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At last Friday's White House press briefing, reporters assembled amidst a busy news day. A sweeping and historic Covid relief bill was about to be voted on in the U.S. Senate, a signature piece of legislation that Joe Biden has bet his presidency on.
Meanwhile, in the coming days, Biden was set to sign two executive orders to advance gender equity and opportunity for women, meet with the CEO of Johnson & Johnson to discuss the pandemic vaccination rollout, and deliver national remarks on the anniversary of the Covid-19 shutdown in the U.S.
The first question posed to White House press secretary Jen Psaki at Friday's briefing wasn't about any of those key topics, though. The day's first briefing query came from a reporter who asked when Biden was going to take more questions from reporters. "So we’re 45 days into the Biden presidency, and he has yet to hold a presser," the journalist stressed. "Why the delay, and when can we expect the President to hold a press conference?"
Journalists and Republicans have teamed up in recent days to try to turn the topic of press conferences into a news story by demanding to know why Biden hasn't yet held a formal one. Seven weeks into his term, Biden became the first president in the past four decades who has gone this far without holding a formal Q&A session with the White House press corps.
The issue was so pressing that the Washington Post editorial page weighed in. The daily wanted to make sure the lack of press conferences didn't "become a habit," which is odd since Biden has only been in office for 50 days. The Associated Press basically claimed Biden is hiding because he's "a historically gaffe-prone politician."
Of course, unlike his predecessors, Biden arrived in office facing three unprecedented crises: an economic one, a national security one in the form of a deadly insurrection, and a public health one — and oh yeah, an impeachment trial. That might explain why there hasn't yet done a solo press conference.
The White House has pointed out that Biden regularly takes questions from the press during the week (nearly 40 times to date), and has given nine extended interviews. The White House has repeatedly said Biden will give a formal press conference this month. And he certainly should. It's important that the President of the United States address the nation in lots of different ways, and solo press conferences are certainly an important outlet for him to explain and defend his agenda.
But this media hand wringing seems a bit over the top. Is the press conference issue being raised because there's a larger sense that the Biden has curtailed media access or is trying to hide what his team is doing? No. Unlike the previous administration, which at one point unplugged daily media briefings for entire year, the Biden White House hosts one nearly every day where journalists are able to pose questions and receive factual, professional answers from the White House press secretary.
There are no current scandals Biden is trying avoid. If anything, his press conference might end up resembling a victory lap as he rightly takes credit for the U.S.'s runaway vaccination rate, and the passage of a Covid relief bill which will help millions of families and businesses, as well as school districts across the country.
It seems more that the press wants Biden to appear in the specific forum of a solo news conference, which shines a spotlight on the White House press corps. Biden has already participated in a town hall event for CNN, answering voters' questions for more than an hour. But journalists don't think town halls really count, because they don't feature journalists. So there's a self-serving angle to the media's clamoring about a press conference, which journalists glorify as being the pinnacle of presidential communications.
“Press conferences are critical to informing the American people and holding an administration accountable to the public,” said Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
The Washington Post in its editorial insisted that press conferences are where "reporters can ask follow-up questions" and "the president’s thoughts on a wide range of issues can be mined." In four years of Trump press conferences, do you recall pointed, aggressive follow-up questions from reporters that helped mine Trump's deeper thoughts? I certainly don't. (I do recall that one press conference held at Trump's Bedminster, N.J., country club where local members were invited to boo reporters and cheer Trump's references to “fake news.”) It's odd that the media let Trump lie his way through solo press events and now are demanding Biden hold one because that's where presidents are held accountable by the media.
Meanwhile, it's hard to miss how CNN for instance is pressing Biden to hold a formal Q&A in the name of access. Yet CNN pulled the plug on Biden White House daily press briefings just four weeks into the Democrat's term. This, after CNN feasted on Trump White House press briefings, airing them live and in their entirety, for four years. CNN clearly operated under different rules for Trump, and now it demands that Biden adhere to the press conference rules that CNN prefers.
Biden will certainly hold a press conference soon and it will likely generate very little news, let alone blockbuster revelations. It also won’t feature insults and concocted fabrications like his predecessor’s did. The press should relax a bit on this issue, Biden has been quite busy to date.
(Photo Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
⚖️ GOOD STUFF:
A quick follow-up on last Friday’s PRESS RUN column on the “QAnon Shaman,” and that 60 Minutes+ interview.
