House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is pressing President Joe Biden to visit a growing pro-Palestinian protest on Columbia University’s campus, lamenting there has been a “vacuum of leadership” as the student encampment continues to garner national attention. 

Johnson said he contacted the White House shortly after making his own visit to Columbia last week with a plea to the president to visit the campus and see the protests for himself. The speaker said he spoke with a senior policy adviser and “did not connect immediately” with Biden on the issue.