Global Courant 2023-04-30 22:28:55
President Biden is facing criticism on social media for a prank he made at the media’s expense Saturday night at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner.
During his speech, the president acknowledged, albeit casually, that his public performances left much to be desired.
“In many ways, this dinner sums up my first two years in office,” Biden said. “I talk for 10 minutes, answer no questions, and happily walk away.”
R-Texas Senator Ted Cruz responded to the clip by pointing out that the media was laughing “because they’re on” Biden’s team.
President Joe Biden addresses the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, April 29, 2023. (Reuters/Al Drago)
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Members of the media laughed in the audience, but the joke landed on social media with a thud.
Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, denounced the president for “mocking the press”.
“For the journalists in the room, he wasn’t laughing at you, he was laughing at you,” Jennings said. “I mean, the reality is I think he’s mocking the press. The man doesn’t take questions, and he jokes about it. And they applaud and they laugh about it.’
“I’m a pro reporter and I think the president should talk to these reporters and not mock them,” Jennings added.
NPR reporter Tamara Keith, this year’s WHCA president, also joked about Biden’s elusiveness.
“Every president, privately and sometimes publicly, limits his reporting, and yet they invite us to come in and answer our questions,” she said over dinner, adding, “although, sir, not as much as we would like.”
Biden, who is seeking re-election, held his 24th press conference last week, meaning he has held the fewest press conferences by a president since Ronald Reagan, The New York Times reported. In response to the criticism, a White House official told The Times that Biden had conducted “nearly 400” question-and-answer sessions, which even the paper noted were often “very brief.”
“More than any president in recent history, Mr. Biden, 80, has taken steps to reduce the chances for journalists to question him in forums where he can provide unwritten answers and they can follow up,” The Times reported.
The lack of access to the media follows now-former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, who said in the early months of administration that Biden “never shied away from answering questions” and that he was “always ready to answer questions.” to answer”.
“The president is never afraid to answer questions. I’ll let him make up his mind if he’s going to answer questions this afternoon. But you saw he gave a full sit-down interview on this yesterday. So he’s always willing to answer questions and I’ll let him decide if he’s going to do that after his comments today,” Bedingfield said in August 2021.
President Joe Biden answers questions from children at an event to mark Take Your Child To Work Day on April 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed for whether the White House was “trying to shield” Biden from media questions.
“Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” replied Jean-Pierre.
“I understand, John. I understand. I understand. I’ve dealt with this question about three times already. I understand. It’s up to all of you to ask me this question. I totally understand. And that’s not a problem at all,” she continued.
Biden was criticized on Twitter for joking about dodging the media and avoiding their questions.
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Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the Fox News and Fox Business political team. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
