event.

Protesters had initially planned to gather on the Magnificent Mile before they learned Biden would be meeting donors on the city’s West Side.

By the time Biden arrived at the Ignite Glass Studios, a glassblowing shop and gallery, more than 1,000 protesters had converged on the street, yelling “Joe Biden we’ll remember, no votes for you next November.”

Thursday’s pro-Palestinian protests are an indication that the Middle East conflict will continue to hang over the campaign.

The activism that played out in the streets is a harbinger of what Democrats can expect next year when Biden comes to Chicago to receive the nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Illinois has been a regular stop for Biden’s official and campaign visits, and Chicago was chosen as the convention city for its strong union support, which fit with Biden’s message Thursday. But Chicago is also a famously diverse city that boasts large Palestinian and Jewish communities that have been upended by the war in the Middle East.

And while Biden got his pro-economy message across to a few hundred United Auto Workers Belvidere, the visit should have been a slam dunk for the president to tout his successes after Tuesday’s election, a romp that saw big wins for Democrats — including in Ohio where abortion rights won the day.

Harris faced similar opposition at the Ritz Carlton in Boston, where protesters yelled, “Kamala, Kamala, can’t you see? You are on a killing spree.”

The vice president defended the administration's stance on Israel. "The president and I are very clear that Israel has a right to defend itself and it is a right that we support,” she told the group of big-dollar fundraisers and prominent Massachusetts politicians.

She also said that there should be “no intentional targeting of civilians.”