The White House Press Corps is pushing for a solo Biden press conference that he has not given yet. Already 40 days into his presidency, the president has to set a definite date for that.
Reporters Demand Date for Solo Biden Press Conference
From day one of the Biden administration, all presscon was done with supervision when he answered questions. On many occasions after presenting questions, Biden would leave anytime without answering all questions.
Last Wednesday, the press in full-court asked the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki a relevant question. Reporters asked when Biden will answer the in solo presscon. They have been pressuring the press secretary to set a date for that. Biden is expected to have the press meet sooner, but it never came around, reported the Epoch Times.
The president is not a newbie, and he should be aware that forty days have passed since the inauguration. The solo news conference is a White House tradition that the press expects soon.
He is the only one to stall this long in one hundred days. Some would say this is a stark contrast to Donald Trump, who interacted more in the first forty days.
Biden's reluctance to hold a press conference on his own is coming under scrutiny. Odds and alleged speculations of what he won't meet the press are many. He will be the only one to wait this long to meet the press.
Before him, 15 former Oval Office occupants did not go as long as 40 days during longer than one month. To be exact, ex-president Trump filed his first solo news conference in 27 days (barely a month).
In contrast, his 15 predecessors held solo press briefings within 33 days of their respective presidencies. Former President Donald Trump took questions after 27 days in office, while Barack Obama held a formal press conference 20 days into his first term.
Even if the president did not have a solo one yet, the director of the White House Transition Project, Martha Joynt Kumar, gave a justification. She said since January 20; he had 38 short question-and-answer sets with reporters. He added that he gave answers on many issues, but they weren't done solo and briefly answered.
Last Wednesday, the president was criticized so much in an event with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that was never finished. When he was about to take questions, the connection ended abruptly.
What's the deal with Biden?
According to Brett Bruen, the White House director of global engagement under Obama said that Biden's shyness is not expected of the president. Hiding from the press will make it less positive for him.
Lecturing journalists and what they do is crucial, but refusing to answer relevant questions is a low point for the president. It shows a disregard for the press and refusal to let them know what he thinks. Reporters are not mind readers, and snubbing them will not end well, said Bruen.
The lack of any date for a solo Biden press conference is a bad sign that all is not fine. Press members need the president's input, not his proxies. Kayleigh McEnany asked where Joe Biden is in a Fox News release. She added, where is the transparency he touted; Psaki answered back empty.
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