President Biden is set to address college campuses in impromptu remarks before departing for events in North Carolina.
The president's speech comes amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities across the country, leading to the dismantling of encampments by police and numerous arrests.
On Wednesday night, more than 100 individuals were taken into custody at the University of California, Los Angeles, following the defiance of evacuation orders by hundreds of protesters. This occurred approximately 24 hours after a group of counter-protesters targeted the tent settlement on campus.
The tumultuous events at UCLA were preceded by arrests at Columbia University and City College in New York City.
The White House has censured violence and antisemitic language at certain protests while affirming students' right to engage in peaceful demonstrations. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has deferred decisions and repercussions regarding the protests to university presidents.
"They have a right to peacefully protest as long as it's within the law, and that it's peaceful," Jean-Pierre emphasized during Wednesday's press briefing. "Forcefully taking over buildings is not peaceful. It's just not."
The president will be traveling to Charlotte and then Wilmington.
