In the president's surprise appearance, he remarked on the port strike, the latest jobs numbers, and briefly on Hurricane Helene. No reporters asked about the administration's response to the storm, but one asked Biden to assess whether Harris has been deeply involved in policy.

"Well, I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware we all, we're singing from the same song sheet. We, she helped pass all the laws that are being employed," said Biden.

"Now, she was a major player in everything we've done, including passage of legislation which we were told we could never pass. And so she's been, and her, her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we're doing," Biden continued.