President Joe Biden commented on the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America on Monday evening, offering remarks ahead of a screening of the new Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” at the White House.

President Biden’s comments drew a round of applause from the crowd, as he called for a “fair deal” to be reached “as soon as possible.” The White House had previously declined to issue a comment on the situation last week, after the Writers Guild of America called for a strike on the evening of May 1, when contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell apart.