Following a speech on the economy, President Joe Biden fielded questions from reporters on a variety of topics and called Meta's move to replace fact checkers with user-generated community remarks "really shameful."

Biden made an appearance in the Roosevelt Room on Friday night to highlight the most recent jobs report and to commemorate his administration's four years of consistent job creation. Following that speech, the president was questioned about a number of subjects, including Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, Meta's decision to eliminate fact checking, his post-presidency plans, new sanctions on Russia, and potential pardons he might grant before his term ends in a week and a half.

Biden was questioned during the Q&A session regarding the modifications to Meta's fact-checking procedure that CEO Mark Zuckerberg had revealed shortly before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Zuckerberg and Meta have been under fire from Trump and other Republicans for what they see as their suppression of right-wing viewpoints. However, Zuckerberg recognized that the new policy had a "tradeoff," pointing out that the platform will see more harmful content as a result of the content filtering adjustments.

"The notion that, you know, a billionaire can purchase something and declare, 'By the way, we're not going to fact check anything from this point on.'" And you realize that when millions of people are reading this material online, It's very shameful, in my opinion," Biden remarked.

In terms of how Meta responds to inaccurate and deceptive claims on its platforms, the moderation adjustments represent a startling reversal. Following allegations that it had not been able to prevent foreign actors from using its platforms to disseminate false material and foment dissension among Americans, the corporation started an independent fact-checking program in 2016. It has also struggled with the proliferation of contentious issues on its platform, including hate speech, violence, anti-vaccination articles, and election-related misinformation.

However, Zuckerberg is now following in the footsteps of fellow social media leader Elon Musk, who dismantled the company's fact-checking teams after purchasing X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022 and made user-generated context labels, or "community notes," the platform's sole means of rectifying false information.

In a video introducing the new policy on Tuesday, Zuckerberg said that fact checkers had been too politically biased and had eroded more confidence than they had restored.

Biden observing Trump before to deciding whether to grant pardons

Before deciding whether to grant further pardons in his last days in office, Biden told reporters he is keeping an eye on whether Trump telegraphs whether he might "punish people" when he assumes power.

When asked what pardons and commutations he is thinking about, the president responded, "It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcasts in the last couple of days here as to what he's going to do."

According to Biden, "it is absurd that he would punish people for not following what he believes should be policy in relation to his well-being." "But some people are still being considered, but no decision has been made."

“What would I pardon myself for?” Biden seemed surprised when asked if he would rule out a pardon for himself or his family.

"No, I'm not thinking about forgiving myself for anything," he continued. "There was nothing wrong with me."

Regarding who he is thinking of pardoning, the president did not provide any additional information.

The president cautioned Trump against attempting to "settle scores" in an interview with USA Today last weekend, saying he had not decided whether to grant preemptive pardons before he left office, opening the door to an unprecedented step to shield some of his pals.

According to CNN, senior White House officials, administration officials, and well-known defense lawyers in Washington, DC, have talked about possible preemptive pardons or legal assistance for anyone that Trump might target for prosecution once he assumes office.

Harris "would have" defeated Trump in November, according to the president.

Harris "could have" and "would have" defeated Trump in the 2024 presidential contest, according to Biden.

"I believe I could have and would have defeated Trump." According to Biden, Kamala could have and would have defeated Trump.

The president went on to say that when he made his choice last summer, he was "confident she could win" the 2024 election.

Even though I believed I could win again, Biden continued, "I thought it was better to unify the party when the party was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to move. It was the greatest honor in my life to be president of the United States, but I didn't want to be one that caused a party that wasn't unified to lose an election, so I stepped aside."

With 312 electoral votes, Trump defeated Harris in the 2024 election.

Biden told reporters that the vice president should decide if Harris should seek the Democratic nomination for president again in 2028.

"I believe she should make that choice," Biden stated. "I believe she is capable of running again in four years, but that would be up to her."

Biden would not comment on fresh evidence indicating that the enigmatic ailment known as "Havana syndrome" may have been brought on by a foreign weapon, Biden said reporters on Friday.

"At this time, I don't have a comprehensive brief on that. "I will not comment on that," Biden declared.

Biden initially gave a long and in-depth response on homegrown terrorism in connection with the Nevada and Louisiana New Year's Day occurrences, perhaps misinterpreting the reporter's query about Havana syndrome.

According to a CNN story earlier on Friday, two US intelligence agencies have concluded that a small fraction of the enigmatic health conditions may be caused by new information. According to intelligence authorities and a new unclassified summary assessment, a "novel weapon" used by a foreign actor may have had an influence on diplomats, soldiers, and spies worldwide.

Following the presidency

We won't be "out of sight, out of mind," Biden said Friday in response to a reporter's question about his post-presidential role following his economic remarks at the White House.

A reporter inquired as to whether Biden intended to continue participating in politics after leaving office or if he would adopt George W. Bush's strategy of removing himself from current events and standing back.

Biden responded, "I won't be out of sight or out of mind."