Back in April, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the laughable claim that President Joe Biden has taken questions "multiple times, many times during this administration," which she assured would "certainly continue to be." She even told the press that Biden took "an unprecedented" amount of shouted questions. Mia fact-checked that as "false" at the time, and the president certainly continues to live up to such a falsehood, even as Biden is supposedly running for reelection.
Biden has spent most of his time lately on vacation in Delaware. While he's able to hold ceremonial events at the White House, such as welcoming the Houston Astros who won the World Series last fall, that in no way means he's available afterward for questions. Instead, the president just passes by with a smirk on his face, something that's become all too familiar.
Biden — who hasn't spoken to the press for weeks — once again ignores questions as he makes a beeline for the exit pic.twitter.com/dl4men4qRi
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 7, 2023
Biden also can't be bothered with questions to do with the testimony that his son's former business associate, Devon Archer, gave last week that could implicate him in those shady business dealings. And, he was conveniently away when Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted former and potentially future President Donald Trump, whom Biden could very well face next November for the 2024 presidential election.
Biden — making a mid-morning return to the office after 11 straight days on vacation — once again ignores questions from the press pic.twitter.com/U2tpOaNgYP
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 7, 2023
Despite what Jean-Pierre may wish to claim, Biden's had an accessibility issue for years. And it's all part of a long-term trend that is getting harder to ignore. Biden formally announced he was running for reelection at the end of April, though The New York Times--normally a friendly outlet, to be sure--just before then pointed to how seldom the president made himself available to the press.
New York Times Puts Out Damning Coverage Ahead of Joe Biden's Announcement https://t.co/2n3byhYfy6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 24, 2023
Since then, the president has only had four sit-down interviews, including MSNBC's "11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle" on May 6, MSNBC's "Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace" on June 29, CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on July 9, and the Jay Shetty Podcast on July 31.
Republican presidential candidates, meanwhile, do not seem to be shying away from the press. Trump even sat down with Fox News' Bret Baier back in June, despite his misgivings about their fairness to him and how he might not participate in the debate they're hosting later this month.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has also been doing sit-down interviews--92 of them--including with mainstream media from less friendly outfits. This includes his interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on July 18.
Such tactics from the White House could point to a few deeper scenarios. Perhaps Biden won't even be the nominee, a talking point that has picked up in recent weeks, which would mean he doesn't even really need to be available to the press. His campaign might also look to be distracting the American people rather than reminding them that polls consistently show a majority are concerned with Biden's age and mental ability, to the point that even fellow Democrats have concerns about him running for reelection.
But, whether or not Biden does end up being the nominee, a larger concern remains in that the White House has been cracking down on reporters, revoking over 440 press passes for reporters after changing around requirements. So much for "unprecedented" access.
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