Media Grill Jen Psaki on Joe Biden’s Failure to Hold Press Conference

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden waits backstage before s
AP Photo/John Locher
Wendell Husebø

Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked on Monday when President Joe Biden will address the White House press corps independently.

“By this time in their presidencies, both President Donald Trump and President Obama had held solo press conferences. Are there plans for President Biden to hold a solo press conference any time soon?” CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins asked.

“He will hold a solo press conference,” Psaki responded. “But I don’t have a date for you at this point in time.”

“This week?” Collins pressed.

Psaki answered, “Not this week, no.”

The White House press corps seemed unhappy with the answer, as another reporter asked if Biden will “get to pick the inquisitors himself.”

“Well, typically, any president has a list of people that they’re gonna call upon,” Pasaki responded. “But usually, it’s a large number of people who are in the press room. And we certainly hope we’ll be able to do that in a COVID-safe way.”

Biden notably answered very few unscripted questions during his campaign, at which time Trump nicknamed him “Joe Hiden.”

Breitbart reported that Biden told CNN the strategy of “hiding” in his basement during the coronavirus pandemic has worked “pretty well.”

Indeed, perhaps Biden is using the same approach during his presidency.

Trump’s administration, during his tenure, claimed he was “his own best spokesperson” and said, “He’s the most accessible president in history as all of the media knows. Just yesterday, he gaggled two or three times with the press.”

Former President Barack Obama held eleven solo press conferences his first year.

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