From the Washington Posts’ “‘QAnon Shaman’ Stays In Jail as Judge Slams His Arguments: ‘So Frivolous as to Insult The Court’s Intelligence’”:
On Monday, [Judge Royce] Lamberth denied [Jacob] Chansley’s motion for release in a scathing memorandum that rejected his arguments as “meritless,” “mistaken” and “so frivolous as to insult the Court’s intelligence.” The judge said that Chansley was too dangerous to release and continues to pose a threat to the public.
EXTRA: My friend John Aravosis (of AMERICAblog fame) has a new Substack newsletter, CyberDisobedience. Take a look, I think you’ll enjoy it.
🥁 FUN STUFF — BECAUSE WE ALL NEED A BREAK
Kiwi Jr.,”Guilty Party”
I’m back flogging my favorite new band, indie darlings Kiwi Jr. from Toronto. Poppy, fun, guitary with the perfect amount of rock crunch, the band spits out 2:20 jewels with abandon. Kiwi Jr. basically bottles youth and passes it around for everyone to take a deep swig.
And even though he's right
How am I gonna trust him
When I can't see him in the rear-view mirror
Giving me two thumbs way way up?
I think the Democrats have finally learned their lesson. That lesson is to ignore this BS from the DC press and move ahead with their agenda. Because let's face it, every time the Dems reach across the aisle or kiss the media's ass, inevitably they get their hand bitten off. Their strategy is working. Get the work done. Show the American people what Democrats can actually do for the them. The press wants a press conference. What Democrats want, as well as many Republicans and Independents, is Covid relief and increased vaccinations- we're getting that. Infrastructure, immigration reform, voting rights, and most importantly addressing climate change is coming. Kowtowing to the mainstream media is not in the best interest of the country. Turning the press to favor Democrats will come provided the Dems keep their heads down, ignore the noise and continue to deliver for the American people. Give the people what they want and to hell with the DC Press.
indeed, Biden is doing an excellent job ignoring the BS
I think so too, which is one of the reasons he was my number one pick a year ago. Years of experience to know how to deal with press.
"[The Dems] strategy of ignoring the press and just getting on with the agenda, is not the Dem's strategy, it is Joe's strategy and no one else's. The Dems are stupider than a box of rocks, and without Joe they would slip back into their endless public bickering about who's more progressive and who's a Wall Street shill (which most of the party accused Joe of being), and an environment-savage (as most accused Joe of being), and anti-working class (as most of them accused Joe of being). This is all about Joe and no one else.
Look at the comments under the WaPo editorial. Other than trolls, the overwhelming response was ' we don't care if he EVER does a press conference!'. And why? Because all of the responders know that msm are merely looking for a 'gotcha' moment. And the responders are all thrilled that he is doing the job he promised us he was going to do. Watching Jen Psaki's daily pressers is enough to make me gag. More 'gotcha' moments and insipid questions.
yes, I’ve seen same response on Twitter when journos raise issue: “He’s kinda busy!”
Hi Eric! This is completely off-topic, but how do I renew my subscription? I’m sure I got a one-year subscription around this time last year, but I haven’t gotten anything about renewing my subscription and I don’t want to lapse. Will you be sending something out to your existing longterm subscribers? Sorry! I didn’t know how else to contact you.
You should get an email.
I haven’t gotten one.
I was curious myself, went looking for more, and found a Help link in the drop-down next to the Subscribe button. The Reader help page says your subscription will automatically renew: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045091251-Will-my-subscription-automatically-renew-
Yes. It's not like they're only interrupting his golf weekends.
When there is no scandal, trust the Washington press corp to manufacture one.
boy it certainly feels that way, right?
Remember, last week one of the reporters told Psaki that "Americans" were saying Biden had let in a swarm of immigrants, and when Psaki asked "Who are these Americans?" the answer was "Donald Trump." So they're not even passively promoting GOP talking points anymore; they're actively doing it.
A solo press conference will feature such pressing questions as "Donald Trump thinks you suck, what do you think about that?" and "Why didn't you get any Republicans to vote for this bill?" I suppose he should do one from time to time, but thanks to the press corps it's going the way of the turkey pardon.
I also think that one of the reasons why they want Biden to do a presser is that they want to be able to jump on him if he commits a gaffe, or says something that they deem to be inaccurate, so that they can both-sides it. Then they can demonstrate to Republicans that they're just as tough on Biden as they think they were on Trump, so maybe he'll stop calling them the 'fake news.'
The Washington Post editorial page is really going after Biden. As I posted before the Post had two editorials hammering the size of the Covid relief bill as well as at least two more op eds doing the same. Their basic argument went “Larry Summers, a named right wing economist and anonymous economists thought the bill was too big and would cause inflation. I didn’t see any columns giving the other side of the argument made by prominence to economists on their main page in the days leading up to the Senate vote.
