Obama interrupts press conference to get a doctor for someone

President Barack Obama stopped his final press conference of the year Friday to call for a doctor after someone fell ill in the White House briefing room.

The incident occurred as Obama discussed the situation in Syria. He stopped talking when there was murmuring among the journalists in the room.

“I’m sorry, what’s going on?” Obama asked.

Multiple people in the audience told the president someone had “passed out.” Footage from C-SPAN showed reporters in the briefing room standing over someone. From behind the podium, Obama asked for someone to go to his doctor’s office and get the presidential physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, to attend to the person. Obama then tried to return to the press conference, but someone in the crowd called out and said, “We need to get a doctor in here, I think.”

“Can somebody help out, please, and get Doc Jackson in here?” Obama asked.

As he waited for the doctor to arrive, someone in the crowd expressed gratitude.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for stopping,” the person said.

“Of course,” Obama replied, adding, “Let’s give her a little room — the doctor will be here in a second.”

Obama eventually returned to his press conference after the doctor arrived.

“The doctor’s in the house,” Obama said before reverting to the discussion of Syria.

A White House spokesperson said they do not have any information about the identity of the person who became ill or their current condition.