Biden, 81, draws gasps by saying he's 'back in' the 2024 race in cringeworthy exchange with reporters during first briefing room appearance

President Joe Biden shocked reporters Friday by showing up to the White House briefing room for the first time of his presidency. 

As the Friday briefing moved past its scheduled hour, the door to the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room swung open to expose the 81-year-old president carrying a binder. 

There were audible gasps in the room, as several journalists greeted him. 

'My name's Joe Biden,' the president said. 'Welcome to the swimming pool.'

The briefing room was famously constructed over the White House's indoor swimming pool by order of President Richard Nixon to accommodate TV cameras.

The president took questions - but it his response while exiting that got the most attention.

A reporter shouted as he was exiting, 'Do you want to reconsider dropping out of the race?' 

'I'm back in,' he joked, grinning and walking through the door. 

The message he intended to give - sometimes showing his stutter - was highlighting new job numbers showing the unemployment rate dropping to 4.1 percent and a pause in the dockworkers strike. 

Though many of the questions he was asked dealt with a looming war in the Middle East. 

Biden suggested an Israeli attack on Iranian oil fields wouldn't be ideal as a response to the rocket attack on Tel Aviv earlier this week.  

'If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about an alternative to striking oil fields,' the president said. 

He was also asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pushing off a ceasefire deal to meddle with ths U.S. election, as some Democrats have claimed. 

'No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none,' Biden replied. 'And I think Bibi should remember that if if he's trying to influence the election or not. I don't know, but I'm not counting on that.' 

Biden brushed off the fact that he hadn't personally spoken to Netanyahu since the Iranian attack explaining that 'our teams are in contact 12 hours a day.'

'What I know is the plan that I put together received the support of the U.N. Security Council, the vast majority of our allies around the world, as a way to bring this to an end,' the president said. 

He asserted that Israel has 'every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them.' 

'But the fact is that they have to be much more careful dealing with civilian casualties,' Biden said. 

Biden - and now Vice President Kamala Harris - have seen diminished support among Arab Americans over the way Israel has carried out the war in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas terror attack. 

The president also wouldn't say how he's advised Israel to respond to the Iranian rocket attack. 

'That's between me and them,' he said.  

He also tossed a few zingers toward his political opponents. 

Asked about Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's assessment that the positive job numbers were 'fake,' the president replied: 'If you notice, anything the MAGA Republicans don't like, they call fake.' 

'Anything,' he reiterated. 'The job numbers are what the job numbers are.' 

Looking to the election - which is just one month and one day away - Biden said he was 'confident it will be free and fair.' 

'I don't know whether it will be peaceful,' he warned. 'The things that Trump has said and the things he said the last time out, when he didn't like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous.' 

Biden also pointed out that former President Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, 'did not say he's accept the outcome of the election.' 

'They haven't even accepted the outcome of the last election,' Biden added. 

He also responded 'I always get those briefings' when asked if he was getting domestic security briefings ahead of November 5th. 

'I've gotta go kid,' Biden said, as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on a Washington Post reporter. 'I said I'd take a couple questions,' he said, smiling, as reporters' hands continued to wave. 

Jean-Pierre assured the president that would be the last one. 

He then answered a question about Harris' role. 

'I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware. We're singing from the same song sheet. She helped pass all of the laws that are being employed now, she was a major player in everything we've done,' Biden replied. 

After that, nearly every reporter in the room tried to shout a question at the president. 

The White House correspondent for the Eternal Word Television Network - a Catholic channel - was able to capture the president's attention, much to the chagrin of Jean-Pierre, who constantly scolds him for interruptions. 

The journalist said that Pope Francis was calling for a day of prayer and fasting to mark the one-year anniversary on Monday of the Hamas terror attacks. 

'I will prayer and fast,' Biden answered. 

Reuters' Nandita Bose - who Jean-Pierre had called on - then asked the president how long he felt was acceptable for Israel to be bombing Lebanon. 

'What is acceptable to you?' she asked. 

Biden just grinned and said 'thank you,' before shuffling out with his binder, teasing he was back in the race on his way out.