I recently observed Joe Biden’s relatively uneventful day on Monday. The highlight of his schedule was hosting the Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, at the White House. True to form, Biden couldn’t resist embellishing his own “football career” with his typical flair for storytelling. He also managed to engage in his signature air-handshaking before finally shaking hands with real people, even needing a prompt at one point to remember what he was supposed to do next.
Apart from the Presidential Daily Briefing, Biden’s only other item of “work” for the day was a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen. During the media photo op, they delivered brief, perfunctory remarks about the alliance between their two countries, as well as touching on Ukraine and climate change. Normally, such statements would be made off the cuff, but Biden, being Biden, required notes just to get through those few sentences. Fredriksen, on the other hand, had no need for notes for such brief remarks.
Reporters attempted to ask questions at the conclusion of the photo op, but the White House intervened, attempting to silence them and usher them out of the room. Biden smirked and evaded answering any of their inquiries. One persistent reporter inquired about his thoughts on “Danish leadership in the world,” to which Biden simply laughed.
Biden has a history of treating the press poorly and laughing off their questions. He exhibited this behavior during his meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and in May when reporters attempted to discuss Title 42. In October, just before the election, he mocked reporters, mimicking their voices and laughing as his staff escorted them out of the room.
Nancy Cook, a Bloomberg White House correspondent, called out this behavior in October, highlighting the White House’s concerted effort to prevent reporters from questioning Biden. There have been several incidents in the past month alone, where he avoided questions about Title 42, dismissed reporters’ inquiries about the border, told a reporter in Japan to “shush up,” and even mocked them by suggesting they were detached from reality.
Ironically, despite Biden’s disrespectful treatment of the press, the White House expressed a desire in May to revise the rules governing which reporters can attend press briefings, citing the need for professionalism. Some, including reporter Simon Ateba from Today News Africa, interpreted this as an attempt to exclude journalists who ask tough questions. It appears to be yet another effort to stifle independent voices that might apply pressure on Biden—an audacious move indeed. Biden has consistently shown disdain for the press, openly mocking and laughing at them, yet the White House Correspondents Association fails to hold him accountable.
