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There are many ways to measure the accessibility of a US president. One solution is to count press conferences. Right now, by that number, President Biden appears invisible.
CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak shared this note with his colleagues on Wednesday: “As we await information on when President Biden will hold his first solo press conference, an analysis of the past 100 years shows he’s behind his 15 most recent predecessors, all of whom held a solo press conference within 33 days of taking office. ”Liptak scoured this academic database to confirm the data.
Thursday will be Biden’s 43rd day in office. “Although he answered journalists’ questions a few times, including sprays and a more formal question-and-answer session following an event in January, he did not hold an official press conference.” , Liptak noted. “This includes both a solo press conference or a 2 + 2 press conference at its two virtual ‘bilateral’ meetings with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.”
So what is Biden waiting for? Passing a Covid relief bill, perhaps. Katie Rogers of the NYT raised this question when I asked about the drought at the “reliable sources” press conference last Sunday.
After the broadcast, I heard a few viewers say the press should be more patient with Biden, in light of Trump’s heinous treatment of the press. It is true that Trump has proven the limits of accessibility, because frequent questions and answers are of little value when the answers are lies. But Trump isn’t the only reference for Biden – that’s why I’ve enjoyed Liptak’s gaze in the past showing Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover, to name a few a few, all soon held pressers. after taking the oath …
WH’s response
On Wednesday night, I asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki if she had a response to a POTUS presser’s request. Psaki replied, “We look forward to a full official press conference, but in the meantime the president is regularly answering questions from reporters covering the White House, including this morning. And his day in and day out goal is to end the pandemic. control and get people back to work. That’s what people elected him for. “
In my opinion, journalists are right to push for more access to questions and answers, and they shouldn’t let go. Biden should use the press conference setting to let the public know what he’s doing …
Coarse Tucker Distortion
Here’s a classic example of how Fox’s Tucker Carlson takes something legitimate and turns it into BS commentary. Questions about when Biden will hold a full-fledged press conference are legitimate – but
Wednesday night Carlson went further and said Biden “refused to speak directly to the media.” Odd, since Fox’s White House reporter Peter Doocy has interacted with Biden several times this winter. It is not “silence”. Carlson then ridiculed Biden’s public speaking and said he didn’t want to see a presser after all: “It’s one thing to know your country is run by a guy in cognitive decline, it’s another thing to see it, and we don’t. I want to see this. “
For the little story
– “Biden has 51% approval rating in Monmouth U poll released Wednesday,” down slightly from 54% at the end of January … (Fox)
–One of the biggest stories on Wednesday: “Biden agreed to a compromise with moderate Democrats to reduce income eligibility for the next round of $ 1,400 stimulus checks …” (CNN)
– Administrator Trump “returned a record number of leaks classified for criminal investigation, totaling at least 334”, according to a document recently unearthed by the DOJ … (The Intercept)
– From CNN’s fact-checking team: “In an opinion piece published Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence did something he once did in power: echo a lie” from Trump “in a slightly more sophisticated way …” (CNN)
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