File this one under “presidential transition blues.” There is, as reported earlier, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, Joe Biden delivered a statement on the deal – and he received quite an interesting question.

President Biden brushed off a question about who would get the credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal struck Wednesday.

“Is that a joke?” Biden responded when asked by a reporter whether he or President-elect Trump would get credit for the deal, which could bring an end to the 15-month conflict in Gaza.

Trump publicly celebrated the news of the deal before an official statement from the White House was released hours later. The president-elect also claimed the credit for himself, saying a deal would not have happened without his victory in November over Vice President Harris.

While announcing the deal with Harris by his side, Biden acknowledged it will be implemented after he leaves office and said his team has been working with Trump’s incoming team. Trump is set to be sworn in Monday.

This is always part of the deal with presidential transitions; some things negotiated or begun under one administration are carried out by another, and when the handoff is between presidential administrations of different parties, things can get tetchy. But what Joe Biden, for all his “sharp as a tack” mind, doesn’t mention is that Trump’s team was in fact involved with the negotiations:

“I knew this deal would have to be implemented by the next team, so I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice, because that’s what America’s presidents do,” Biden said.

Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, worked closely with Biden’s negotiators to reach a conclusion on the deal. Trump, in his statement, said Witkoff and his incoming national security team “will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”

We also wrote earlier on Wednesday, on Trump’s statement about the ceasefire; It is laudable, although that may be easier said than done.