The Post does have columnists like Jennifer Rubin and The Plum Line’s Paul Waldman and Greg Sargent who write daily columns and are not playing the gotcha game with Biden. However their columns aren’t usually featured on the main page unless they get a lot of clicks so a lot of people miss them. Rubin recently wrote this excellent column praising Biden’s success on his ignoring the conventional wisdom the media has been spouting and just plowing ahead with his agenda. I think that explains why Biden has waited so long for a press conference. Had he held one before the passage of the relief bill it would have fanned the flames of the inflation fear mongering, helping Republicans by justifying their lack of support for the bill.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/08/biden-grasped-what-media-did-not/
I wish the political press would present of both sides of issues the way 60 Minutes used to do with their Point-Counterpoint segments featuring the conservative James J Kilpatrick and liberal Shana Alexander but that would require having intellectually honest conservatives, not propagandists arguing that side. Maybe they could just do a print form of Dan Ackroyd Jane Curtain SNL’s
I agree he’s the game in town for next 4 yrs and wants to establish “combat” rules early on. Also anxious to prove they be tough on Dem
THIS White House won't subject them to abuse and death threats from hoards of illiterate cult followers, so they are emboldened to be "tough" again.
Yup...as in"used to"
Jen Psaki already told them Biden will be holding a press conference in a few weeks. The question has been asked and answered, yet the press continues to make an issue of it. Why?
I think you’re being generous when you say it’s just your average narcissism. I’m more inclined to say they need his press conference to get the sound bites and zingers to propagate the rightwing narrative around the Covid relief bill and other legislative initiatives. Biden has effectively stopped that nonsense in its tracks and forced the White House Press Corps into being professional.
It’s really beautiful to watch.
On another note, I absolutely love this new band. Thanks for the recommendation.
oh good! I’m so in live w/ Kiwi Jr
"The question has been asked and answered, yet the press continues to make an issue of it. Why?"
The answer is to make money.
The answer is that most of the modern press is little better than check-out press.
Yesterday, a question from a NYPost (total rag) reporter was 'Is the Biden's dog going to be euthanized for a bite incident?' Did they do this when Obama's dog bit someone in the face for sticking his/her face in the dog's face to kiss it? BTW, I run a dog rescue, you have to be a total moron to do this.
Right?! Like the President of the United States is going to euthanize his dog while the whole world watches. It was an idiotic question.
I'd just like to take this moment to say I think White House press secretary Jen Psaki is a total ace. Thank you.
I hope the President and Democrats simply hold town halls getting questions from the people. Be open to the people.
DC press would *hate* that;)
Eric - you hit the nail on the head when you noted the self-promotion desired by the WH press corps. It reminded me of how much more useful, and shorter, congressional hearings would be if the questioning was left to committee lawyers instead of being done by showboating clowns like Jim Jordan. The whining about a presidential presser is a reminder of how the media acquiesced in Trump's determination to ignore the pandemic.
I agree about Jim Jordan but that would mean missing impressive questioning by some of the Democrats and things like Dick Durbin calling out Ted Cruz for lying, claiming that illegal immigrants will get money from the stimulus bill.
No, Biden does not owe the media anything: the media that nastily savaged him for his whole campaign over his speech impediment. Under pressure, a stutter can re-emerge, as we saw when Harris stabbed him in the back with a lie, at the first debate. An attack by the nasties, like the dumb a-hole from Fox, who keeps trying to trip up Jen Psaki, and who keeps on repeating the lie that Biden hasn't delivered the unity he promised, could cause Joe's stutter to make him look less than fully competent. He's the most competent president since FDR. Who in the media saw that right away? An ignorant press causes an ignorant citizenry, and most of the media should be sweeping floors in a warehouse.
The DC Press Corpse--obsessed with Dr. Seuss, Potato Head, Joe's dogs and their fee fees are hurt because they can't use their Frank Luntz tested gotcha questions on Joe.
Frank Luntz says he is no longer in that business after he lost control of a focus group about unity. A man said he stopped supporting Trump because he treated covid like a joke. A woman from Texas who was clearly a Trumper said it is a joke then mocked the man when he said he had lost his mother to it. The woman also mocked another person who said her uncle had died from it. Luntz doesn’t acknowledge that his push for unity failed because of this kind of irrational nasty behavior of the Trump supporter, he implies both sides just don’t want unity which made poor little Frankie extremely discouraged. Of course he didn’t acknowledge he was a major player in the dishonest right wing propaganda that created this mess.
https://www.businessinsider.com/video-frank-luntz-focus-group-unity-goes-off-the-rails-2021-1
I infuriated me that NBC used to hire Luntz to do focus groups for them to broadcast despite the fact that he was so clearly a partisan Republican master of spin and bamboozlement.
