Shortly after 2:30pmET, President Obama and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium for a joint press conference from Jerusalem. Fox News, CNN and MSNBC took the press conference live. NBC News was the only broadcast network to offer a special report, anchored by Brian Williams in New York.
Obama and Netanyahu took three questions: one from the Israeli press, one from Matt Spetalnick of Reuters, and one from NBC’s Chuck Todd, who asked about the peace process. Todd asked several follow up questions, which led to an exchange with the President and Prime Minister.
“Do you guys do this in this Israeli press? You say you get one question, and then you add like five?” Obama asked jokingly. “Did you see how the young lady from Channel One — she had one question, and she was very well-behaved, Chuck.”
“I thought I had four questions,” Todd responded. “Passover starts in a couple days. I get four questions.”
“This is not a kosher question, but don’t hog it,” Netanyahu said.
Obama went on to his answer, calling Todd “incorrigible.”
David Gregory joked to Williams afterward, “That Chuck Todd included dietary law and Passover in his question is, I think, news and significant. Something they’ll be talking about in Jersusalem.”