Joe Biden is far behind every modern president in terms of holding press conferences.
His staff has been extremely bold in protecting him from the media, but what we saw this week was far beyond the norm, even for the Biden administration.
Talking Points…
- Biden avoiding media
- Speaking to an empty room
- Analysis
There has not been a president since Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan that has held so few formal press conferences as Joe Biden. Donald Trump, who considered the mainstream media the "enemy of the people," still sat down with media outlets all the time, even outlets that he was combative with for how they had covered him and the "fake news" stories they published about him.
This administration loves to deflect when asked about it, saying that Biden talks to the media all the time but prefers to do it more informally, which is complete and utter "hogwash," to quote a Biden term. Last year, when the White House was questioned on this very subject, it claimed that Biden held "nearly 400 question-and-answer sessions" with the media, but they consider a single question as Biden heads to Delaware for the weekend a "session."
To that point, when the White House was asked about Biden's lack of press conferences for a report in the New York Times last year, White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt stated:
"Our ultimate goal is to reach the American people wherever and however they consume media, and that's not just through the briefing room or Washington-based news outlets.
"The fracturing of the media and the changing nature of information consumption requires a communications strategy that adapts to reach Americans where they get the news."
The fact of the matter is that Biden's staffers/handlers are protecting him from the media because every time Biden gets up before a room full of reporters, there is often a gaffe of some sort. He either makes up random "facts" or goes off on a tangent that winds up leaving Biden with a blank stare on his face because even he has no idea what he is trying to say.
This brings us to this administration's most recent debacle in talking to the media. On Thursday, Joe Biden was hosting leadership from Japan and the Philippines. Typically, during meetings such as this, the press is invited in while the president makes his opening remarks. Then, there will generally be a question-and-answer session before they close the doors and have their formal meetings.
Be it on purpose or accident, the entire press corps was left behind as Biden addressed Philippine President Bongbong Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Rather than being in the room and ready for Biden's opening comments, the media was left stewing in a hallway downstairs while Joe Biden was speaking.
The snafu was first reported by Michael Shear of the New York Times, who was serving as the day's print pool reporter. His email stated:
"The White House held most of the press in the lower hallway in the East Wing even as the pool spray at the Trilateral meeting got under way."
Oddly enough, the reporters were shown into the room after Biden made his remarks and President Marcos spoke. The room, however, was full when PM Kishida claimed that "today's meeting will make history." He was right, just not in the way that I am sure the Biden administration thought it would. After Kishida made his remarks, Biden ignored shouted questions from the media and eventually, the media was removed from the room again.
This seems pretty typical of how Biden's staffers protect him from the media, but the White House press corps has grown very tired of Biden ignoring them like this. This is why we are starting to see more honest reporting regarding Biden from outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, which have gone out of their way to protect Biden during most of his first term. As we head into a new election season, let's hope they at least try to pretend to be unbiased and report truthfully so the American people can make an informed decision when they head to the polls in November.