I love the "DC Press Corpse"!
Eric, do you compile your "Fun Stuff" music selections into a Spotify playlist?? I'd follow that in a HEARTBEAT! You've introduced me to so many great new songs and artists! And of course, your journalism is the cherry on top :)
I really need to....glad yr enjoying!
"It's odd that the media let Trump lie his way through solo press events and now are demanding Biden hold one because that's where presidents are held accountable by the media."
Hope that irony not to be taken too literally. The establishment press' DC press corps is little less hypocritical than the GOP (and probably much more than the Dems).
Can say, but won't say it again that the establishment press has reached and past the point that they're doing far more harm to the nation than good.
And Eric is of course pretty spot on. Maybe Biden is just too busy for the kabuki of a full out press conference. Or maybe he wants to wait till the push to get HR1/S1 passed.
I like this option you've added Eric. Hearing you read what you've posted has been beneficial when I can't actually stop and read. Appreciate it. Jen Psaki has been great at shutting down the nonsense. Biden will have his press conference when he's good and got damn ready! Nuff said
Maybe I missed it ... has anyone mentioned the so-called "chopper-talk" ... something that I thought was beyond the pale. This was the headline to an article in "Esquire" in November of 2019. "Chopper Talk: Where the White House Press Corps Goes to Get Ritually Abused by Donald Trump In a world without press briefings, reporters are forced to ask the world's most powerful man questions over the roar of a helicopter." That the press participated was unbelievable to me.
"Joe Biden Hasn't Delivered The Promised Cat To The White House. Can America Count On Him To Deliver A Press Conference? (NYT Headline Coming Soon To A Tweet Near You)
Just as Biden pursues "bipartisanship" by addressing the needs and wants of the vast majority of the American people instead of sucking up to opposing politicians, he communicates through various media without kissing the rings of the self-appointed media poo-bahs. I sincerely hope he continues by refusing to participate in the Kool Kidz Klub's dinner events.
The modern-age Netflix for the masses school of journalism deserves to go the way of the Dodo. Their questions are too often "gotcha" questions, not designed to elicit information, but to enhance the reputations and the incomes of the questioners.
Remember when Tim Russert kept hounding politicians to say if they were running for president rather than conduct a substantive interview?
It’s the press making up a story about themselves and then writing about that made up story. Are we back in Wonderland with Alice?
Generally I'm OK with Stelter at CNN, but he has ridden this horse until it's dead. And he'ss still riding. I'm tired of hearing about how this is so unprecedented after the past 4 years of unprecedented horseshit.
And Eric, just now, headline from WaPo "Biden vaccine victories build on trump team's work" What fresh hell IS this? It goes on: "Supply and vaccinations are picking up, thanks to White House efforts — and adjustments set in motion by the Trump administration." Did they just get a directive from above to both-sides this? I can't begin to even IMAGINE where we would be today in terms of the pandemic and vaccine rollout if that MORON had retained the WH!
Maybe I missed it ... has anyone mentioned the so-called "chopper-talk" ... something that I thought was beyond the pale. This was the headline to an article in "Esquire" in November of 2019. "Chopper Talk: Where the White House Press Corps Goes to Get Ritually Abused by Donald Trump In a world without press briefings, reporters are forced to ask the world's most powerful man questions over the roar of a helicopter." That the press participated was unbelievable to me.
This editorial goes to a problem with The Post and with the media generally: They do a lousy job of covering themselves, and they think our problems are their problems.
The recent example, where I don't want to be seen as justifying anything that happened to me, was Jamal Khashoggi. That MBS is a butcher and we should find him and Saudi Arabia repellent is indisputable. But the question to ask is whether the media would have paid this much attention if Khashoggi had been a contractor or a missionary. We know the answer.
In the case of a Biden press conference, it's THEIR chance to be on camera and seen as challenging the president, or truckling to him, as the case may be (after four years of truckling ....). That's what matters to them.
I agree in part with you. The part that I don't agree with, and that, strenuously, is that the media ever truckled to Joe Biden. In order to read anything true about Biden I had to read conservatives like David Frum and George Will.
I did include truckling only in case there was one person who showed up. Of course, the media never reported ANYTHING bad about Obama. :)
Yeah, they NEVER let themselves be used as stenographers by Republicans.