After President Joe Biden visited a small hardware store in Washington D.C., several reporters tried to ask him questions until one of Biden’s aides shouted over the journalists, telling them they needed to leave. The Biden aide’s outburst came after one reporter asked Biden about his “crisis at the border.”
The incident occurred amid rising concerns over Biden’s failure to hold a single solo press conference during his 2-month term, which is the longest in recent history that a president has gone without holding their own press conference.
Biden doublemasking pic.twitter.com/XIqTDVi6JL
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 9, 2021
The Washington Post Editorial Board called out the President over the matter, stating that “Americans have every right to expect that he will regularly submit himself to substantial questioning.”
“Though Mr. Biden regularly answers a smattering of questions after making announcements or other events, Post media critic Erik Wemple points out that these often perfunctory exchanges are no substitute for formal, solo news conferences at which reporters can ask follow-up questions, answers are supposed to be more than a couple of words long, and the president’s thoughts on a wide range of issues can be mined,” the Editorial Board for The Washington Post wrote.
When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about his reluctance to hold a solo press conference, she argued that he is too busy to take questions on his own.
Psaki said, “He’s answered questions. I believe that count is almost 40 times. And I would say that his focus, again, is on getting recovery and relief to the American people and he looks forward to continuing to engage with all of you and to members of the, other members of the media who aren’t here today, and we’ll look forward to letting you know as soon as the press conference is set.”
