Biden calls for ‘fair deal’ for striking Hollywood writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden called for a “fair deal” for Hollywood’s striking writers on Monday as he hosted a White House screening of the the upcoming streaming series “American Born Chinese” to mark Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Biden made his first public comments on the strike, which hits the one-week mark Tuesday, in remarks ahead of the pilot’s screening. He was joined by an overflow crowd of hundreds of community leaders, elected officials and cast members and producers from the show in the East Room and the State Dining Room.

“Nights like these are a reminder of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and the value they deserve,” Biden said. “I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”

He added: “This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. And we need the writers and all the workers and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation and the stories of all of us.”

“American Born Chinese” is an adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, and stars Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. It will premiere on Disney+ May 24.

Biden used his brief remarks onstage to outline his administration’s efforts to highlight the accomplishments of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities and to speak out against prejudice and violence targeting them.

“Hate can have no safe harbor in America,” Biden said. “Silence is complicity and we will not remain silent”

Quan, who introduced Biden, reflected on his journey from arriving in the U.S. as an 8-year-old refugee from Vietnam to making his first visit to the White House months after winning an Oscar.

“I do not take this moment lightly, because I know this building is a monument to a country that opened its arms to me,” he said.